Chap. 318.—An ACT to amend and re-enact sections 5-a and 6 of an act entitled
“an act to provide a new charter for the town of Shenandoah, Virginia, and
to repeal all other acts inconsistent with this act,’ approved March 17, 1926,
as heretofore amended, and to further amend said act by adding thereto a new
section to be numbered section 26-a. [H B 207]

Approved March 25, 1932

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That sections
five-a and six of an act entitled an act to provide a new charter for
the town of Shenandoah, Virginia, and to repeal all other acts incon-
sistent with this act, approved March seventeenth, nineteen hundred
and twenty-six, as heretofore amended, and that said act be further
amended by adding thereto a new section to be numbered section
twenty-six-a, which amended sections and new section shall read as
follows:

Section 5-a. The council of the said town of Shenandoah shall at
its first meeting in September in the year in which its members are
elected appoint a justice of the peace for the said town, who shall be
an elector of said town, and who shall enter upon the duties of his
office immediately upon qualification in the manner prescribed by law
for the qualification of justices of the peace, and shall continue in office
until his successor shall have been appointed and qualified. Huis term
of office shall be coincident with that of the other officers of said town.
The said justices of the peace shall be clothed with all the powers,
authority and jurisdiction in both civil and criminal matters within
said town as are now vested in and conferred upon the mayors of
incorporated towns of this Commonwealth by the general laws of the
State, and an appeal shall lie to the circuit court of Page county in
all cases and in the same manner in which appeals are now granted
and taken from the decision of the mayors of towns. The said justices
of the peace shall receive as compensation for his services the same fees
that are allowed by law to justices of the peace, and such other com-
pensation as the town council may prescribe.

If for any reason the said justice of the peace shall be unable to
perform the duties of his office, or shall be absent from the county of
Page, the council of said town may appoint some other person as a sub-
stitute for said justice of the peace, who shall act in his place and stead
during such time as said justice of the peace shall be unable to perform
the duties of his office, or shall be absent from the said county of
Page.

Section 6. The mayor shall be the chief executive officer of the
town, and shall by virtue of his office possess no power, authority or
jurisdiction to try violations of the ordinances of the town or to act as
a justice of the peace in either civil or criminal matters, and all such
power, authority and jurisdiction as 1s customarily exercised by the
mayor of towns shall be vested in a justice of the peace to be appointed
by said council as herein more fully set forth.

Section 26-a. The town council may organize and maintain a
volunteer fire department’ for the purpose of extinguishing fires and
protecting the buildings and property located within said town from
destruction by fires and conflagrations; and said council may enact
ordinances and regulations for the control and regulation of said fire
department. |

The council of said town shall annually at the first meeting in
September elect or appoint for said fire department a principal engineer,
who shall be designated chief of the fire department, and at the same
time shall elect or appoint four fire wardens, and the duties of said
officers shall be such as are prescribed under the general laws of the
State and the ordinances of said town of Shenandoah. In addition to
the above powers and duties, the said fire chief and four wardens,
when on active duty in attendance upon a fire, shall have the authority
and power to make arrests for the violation of any State law or
town ordinance, and to said extent are hereby constituted special police
of said town.

2. All acts and parts of acts in conflict with this act are hereby
repealed. ,
3. An emergency existing, this act shall be in force from its
passage.