Chap. 174.—An ACT to authorize the board of supervisors of Norfolk county
to borrow a sum not exceeding $200,000, for the purpose of permanent road
improvements in said county, and to issue bonds therefor. secured by a deed
of trust on the interest of said county in the Norfolk county ferries, to pro-
vide for the payment of said bonds, and to authorize the circuit court of
Norfolk county, or the judge thereof in vacation, to appoint a commission
of three freeholders of said county to have charge of said permanent road
improvements and the expenditure of the proceeds of said bond issue.

Approved March 11, 1908.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That the board
of supervisors of Norfolk county be, and it is hereby, authorized and
empowered to borrow a sum, not exceeding two hundred thousand dol-
lars, for the purpose of permanent road improvements in said county,
and to issue the bonds of said county for said amount, to be known as
“road improvement bonds,” said bonds to be either registered or coupon,
and to be in such denominations as may be determined by said board
of supervisors, to be payable twenty years after date, and to bear interest
at a rate not to exceed five per centum per annum, payable semi-
annually, at the office of the treasurer of said county, and shall be ex-
empt from county taxation. Said bonds shall be signed by the chair-
man of the board of supervisors and countersigned by the clerk of said
board.
The said board of supervisors of Norfolk county shall have power to
appoint an agent or agents, to negotiate a loan or loans, or to sell the
said bonds: provided, said bonds shall be paid for in lawful money, and
shall not be sold at less than their par value: and provided further, that
no sale of said bonds shall be made except and before due advertisement
In some newspaper or newspapers published in the cities of Norfolk or
Portsmouth shall have been made continuously for a period of thirty
days, describing fully the bonds proposed to be sold, the number and
amount thereof, the time of their redemption, the right to anticipate
the payment thereof, and asking for bids therefor.

. The said board of supervisors are hereby authorized and empowered
to secure the payment of said bonds and the interest thereon by a deed
of trust on the interest of the said county in the Norfolk county ferries,
the form of which deed of trust shall be approved by the Common-
wealth’s attorney of said county.

After issuing the said bonds, the said board of supervisors shall cause
to be set aside annually, out of the county’s share of the net receipts
of the Norfolk county ferries, a sum equal to the interest on said bonds
and five per centum of the principal, to pay the interest on said bonds
so issued, and to create a sinking fund to reduce the principal thereof
at maturity.

2. The said board of supervisors are hereby authorized and empow-
ered to apply any part or all of said sinking fund to the payment or
purchase of any of said bonds at any time, and all bonds so paid off
or purchased by said board of supervisors shall be immediately cancelled
and shall not be re-issued, and the board of supervisors is authorized
and empowered to lend out upon real estate security, the loan not to
exceed fifty per centum of the assessed value of such real estate, or to
deposit in bank at interest all accumulations of money to the credit of
said sinking fund provided as aforesaid, and to collect and re-invest the
same and the interest accruing thereon from time to time, so often as
may be necessary or expedient: provided, that no money to the credit
of said sinking fund shall be loaned out, or deposited or invested by the
said board of supervisors, unless said loan, deposit or investment shall
be first approved by the circuit court of said county, or the judge thereof
in vacation, and the form of the security be examined and approved by
the Commonwealth attorney for said county, which approval shall be
entered of record in the order book of the said court.

The money received from the proceeds of said bond issue shall be
paid over to the treasurer of said county, and such part thereof as shall
be expended, shall be paid out only upon the warrant of the permanent
road improvement commission, hereinafter provided for, signed by the
chairman of said commission and countersigned by the secretary thereof,
or upon such warrants as are provided for in the general law providing
for State money aid in addition to convict labor for the improvements
to public roads.

3. The circuit court of Norfolk county, or the judge thereof in vaca-
tion, is hereby authorized and directed to appoint three freeholders of
said county, who shall be known as the “permanent road improvement
commission of Norfolk county.” The members of said commission shall
enter upon their office on the first day of September, nineteen hundred
and eight, and shall continue in office for two years: provided, however,
that the said judge may, in his discretion, in the event they shall not
have completed their duties under this act, extend their term of office
for one year additional. They shall qualify as other officers, and shall
give such bond or bonds as the said court or judge may determine. They
shall select from among’ themselves a chairman and secretary. ‘The
members of said commission shall receive such compensation for their
services as the said board of supervisors may determine upon. Said
commission shall have charge of the expenditure of all moneys realized
from the sale of said bonds, and also have charge of the permanent road
improvements of said county made from the proceeds of such bond issue.
They shall, for that purpose, employ a competent road engineer to make
plans and specifications for such improvements, employ labor, receive
proposals, and award contracts, and enforce such rules and regulations
as they may adopt, and shall have power to do all other things that
may be necessary to carry out the powers hereby given; provided that if
sail commissioners shall determine to let said work or any part thereof
by contract, and the costs of such contract is to exceed two hundred
and fifty dollars before the same shall be awarded bids therefor shall
be received after ten days advertisement for such bids in one or more
newspapers published in the city of Norfolk or the city of Portsmouth:
and provided further that nothing in this. act shall be construed to-
prevent the said commission from availing itself and Norfolk county
of the benefit of the general law providing for State money aid, in addi-
tion to convict labor, for the improvement of public roads—and of the
services of the State highway commissioner, and of his assistants, in
which case the provisions of the general. law shall be followed in lieu
of the special provisions of this act which may be in conflict with the
said general law. ,

The said commission shall, as far as practicable, make such improve-
ments first on such of the main roads leading out from the cities of
Norfolk and Portsmouth, as in their judgment, are most used for travel.

The said commission shall make a report on the first Monday in
January, April, July and October of each year, to the board of super-
visors and the judge of the circuit court of said county. Said report
shall set forth which roads have been improved by them during the
preceding three months, and contain an itemized statement of the ex-
penditures made by them, and shall also contain an estimate of the
amount needed for the next three months, and for what purposes and
on what roads it is to be expended; which report shall be duly adver-
tised in some newspaper or newspapers, published in the cities of Nor-
folk or Portsmouth, for a period of one week next after said report has
been submitted to said board of supervisors, for the information of the
citizens of said county. Said report shall be first approved by the board
of supervisors, and then approved by the judge of said court, and shall’
be filed in the clerk’s office of said county.

The circuit court of said county shall have power to remove any
officer appointed under this act during the term of office, for neglect of
duty or malfeasance in office. A vacancy in the office of any officer ap-
pointed under this act, shall be filled by the said court, and in case of
a vacancy where. the office has been partly filled by one officer, and partly
by another in one year, the annual compensation shall he apportioned
between them by the court in such manner as may be just.

_The said commission shall not be members of the board of super-
visors, and are prohibited from being interested in any way with any
contracts which may be made.

4. All acts and part of acts inconsistent or in conflict with this act are
hereby repealed.