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Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.
1997 SESSION
973292727Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §§ 6 and 9 as amended and § 10 of Chapter 150 of the Acts of Assembly of 1930 are amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 6. Composition of council and vacancies.
The Council shall consist of five members four councilmen and
the mayor, who shall be voted for at large,
whose term of office shall be for the term of four years. The term
of office for the councilmen shall be four years. The term of office of the
mayor shall be two years. At the May
election, nineteen hundred eighty-two 1998, and every
four years thereafter, three two councilmen shall be
elected, being the three two candidates who receive the
largest number of votes, individually, at such election, who will serve for a
term of four years from the first day of July 1,
nineteen hundred and eighty-two1998, and
thereafter until their successors have been elected and qualified. At the May
election, nineteen hundred eighty-four
2000, and every four years thereafter, two councilmen shall be
elected, being the two candidates who received the largest number of votes,
individually, at such election, who shall serve for a term of four years from
the first day of July 1, nineteen hundred
eighty-four2000, and thereafter until their successors have
been elected and qualified. At the May election,
1998, and every two years thereafter, the candidate for
mayor who receives the largest number of votes,
individually, at such election, shall be elected and shall serve for a term or
two years from July 1, 1998, and
thereafter until his/her successor has been elected and qualified.
All elections for members of council and the mayor shall be held at the time and in the manner provided for by general law.
Vacancies in the council or mayor shall be
filled within thirty days, for the unexpired term, by a majority vote of the
remaining councilmen members of
council.
§ 9. Organization rules of the council.
(a) At nine o'clock ante meridian
a.m. on the first day of July following a regular municipal
election, or if such a day be a Sunday, then on the day following, the council
shall meet at the usual place for holding the meetings of the legislative board
of the town, at which time the newly-elected newly
elected councilmen and the mayor, after
first having taken the oaths prescribed by law, shall assume the duties of
their office offices. Thereafter the council shall meet
at such times as may be prescribed by ordinance or resolution except that they
shall regularly meet not less than once each month. The mayor, any member of
the council, or the town manager may call special meetings of the council, at
any time (at least twelve hours), after written notice, with the purpose of
said meeting stated therein, to each member served personally or left at his
usual place of business or residence, or such meeting may be held at any time
without notice, provided all members of the council attend. No business other
than that mentioned in the call shall be considered at such meeting.
Notice of any meeting of council shall be in accordance with the provisions of
the Freedom of Information Act as contained in the
Code of Virginia.
(b) All meetings of the council shall be public and any citizens may have
access to the minutes and records thereof at all reasonable times; except
by unanimous majority vote of the council, it may convene
an executive session to consider and vote upon election of
officers such matters as may be the appropriate subject of an
executive session as provided by the Code of Virginia.
(c) The council shall elect one of its members as chairman, who shall be
ex-officio mayor; also The council shall appoint a
town manager, and a town clerk, and a town
commissioner of the revenue.
The council may appoint all such other boards and commissions as may be deemed
proper, and prescribe the powers and duties thereof. The council may determine
its own rules or procedure procedures, may punish its own
members for misconduct and may compel attendance of members. It shall keep a
journal of its proceedings. A majority of all members of the council shall
constitute a quorum to do business, but a smaller number may adjourn from time
to time, and compel the attendance of absentees. All elections by the council
shall be viva voce and the vote recorded in the journal of the council.
(d) Council shall fix the compensation of the members of the council, the
mayor, and all other officers the compensation of which is not otherwise
provided for herein, and the compensation of the commissioner
of the revenue may be fixed upon a
salary basis, in lieu of commissions allowed to commissioners of the revenue
under general law.
§ 10. Same-mayor generally.
The mayor shall be elected by the council at its first meeting after
each election and qualification of councilmen, for
a term of two years as provided in § 6 hereof and shall preside
at meetings of the council and perform such other duties consistent with
his the office as may be imposed by the council
and he shall have a vote and voice in the proceedings, but no veto.
He The mayor shall be the official head of the town, but
shall have no jurisdiction or authority to hear, determine or try any civil or
criminal matters. In times of public danger, or emergency, he
the mayor, or during his the mayor's
absence or disability, the town manager, may take command of the police
and maintain order and enforce the laws, and for this purpose, may deputize
such assistant policemen as may be necessary. During his the
mayor's absence or disability, except as above provided, his
the mayor's duties shall be performed by another member
appointed by the council. He The mayor shall
authenticate by his signature such instruments as the council, this
charter, or the laws of the State shall require.