ACTS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS (Amending the Constitution) OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF VIRGINIA EXTRA SESSION Which Commenced at the State Capitol on Wednesday, January 13, 1915. RICHMOND: DAVIS BOTTOM, SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC PRINTING 1915 VIRGINIA STATE DOCUMENT Public Documents University of Virginia Library Acts and Joint Resolutions. CHAP. 1.-An ACT to provide for the payment of contingent and incidental expenses of the extra session of the general assembly, and to appropriate money for the same. Approved January 29, 1915. (H. B. 9) Whereas, there are certain contingent and incidental expenses of the extra session of the general assembly which cannot be provided for specifically and which must be paid; and. and Whereas, there has been no appropriation made to meet the same; Whereas, section one hundred and eighty-six of the Constitution provides that no money shall be paid out of the State treasury except in pursuance of appropriations made by law, and section fifty of the Constitution provides that no law shall be enacted except by bill; now, therefore, 1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That the auditor of public accounts be, and he is, hereby directed to issue his warrant upon the treasurer of the State for such amounts as may be required for such contingent and incidental expenses as may be provided for by resolution either of the senate or house of delegates. 2. It is hereby made the duty of the clerk of the senate and clerk of the house of delegates, respectively, to keep an itemized account and statement, giving the name of each person receiving any money on account of any contingent or incidental expense authorized under any and all resolution or resolutions as may be hereafter adopted by their respective houses in reference to any contingent and incidental expense thereof; said itemized account and statement shall show also for what service or account, and have a reference to the resolution authorizing the same, and shall be appended to the end of the journal of their respective houses and published therewith as document "A." 3. It is hereby made the duty of the auditor of public accounts to keep a separate account of the contingent and incidental expenses of the senate and house of representatives of Virginia, respectively, as authorized by resolution as aforesaid, showing the amount expended under each resolution and to include the same in his annual report to the governor and general assembly of Virginia. 4. To pay the expenses above referred to, there is hereby appropriated out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, the sum of ten thousand dollars, one-half of which shall be set apart for the use of the senate, and the other half for the use of the house of delegates. 5. There being an emergency for the payment of said expenses, this act shall be in force from its passage. CHAP. 2.-An ACT to create for the county of Norfolk a commission of roads and bridges, and to prescribe the powers and duties of such commission, and thereby to provide for controlling, constructing and keeping in repair the public roads and bridges within said county, and for acquiring, establishing, altering and vacating roads and bridges therein; and to repeal an act entitled an act for working and keeping in repair the public roads in Norfolk county, approved February 18, 1890, as amended by acts approved February 26, 1908, and March 14, 1910, respectively, and also to repeal an act entitled an act for working and keeping in repair the public roads in Norfolk county, approved February 1, 1894. (H. B. 14) Approved February 1, 1915. 1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia as follows: A permanent commission, to consist of three members, and to be known. as the commission of roads and bridges for the county of Norfolk, is hereby created. Each of said members shall be a resident of the said. county who is qualified to vote. The commissioners shall be appointed by the judge of the circuit court of said county, and their regular term of office shall be three years, respectively, except those first appointed under this act (who shall be appointed within thirty days after this act goes into effect), of whom one shall be appointed to hold office until the first day of July, nineteen hundred and sixteen; one until the first day of July, nineteen hundred and seventeen, and one until the first day of July, nineteen hundred and eighteen. Whenever a vacancy in the commission shall occur, the judge of said court shall forthwith appoint a qualified person to fill the same for the unexpired term, and any commissioners shall be removable by the judge of said court for neglect of duty or malfeasance in office. Commissioners appointed for regular terms shall, at the beginning of the terms for which appointed, and those appointed to fill vacancies shall, immediately upon their appointments, enter upon the duties of their office. The commission shall annually elect one of their members chairman, and another of their members secretary of the same, and shall have authority to require of the sheriff of said county, or any of his deputies, such attendance and service as may be necessary to preserve order and serve notices. All sessions of the commission shall be public, and a permanent record (to be prepared by the secretary), shall be kept of its orders, proceedings, receipts and expenditures, and of all reports made to or by it, which shall at all times, during normal business hours, be open to public. inspection. Two of the commissioners shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, whether there be a vacancy in the commission or not, and a majority of the commissioners present may decide any question that may properly come before the meeting. The board of supervisors of said county shall, subject to the approval of the commission, provide suitable quarters and blank records for the commission, and the judge of the said court shall fix the salaries of the members of the commission, but the salary of each commissioner shall be not less than two hundred dollars, nor more than one thousand dollars, per annum, in addition to his necessary traveling expenses while performing the duties of his office. 2. The said commission shall have the power, and be charged with the duty, of controlling, supervising, managing, building, improving and keeping in order all the public roads and bridges within said county (not included within the corporate limits of any incorporated town in said county which maintains its own streets), and, as an incident thereto, the stone quarry operated by said county; and shall make and prescribe such rules, regulations, specifications and directions as it shall deem best for building, keeping in order and repairing such roads and bridges. As used in this act the term "road" or "roads" shall be construed to include highways, streets, avenues and roads; and the term "bridge" or "bridges" shall be construed to include bridges, viaducts and causeways. 3. Each of said commissioners, as well as the road engineer hereinafter provided for, shall qualify as other county officers are required by law to qualify, and shall enter into and acknowledge, before the court or judge before whom he qualifies, a bond, payable to the county, with security to be approved by such court or judge, in the penalty of five thousand dollars, conditioned for the faithful performance of the duties of his office. 4. The said commission may appoint a county road engineer (who shall be a competent civil engineer), who shall devote his whole time to the duties prescribed by the commission, and who shall attend each meeting of the commission, and whose salary, to be fixed by it, shall be not less than twelve hundred dollars, nor more than twenty-five hundred dollars, per annum; and it may appoint or employ, or authorize the appointment or employment of, such additional engineers, overseers, agents, servants, laborers, and other subordinates as may be necessary for the proper performance and execution of the duties imposed by this act. It shall also have authority to employ counsel, when the same is rendered necessary to protect the public interest incident to its work under this act, and to employ an expert accountant to assist in opening its initial records and in ascertaining the amounts of the several funds properly disbursable by it under this act. The terms, duties and compensation of its respective appointees and employees shall be as prescribed by it, their compensation shall be a reasonable one, and any and all of them shall be removable at its pleasure for inefficiency or other good cause. 5. The said commission shall, on the first Monday in each month, hold a meeting at the courthouse of the county, for the discharge of its duties, and may appoint and hold such other regular or special meetings at such times and places as may be necessary for that purpose. Any commissioner shall have power to call a special meeting, upon giving the other commissioners reasonable written notice of the time and place thereof. The chairman (or in case of his absence the commissioner who shall then be chosen as temporary chairman) shall preside at all meetings, and shall have power to administer an oath to any person concerning any matter submitted to the commission or connected with its duties. 6. It shall be the duty of the said commission, or a majority thereof, to go over the public roads and bridges of said county at least once during the months of February and August of each year, and to keep |