CHaP. 54.—An ACT to amend and re-enact section 2 of chapter 336 of
Acts 1908, entitled an act to provide for submitting the question of
the removal of the courthouse of any county to the qualified voters of
such county, and in the event such removal is voted, to authorize the
board of supervisors to acquire necessary land and erect buildings, and
to empower councils of towns, when authorized by the vote of the
people of such town, to issue bonds, the money derived from the sale
of which may be donated as an inducement for the location of the
county courthouse.

Approved February 20, 1912.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That
section two (2) of chapter three hundred and thirty-six of Acts
nineteen hundred and eight, entitled an act to provide for sub-
mitting the question of the removal of the courthouse of any
county to the qualified voters of such county, and in the event
such removal is voted, to authorize the board of supervisors
to acquire necessary land and erect buildings, be amended and
re-enacted so as to read as follows:

§2. It shall be lawful for any town, village or individual to
donate to the county the land necessary for its uses at any of
the locations named in the petition which shall not be less than
one acre, and to offer as an inducement for said removal such
sum or sums of money as may be desired. Any offer to donate
the land shall be accompanied by a deed for the same, to be
regularly executed and placed in the hands of the clerk of the
county, and any offer of money shall be accompanied by a certi-
fied check or other satisfactory security to be likewise placed
in the hands of the clerk to be delivered by him to the treasurer
of the county, if the location stated in the deed or offer of money
shall be selected by the voters, and the treasurer shall record
said deed and collect and place said fund to the credit of the
county to be drawn on by the board of supervisors as hereinafter
directed.

And when any town shall desire to donate to the county any
land or sums of money as an inducement for such removal, and
such town has not sufficient funds in its treasury as it may
desire to offer, it shall be lawful for such town to borrow such
money and issue its bonds therefor, bearing not more than six
per centum interest. And whenever twenty-five per centum of
the qualified voters of such town shall petition the circuit court
of the county wherein such town is located, or the judge thereof
in vacation, for an election to be held on such bond issue, in
which petition shall be stated the purposes for which the pro-
ceeds of such bond issue shall be used, and the amount of such
issue, the circuit court, or judge thereof in vacation, shall, within
ten days after receiving said petition, issue a writ of election,
ordering a special election upon such bond issue, in which shall
be fixed the date of holding such election in said town, and deliver
the same to the sheriff of the county, whose duty it shall be to
post at least three notices of the time of holding such election
in said town. Said election shall be held and conducted and the
vote canvassed and returns made in accordance with the require-
ments of the general election law, except the certificate of the
judges shall be as follows:

‘‘We hereby certify that at the election held in the town of

—_____——, on the —_____- day of ——___—_, nine-
teen hundred ———————_,, upon the question of a bond issue of
dollars, to be used as a donation to————__—_—_

county as an inducement for removal of the courthouse of said
county to said town, ———————— votes were cast for bond issue
and ——_—————_- votes were cast against bond issue.”

The ballots used in said election shall be as follows:

“For bond issue to the amount of —————————- dollars to be
used as donation to —————————- county, as an inducement for
the removal of courthouse; and against bond issue.” In case a
majority of the voters in said town taking part in such election
shall vote in favor of such bond issue, it shall be lawful for the
council of such town to issue its bonds to the amount set out in
said petition, either coupon or registered, signed by its mayor or
the president of its council, and attested by the town recorder
or clerk, and deliver the same to the clerk of the county as “sat-
isfactory security” within the meaning of this act.

The proper canvassers shall certify in duplicate the vote cast
in such elections, for and against bond issue, one of said certifi-
cates to be filed with the clerk and the other with the judge of
said circuit court.

Such election shall be subject to inquiry in the manner pro-
vided by section six of: said act, approved March fourteenth,
nineteen hundred and eight. The council of said town shall have
power to make annual appropriations out of the revenues of the
corporation to pay the interest on said bonds and to provide a
sinking fund for the redemption of said bonds by special levy
or otherwise.