Chap. 252.—An ACT to incorporate the town of Chincoteague, Accomac county.

Approved March 13, 1908.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That so much
of the island of Chincoteague, in the county of Accomac, as is com-
prised within the following lines: beginning at a point on the bay
shore, at low water mark, opposite the dividing line between the lands
of Daniel J. Watson on the northeast, and David R. Watson on the
southwest, and running thence in a southwesterly direction along low
water mark of Chincoteague bay and channel to a point opposite the
northeast boundary line of the land of Ella Fish, thence along the
northeast boundary line of said Ella Fish’s land to a point two hun-
dred (200) yards southeast of the main county shore road; thence in a
northeasterly direction to the dividing line between the lands of W. N.
Conant and Mary A. Daisy; thence along the southwest boundary line
of W. N. Conant’s said land to the canal; thence in a northerly direc-
tion to the dividing line between the lands of Daniel J. Watson, on the
northeast, and David R. Watson on the southwest, aforesaid; thence in
a northwesterly direction along said last named dividing line, across the
main county shore road to the point of beginning on the bay shore, shall
be and the same is hereby created a municipal corporation by the name of
Chincoteague: as such the said town and the municipal authorities
thereof shall be entitled to all the rights and powers, possessed of all
the privileges and subject to all the liabilities of towns having a popu-
lation of less than five thousand under the general laws of this Com-
monwealth now in force, or which may be hereafter enacted, so far as
the same may not be inconsistent with any of the provisions of this act.
2. The government of said town shall be vested in a mayor and six
(6) councilmen, a majority of whom, inclusive of the mayor, shall con-
stitute a quorum for the transaction of business. They shall serve with-
out pay. The mayor and councilmen may, by ordinance, create such
other officers as they may deem necessary and proper, define their pow-
ers, prescribe their official terms, duties and compensation, exact of
them official bonds in such penalties as to them may seem fit, and pro-
vide that such offices may be filled either by election by the town electors,
or appointed by the mayor and councilmen. The mayor and council-
men shall be elected on the second Tuesday in June and biennially
thereafter, the first election to be held on the second Tuesday in June,
nineteen hundred and nine, and their terms of office shall commence
on the. first day of September following and shall continue fortwo (2)
years and until their successors are elected and qualified. Elections and
qualifications of town officials shall conform in all respects to the pro-
visions and requirements of the general laws of the Commonwealth
upon the subject, except that all official oaths of town officials, required
by law, may be taken and subscribed before any justice of the peace, or
notary public within and for said county of Accomac, and when taken
and subscribed shall be filed among the records of said town, and the
fact of such oath being taken and subscribed shall be certified by the
officer before whom the same is taken and recorded by the clerk of
Accomac county.

3. In addition to the power and authority conferred by general laws
upon towns to impose license taxes and levy taxes upon persons and
property therein, for town purposes, the council of the town of Chinco-
teague is hereby authorized and empowered, should it deem it necessary,
or expedient, to levy a capitation tax, in addition to the State capitation
tax, of one dollar per annum upon every male resident of said town
over the age of twenty-one years, except those pensioned by the State
for military services, to be applied in aid of the public schools of said
town, or to such other town purposes as it shall determine.

4, A. Frank Matthews is hereby appointed mayor and William L.
Watson, William N. Conant, Emory E. Phipps, Thomas Savage, Kendal
J. Jaster and James Aydelotte are hereby appointed councilmen of the
said town of Chincoteague, who shall hold office until September first,
nineteen hundred and nine, and until their successors shall have been
elected and qualified. They shall qualify the same as though they had
been elected and in the event of the failure or refusal of any one or more
of them to serve, the vacancy, or vacancies, so created, shall be filled hy
appointment by such of them as shall accept office hereunder and qualify.