Chap. 269.—An ACT to amend and re-enact Sections 2, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 39, as
heretofore amended,. of an act entitled “An. act appointing trustees for the
town ot Christiansburg, in the county of Montgomery, and for other pur-
poses”, passed January 7, 1833, as amended by an act approved March 16,
1916, said sections relating to the election, qualification and terms of cer-
tain municipal officers, so as to provide for the appointment of the town
sergeant. [H B 539]

Approved March 26, 1938

I. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia, That sec-
tions two, five, seven, eight, nine and thirty-nine, as heretofore amended,
of an act entitled an act appointing trustees for the town of Christians-
burg, in the county of Montgomery, and for other purposes, passed
January seventh, eighteen hundred and thirty-three, as amended by
an act approved March sixteenth, nineteen hundred and sixteen, be
amended and re-enacted so as to read as follows:

Section 2. The municipal officers of said town shall be a mayor,
a town sergeant and seven councilmen, all of whom shall be residents
and qualified voters of said town except the town sergeant, in the dis-
cretion of the council, may not be. The council of said town shall
have power to elect or appoint any other officers they may deem
necessary and to define their powers. The same person may, in the
discretion of the council, be elected or appointed to and hold, at the
same time, more than one of the offices to be filled by election or
appointment by the council.

Section 5. The mayor and councilmen shall be elected by the
qualified voters of said town.

Section 7. On the second Tuesday in June, nineteen hundred
and thirty-six, and biennially thereafter, there shall be elected by the
qualified voters of the town, a mayor and seven councilmen of said
town, such elections to be held at such place, or places, in said town
as shall be designated by the council, and under such rules and regu-
lations and subject to such provisions as the council may prescribe.
Notice of the time and place of holding of each such election shall be
published at least ten days before the holding of the same by the posting
by the town sergeant of printed handbills in at least five public places
in said town. The mayor and councilmen elected at any such election
shall qualify on or before the first day of September next succeeding
their election. ,

Section 8. The term of office of the mayor and councilmen elected
under the provisions of the preceding section shall be two years from
the first day of September next succeeding their election, and until
their successors shall have been duly elected and qualified.

Section 9. All vacancies occurring from any cause, in the office
of mayor and councilmen shall be filled for the unexpired term by
the council. ©

Section 39. There shall be appointed by the council one town
sergeant who shall hold his office during the pleasure of the council;
but the present town sergeant of said town shall continue to discharge
the duties of the office until his successor has been appointed and quali-
fied. He shall qualify and give bond before the council for such
amount and with such surety as the council may approve. His com-
pensation shall be such as the council may, from time to time, allow.

In all cases, civil and criminal, arising in said town, or within one
mile of the corporate limits thereof, he shall be vested with all the
powers which the general laws of the State confer upon constables.
He shall be chief of police of said town. In addition to the powers
conferred upon town sergeants: by the General laws of the State, the
sergeant of the said town and all police officers appointed by the mayor
and council thereof, shall have all the powers conferred upon special
police under the general law. They shall have power to arrest without
warrant and carry before the mayor to be dealt with according to
law any and all persons who shall violate the ordinances of the town,
or the law of the State, in their presence and it shall be his duty to
swear out warrants of arrest for any person or persons where he
has reason to believe any offense has been committed.

2. An emergency existing, this act shall be in force from its
passage.