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CODE OF THE GENERAL ORDINANCES OF
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<br />THE CITY OF CHARLOTTESVILLE.
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<br />Whereas, there has been no general revision of the ordi-
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<br />nances of the City of Charlottesville since 1909 and
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<br />Whereas, it is deemed advisable by the City Council that the
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<br />ordinances of the City of Charlottesville be amended and re-
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<br />vised:
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<br />THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the Council of the
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<br />City of Charlottesville that the following ordinances be now
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<br />adopted by the City Council, and that the same shall be the Code
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<br />of the City of Charlottesville, Va.
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<br />CHAPTER I.
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<br />THE COUNCIL -ITS POWERS, DUTIES AND PROCEDURE.
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<br />Sec. 1. The council—term and compensation.
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<br />(a) The Council of the City of Charlottesville shall be com-
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<br />posed of five members, to be elected at large from the qualified
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<br />voters of the City as provided by Section 4 of the charter. Their
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<br />term of office shall be four years, except that all elections to
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<br />fill vacancies shall be for the unexpired terms.
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<br />(b) Each member of the Council shall receive an annual sal-
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<br />ary of three hundred dollars ($300.00), except the president
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<br />of said Council, who shall be Mayor and shall receive five hun-
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<br />dred dollars ($500.00) per annum. Said salary shall be paid
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<br />in equal monthly installments.
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<br />Sec. 2. Oath of office—when taken.
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<br />Each councilman shall, before entering upon the duties of his
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<br />office, take the oath prescribed for councilmen by the laws of
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<br />Virginia and qualify before the Corporation Court or the Judge
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<br />thereof in vacation, a certificate of which shall be filed with the
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<br />clerk of the Council who shall enter the same upon the journal
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<br />thereof; but if any councilman shall fail to qualify as afore -
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<br />2 CHARLOTTESVILLE CITY CODE
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<br />said, for ten days after the commencement of the term for which
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<br />he was elected, his office shall be deemed vacant.
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<br />Sec. 3. Time of meeting for organization.
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<br />The Council shall meet for organization on the first day of
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<br />September after their election (unless that day be Sunday or a
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<br />legal holiday, in which case they shall meet on the following
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<br />day), but in case of unavoidable absence from such meeting of
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<br />any member elect it shall be competent to adjourn said meeting
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<br />from time to time as they may deem proper.
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<br />Sec. 4. Elections by council.
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<br />At all elections by the Council the voting shall be viva voce.
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<br />and each member shall be entitled to one vote. Only one per-
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<br />son shalt be elected at a time, except with the consent of all
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<br />members present. If, on any vote, no one receives a majority
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<br />of all the votes, the name of the person receiving the smallest
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<br />number of votes shall be dropped, and shall not again be put in
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<br />nomination until a vote intervenes.
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<br />At each election the roll shall be called by the clerk in alpha-
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<br />betical order, and each member shall vote when his name is
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<br />called, unless excused or disqualified by section 24, post.
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<br />Sec. b. Election of president—vice-president, duties of.
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<br />The Council shall, at its first meeting in September after the
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<br />regular biennial election of councilmen, or as soon thereafter
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<br />as practicable, elect one of its members president, who shall
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<br />continue in office two years. If a vacancy occur in the office
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<br />before the end of the term, such vacancy shall be filled as pro-
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<br />vided by section 11. The president of the Council shall be the
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<br />Mayor of the City, without veto power.
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<br />At the same time the Council shall elect one of its members
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<br />to be vice-president, who shall continue in office two years. If
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<br />a vacancy occur in the office before the end of his term such
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<br />vacancy shall be filled as provided by section 11.
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<br />The president shall preside at the meetings of the Council,
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<br />and when from any cause, he shall be absent the vice-president
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<br />shall preside and in the absence of both a president pro tempore
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<br />may be elected.
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<br />GENERAL ORDINANCES 3
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<br />The president, vice-president, or president pro tempore, who
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<br />shall preside when the proceedings of the previous meeting are
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<br />read shall sign the same.
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<br />He may call any member to the chair, who shall exercise its
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<br />functions for the time ; and during such substitution he may
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<br />participate in the debates.
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<br />The vice-president in the absence of the president and while
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<br />acting as president shall be vested with all the rights and duties
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<br />of the president.
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<br />The president or vice-president, as the case .may be, shall be
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<br />entitled to vote on all questions as any other member, but in no
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<br />case shall he be entitled to a second vote on any question, though
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<br />it be necessary to break a tie that is to say, his office shall not
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<br />entitle him to a vote.
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<br />Sec. 6. Regular meetings—how special meetings may be
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<br />called.
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<br />The Council shall hold its regular meetings at the customary
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<br />place for such meetings, or at such other place in the City as
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<br />may be designated by the president of the Council, on the first
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<br />and third Mondays of each month at such hour as may be agreed
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<br />upon (unless such day be a legal holiday, in which event such
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<br />meeting shall be held on the day following).
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<br />The president of the Council or the vice-president, if acting
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<br />in his stead, or any three members of the Council may call a
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<br />special meeting of the Council at any time upon at least five
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<br />hours written notice to each ,member, served personally or left
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<br />at his usual place of business or residence. But special meet-
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<br />ings maybe held at any time without notice provided all mem-
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<br />bers of the Council attend and unanimously consent to the trans-
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<br />action of all business transacted thereat.
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<br />Sec. 7. Meetings—special—executive session.
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<br />Every call for a special meeting shall specify the object there-
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<br />of and no business shall be transacted at a special meeting ex-
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<br />cept that for which it shall have been called, unless by a unani-
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<br />mous consent.
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<br />The Council shall be open except when, by a recorded vote
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<br />of two-thirds of those members present, it declares that the
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<br />public welfare requires secrecy, in which case it shall go into
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<br />executive session.
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<br />Sec. 8. Quorum—reconsideration of votes.
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<br />Three members of the Council shall constitute a quorum for
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<br />the transaction of ordinary business, but no vote of a former
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<br />meeting shall be reconsidered or rescinded at a special meeting
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<br />unless there be then present as many members as were present
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<br />when such vote was taken, and three-fifths of all members
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<br />present vote in favor thereof.
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<br />Sec. 9. Absence of quorum—how quorum secured.
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<br />If a quorum fail to attend a meeting of the Council within
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<br />a half hour after the appointed time for such meeting, those
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<br />present may adjourn to such time as they deem proper, after
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<br />the names of those present shall have been entered on the journal.
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<br />At such meeting, two or more members shall have authority to
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<br />compel the attendance of absent members by a process in writing
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<br />signed by them and addressed to any policeman, directing him to
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<br />summons such absent members to such time and place to which
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<br />the meeting shall have been adjourned. Any member refusing
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<br />to obey such summons may be fined by a four-fifths vote of the
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<br />Council in a sum not less than five dollars nor more than twenty-
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<br />five dollars.
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<br />Sec. 10. Punishment of members.
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<br />The Council may, by a majority vote of its whole number, pun-
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<br />ish one of its own members for disorderly behavior by a fine not
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<br />exceeding $300; and, by a two-thirds vote of its whole number, ex-
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<br />pel a member of its own body for malfeasance or misfeasance in
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<br />office. Fines imposed under this section shall be collected in such
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<br />manner as fines imposed by the Civil and Police Justice.
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<br />Sec. 11. Vacancies—office of mayor or councilmen,
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<br />how filled.
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<br />Whenever, from any cause, a vacancy shall occur in the office
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<br />of mayor it shall be filled by the Council. A vacancy in the of-
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<br />fice of councilman shall be filled by the Council at its next regu-.
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<br />lar meeting from the qualified electors of the City. The officer
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