Chap. 91.—An ACT to amend and re-enact Section 14, as heretofore amended, and
Section 43 of an act entitled ‘‘An act to amend and re-enact an act entitled
an act to incorporate the town of South Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk,
approved September 11, 1919, as heretofore amended, which town has since
become the city of South Norfolk; and to provide a charter for the city of South
Norfolk,’’ approved March 20, 1924, Section 14 relating to the trial justice of
the city and his jurisdiction, Section 43 to the budget for the fiscal year; and
to further amend said act by adding thereto a new section numbered 28-a,
providing for liens on real estate for taxes. [S B 125}

Approved February 26, 1940

1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia, That
section fourteen, as heretofore amended, and section forty-three, of
an act entitled ‘‘an act to amend and re-enact an act entitled an act
to incorporate the town of South Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk,
approved September eleventh, nineteen hundred and nineteen, as
heretofore amended, which town has since become the city of South
Norfolk; and to provide a charter for the city of South Norfolk.’’,
approved March twentieth, nineteen hundred and twenty-four, be
amended and re-enacted, and that the said act be further amended
by adding thereto a new section to be numbered section twenty-
eight-a, so that the said amended sections and the said new section,
shall read as follows:

Section 14. The common council shall, on or before September
first, nineteen hundred and forty-one, and every four years there-
after, appoint a trial justice and a substitute trial justice for the city,
who shall take office on September first of the year of appointment,
and shall serve for a term of four years. Such trial justice shall
receive not less than nine hundred dollars nor more than eighteen
hundred dollars per annum, such salary to be fixed by the common
council, and receive no other compensation for his services as trial
justice. The substitute trial justice shall act as trial justice during
the absence or inability of the trial justice, and his compensation
shall be the same as that of the trial justice for the time served by
him as such substitute trial justice, and shall be paid out of the city
treasury. Before entering upon the discharge of their duties the
trial justice and the substitute trial justice shall take the oath re-
quired by law and enter into bond in such penalty and with such
surety as the common council may determine. The common council
shall have authority to appoint a clerk who shall be known as clerk
of the trial justice court, and who shall receive such compensation
as may be fixed by the council. Such trial justice shall possess the
same jurisdiction and exercise the same powers and authority in civil
and criminal matters within the corporate limits of the said city as
are by law possessed and exercised by trial justices of counties with
reference to such matters in counties, and shall have the same Jjuris-
diction and authority to issue process and to try and determine all
civil and criminal cases arising in the said city, as trial justices of
counties have with reference to such matters in counties and shall
have the power to issue process, hear and determine all prosecutions,
cases and controversies which may arise under the by-laws and or-
dinances of the city; impose fines and inflict punishment when and
wherever they are authorized by the said by-laws and ordinances
and to issue execution for the collection of the said fines and to impose
such fines and penalties for the violation of such by-laws and ordi-
nances as to him shall seem just, where the amount of the penalty
or fine for such violation of such by-laws and ordinances is not fixed
by the same; and may, upon the failure of the offender to pay the
fine or penalty recovered and the costs, order the offender to be
confined in the county jail of Norfolk County or the prison of the
city or place the offender on the chain gang of said city for a term
not exceeding ninety days. All fees allowed the trial justice under
the general laws of this State for the issuance of warrants, trials of
cases, et cetera, shall be collected as their costs are collected and
turned into the city treasury; and said trial justice shall have the
powers of police justice of the cities of the first class for the purpose
of admitting persons to bail. Said trial justice shall also be judge of
the juvenile and domestic relations court of said city. The said trial
justice shall be allowed annually a vacation period of two weeks
with pay.

Section 43. The fiscal year for the said city shall begin on the
first day of January and end with the thirty-first day of December
of each year; and not later than January first of each year a budget
shall be prepared and an appropriation ordinance adopted covering
the period from January first through December thirty-first of the
then current year. Until otherwise provided by the council by
ordinance, city taxes on real estate and city taxes on personal property
shall be payable during the month of November of each year.

Section 28-a. There shall be a lien on all real estate and on each
and every interest therein for the city taxes assessed thereon from the
commencement of the year for which they are assessed.

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