Chap. 292.—An ACT to authorize the mayor and council of the city of Wil-
liamsburg, in the county of James City, State of Virginia, to borrow
money, issue bonds therefor, for the purpose of completing a public
school building, and providing for submission of the issuance of bonds for
this purpose to the qualified voters of the said city. [H B 436]

Approved March 19, 1920.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That the
mayor and the council of the city of Williamsburg be, and they are
hereby, authorized and empowered to issue and sell upon the faith,
credit and property of said city coupon bonds to an amount not to
exceed fifteen thousand dollars, or so much thereof as, added to the
present indebtedness of the city, shall not exceed the constitutional
limitation of eighteen per centum on municipal indebtedness; such
bonds to be issued and sold in the manner hcreinafter provided.

2. Such bonds shall be sold at not less than par and bear interest
at a rate not exceeding five per centum per annum, and shall be pay-
able not less than fifteen nor more than forty years after date; but
such bonds shall be made payable at the call of the common council
of said city at any time after twenty years from date; provided such
provision be inserted in said bond; they may be issued at such time
and in such series as the common council may elect. The purchaser
or purchasers of said bonds under authority of this act shall not be
required to see to the appropriation and expenditure of the proceeds
of the same.

3. The proceeds of the sale of the bonds hereby authorized shall
be applied by and under the direction of the common council of the
said city for the purpose of completing a public school building for
the said city.

4. Such bonds shall be of the denomination of one thousand dol-
lars each, and in such form as the common council may determine;
they shall be signed by the mayor and countersigned by the city
clerk of said city with the corporate seal affixed. The common council
of said city is hereby authorized and directed to annually levy a tax
sufficient to pay the interest on said bonds and create a sinking fund
sufficient to provide for the redemption and payment at maturity of
all such bonds as may be issued hereunder.

5. The money received from the proceeds of said bonds shall be
paid over to the treasurer of the city of Williamsburg and county of
James City, and shall be disbursed by him under the direction of the
common council. The treasurer aforesaid, and the surety on his of-
ficial bond, shall be liable for the amount so received as though it
were a city levy, and the said treasurer shall receive for his services
a commission of one-half of one per centum on all funds coming into
his hands, derived from the sale of said bonds.

6. The council of said city shall have control of the expenditure
of the fund derived from the.sale of the said bonds ; provided, however,
that no part of the said funds shall be used for any purpose other
than the one hereinbefore provided; provided, further, that this act
shall not become effective except and unless at an election to be held
for the purpose, as hereinafter provided, a majority of the persons
voting at such election shall vote in favor of the issuance of the bonds,
as herein authorized.

7. The common council shall determine by ordinance the amount
necessary for the completion of the public school building, and in said
ordinance the council shall also request the circuit court. having juris-
diction in said city, or the judge thereof in vacation, to order an
election upon such proposed bond issue not to exceed the amount
named in said ordinance. Upon the written petition of the said coun-
cil of the said city, signed by the presiding officer thereof, and accom-
panied by a certified copy of said ordinance, presented to the circuit
court having jurisdiction in said city, in term time, or to the judge
thereof in vacation, asking that an election be held for the purpose of
passing upon such proposed bond issue, not to exceed the amount
named in such ordinance, the court, or judge thereof in vacation, shall
enter an order directing that such an election be held on a day so
named in such order, not less than thirty nor more than forty days
from the entering of the same upon which such election shall be
held. A copy of the said order shall be published in a newspaper
of general circulation in this city, once a week for four successive
weeks, and a copy thereof served upon the chairman of the electoral
hoard of said city.

8. Excepting as herein otherwise provided, such election shall be
conducted in the manner provided by section ten hundred and thirty-
eight of the Code of Virginia. The election shall be bv secret ballot
and shall contain the following: “For proposed bond issue to com-
plete the public school building,” and “against proposed bond issue
to complete public school building,” and the drawing of a line through
the word “for” or “against,” or any part thereof shall be sufficient to
indicate the wishes of the.person voting. Returns of election showing
the total vote for and against the proposed issuance of bonds, as the
case may be, shall be certified by the commissioners of election, or
their clerk, to the court, or judge thereof in vacation; an order shal
be entered showing the result of such election and a certified copy
thereof shall be furnished the presiding officer of the common council
of said city; and such order shall be spread upon and become a part
of the minutes of said council. If a majority of the persons voting
at such election shall be in favor of such proposed bond issue voted
upon, the council of said city, upon receipt of a certified copy of the
order to that effect, shall be duly authorized to issue and sell such
bonds permitted under this act as shall have been authorized at such
election, and take all necessary steps in connection therewith as it
may deem proper, as herein provided; provided, however, that the
total amount of bonds to be issued and sold shall not exceed the
amount set out in the ordinance requesting such election and the
amount herein authorized. .

9. Any election hereunder shall be called not later than six months
from the day of the passage of this act.

10. No corporation tax shall be assessed or collected upon any
of the bonds authorized by this act.

11. The council shall, as the funds become available, apply the
same to the payment, or the purchase and retirement of any of said
bonds at any time. When the council desires to redeem any of its
outstanding bonds, subject to call, issued under authority of this act,
it may, through the president of the council of said city, give notice
of its intention so to do to the holder or holders thereof in person or
by publication of a notice to that effect published once a week for
two successive weeks in a newspaper published in said city, or having
general circulation therein. It shall be sufficient if the notice recites
the number and principal sum of the bond to be retired, and a fixed
date and place for its presentation for retirement, which shall be not
less than ten days from the day of personal service of said notice, or
from the completion of the publication thereof, as the case may be.
If the bond or bonds be not presented for retirement on the day fixed
for the same by the said notice for their redemption, interest thereon
shall cease to run from and after the said day.

12. Additional funds being required within a very short time for
the completion of the school building, an emergency is declared to
exist and this act shall be in effect from its passage. ,