Chap. 283.—An ACT to provide for the election by the board of supervisors of
Arlington and Alleghany counties of a county manager and providing for the
duties of said manager and method of election; and providing an election by
the people in said county to determine whether a county manager shall be
employed or not in case the board of supervisors fail to comply with this
act, by the adoption of same by a suitable resolution and the employment
of a county manager. [S B 204]

Approved March 24, 1926.

1. Beit enacted by the general assembly of Virginia as follows:

Section 1. That the board of supervisors in Arlington and Alle-
ghany counties be, and are: hereby, authorized and empowered to
elect an officer to be known as county manager; who shall hold office
for a term of four years from the date of appointment unless sooner
removed by said board for incompetency, inefficiency, misfeasance,
malfeasance or nonfeasance in the conduct of his duties and the com-
pensation to be paid said county manager shall be fixed by the said
board of supervisors. No member of the board of supervisors shall
be eligible for appointment as such county manager during the term
of his office or for one year after the expiration thereof.

Section 2. The duties of said county manager shall be: First, to
attend all meetings of said board of supervisors, and to approve all
bills which are presented or claims against the county, before the same
are allowed or ordered paid by said board of supervisors; second, he
shall have general supervision of all of the work done by the county,
including the construction and maintenance of all roads and highways
in said county, and the appointment of all foremen in charge of any
highway work or other work in said county; third, he shall keep the
said board of supervisors fully advised of the county’s financial condi-
‘tion and shall prepare and submit to the said board of supervisors a
tentative budget for the next succeeding fiscal year, which budget
shall be submitted at the annual meeting of said board in the month
of January of each year; fourth, he shall perform such other duties as
may be prescribed by said board of supervisors not in conflict with
the foregoing provisions, and shall execute a bond for the faithful
performance of his duties, in such amount as may be fixed by said
board of supervisors, but not to be less than five thousand dollars.

Section 3. The said county manager may be a resident of the
county wherein he is elected, or may be any resident of this State or
of any other State, in the discretion of the said board of supervisors.

Section 4. The board of supervisors may put this act in effect by
a proper resolution, approving the same, and shall then proceed to
secure and employ a county manager. Or if said board of supervisors
does not adopt said resolution putting the same in force, upon a peti-
tion filed by ten per centum of the voters who were qualified to vote
in the next preceding general election the circuit court of said county,
or the judge thereof in vacation, shall, upon the filing of said petition,
order an election to be held in said county to determine whether or
not said county manager shall be employed as herein provided. And
the said court, or the judge thereof, in vacation, shall order said
election to be held not less than thirty days nor more than ninety
days after the filing of said petition. Said election shall be conducted
in the manner prescribed by law for the conduct of regular elections,
and by the regular election officers of said county. The election shall
be by secret ballot, and the ballots used shall contain the following:
‘For election of county manager;’’ ‘‘Against election of county
manager; and the drawing of a line through the words ‘“‘for’’ or
‘‘against’”’ or any part thereof, shall be sufficient to indicate the wishes
of the persons voting. The returns of the election shall be certified
by the commissioners of election to the court, or the judge thereof
in vacation; and if it shall appear that the proposal to have a county
manager has not been adopted by a majority vote of the qualified
voters voting, an order shall be entered of record accordingly; but if
the proposal to elect a county manager by the board of supervisors
is adopted by a majority vote of the qualified voters voting, the
court, or the judge thereof, shall enter an order accordingly, certifying
the results of said election and ordering the said board of supervisors
to proceed to employ a county manager in accordance with said vote.
Any such election may be contested and the proceeding for such con-
test shall conform as near as may be to the provisions of section
twenty-seven hundred and fifty-four of the Code of Virginia.
Section 5. All acts and parts of act, both general and special; 3

conflict with this act are hereby expressly repealed.