Jonesville, Town of
County of Lee
History of incorporation
Established, 1794, c. 44.
Incorporation and charter, 1835, c. 183; repealed 1867, c. 130.
Charter, 1867, c. 130; repealed 1901, c. 107.
Current charter
Charter, 1901, c. 107.
Amendments to current charter
1910, c. 20 (§ 6)
1928, c. 108 (§ 6)
1962, c. 296 (§ 4-a [added])
1974, c. 8 (§ 6)
1979, c. 271 (§§ 2, 3)
2018, c. 413 (§§ 2, 3)
§ 1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That the town of Jonesville, in the county of Lee, as the same has been heretofore laid off into lots, streets and alleys, and the additional land and lots included in the following boundary--to-wit: Commencing in the Harlan road at a point directly west of the northwestern corner of Henry Martin's barn; thence due west to the division line between the lands of W. E. Wynn and J. W. Orr; thence with said Wynn's west line southwardly to the town branch; thence up said branch to the northwest corner of W. B. Andis' lot; thence with said Andis' west line to his southwest corner; thence eastwardly to a point one hundred yards southeast of C. T. Duncan's residence; thence due north to the Fincastle road; thence northwestwardly to the southeastern corner of J. N. Cridlin's land; thence northwardly to the southeastern corner of the lands of Lavina Graham; thence a straight line to the Crockett spring; thence a straight line to the beginning, is made a town corporate by the name of Jonesville, and by that name may sue and be sued, and shall have and exercise the powers conferred upon towns by, and be subject to, the provisions of, the laws of Virginia, so far as they are consistent with this act, and shall be subject to, and governed by, all the laws now in force or which may hereafter be enacted for the government of towns containing less than five thousand inhabitants. (1901, c. 107)
§ 2. Beginning July 1, 2018, the government of said town shall be vested in a mayor and seven councilmen, and beginning in 2018 the elections under this charter for mayor and councilmen shall be held on the first Tuesday in May and every four years thereafter, and those persons so elected shall qualify and enter upon the duties of their respective offices on the first day of July following their election. Any person registered to vote in the town shall be entitled to vote in elections under this act of incorporation. All officers of said town shall take the oath of office before an officer authorized to administer oaths, and should any of the officers who may be elected, refuse or fail to accept and qualify then it shall be the duty of a majority of such town council as may accept and qualify, to fill such vacancy or vacancies and any vacancy or vacancies thereafter occurring by appointment. The council shall designate the time of its meetings. (1901, c. 107; 1979, c. 271; 2018, c. 413)
§ 3. The mayor and the councilmen shall constitute the council of said town, a majority of whom shall constitute a quorum to do business, and all the corporate powers of said town shall be exercised by said council or under its authority, except when otherwise provided by law. The mayor shall be president of the council, and shall have all the rights, powers and privileges such office confers under the general laws governing towns within this State, but the mayor shall have no vote in the council, except in case of a tie. In case of sickness, absence, refusal or inability of the mayor at any time to act, the council shall designate some one of their number to act in place of said mayor, and who shall have the powers conferred upon said mayor by this charter. Beginning July 1, 2018, the mayor and the councilmen shall hold their respective offices for four years from the first day of July succeeding their election, and until their successors are elected and qualified. (1901, c. 107; 1979, c. 271; 2018, c. 413)
§ 4. The council shall have the power to elect a treasurer, a clerk, a sergeant and any other officers they may deem necessary for said town, to regulate their compensation, prescribe their duties, remove them from office, and require bonds with approved security for the faithful performance of their respective duties. The council shall also have the power to pass all by-laws and ordinances for the government of said town which they may deem proper, and which is not in conflict with the constitution and laws of this state and the constitution and laws of the United States; to lay off streets, walks and alleys; to alter or change the same, to keep the same in order, and for which purposes shall have the same powers and jurisdiction for condemning land for streets, alleys and sidewalks that the county court has for condemning lands for roads in said county; to prevent riding or driving horses or other animals at an improper or dangerous speed along the streets, or to prevent riding or driving horses or other animals across or along said sidewalks; to prevent the engaging in any sport or employment in said town dangerous or annoying to the citizens thereof; to restrain and punish drunkenness, vagrancy and begging in said town; to prevent vice and immorality; to preserve peace and good order; to quell disturbances and disorderly conduct and assemblages; to suppress houses of ill-fame and gambling; to prevent lewdness or unbecoming and immoral conduct in said town; to prevent swearing, cursing or other unbecoming and immoral language in said town; to make regulations in reference to contagious diseases; to abate nuisances, and to punish all violations of the ordinances and by-laws of the incorporation with fine and imprisonment, or either. (1901, c. 107)
§ 4-a. The council shall have the power to adopt and enforce ordinances with respect to property owned by the town immediately adjacent to the town but outside the town in all respects as if such property were in the town. (1962, c. 296)
§ 5. For the purposes of taxation the council shall provide for the annual assessment of all real and personal property within the corporate limits of said town so that said assessment be not higher than that made for state purposes, and such assessment shall be the basis of taxation. (1901, c. 107)
§ 6. The council shall have the power to levy and collect annually a tax not exceeding three dollars on the one hundred dollars of assessed value, on all real estate and tangible personal property within the corporate limits of the town, and such tax as may be authorized by the general law of the State, on intangible property owned by residents of the town, for the purpose of raising such sums of money as the council may find necessary to defray the general expenses of the town government, and the upkeep of its properties.
The council shall also have the power to impose such license tax as it may deem reasonable and proper, on any person, firm or corporation, for the privileges of engaging in any business, occupation, trade, calling or profession within the corporate limits of the town, for which a license tax may be imposed within the limits of the Constitution, and general law, whether the principal office or place of business of such person, firm or corporation be in said town, or elsewhere; and the council may refuse to issue a license for the carrying on of any business or occupation which would, in its opinion, be inimical to the public welfare of the town. (1901, c. 107; 1910, c. 20; 1928, c. 108; 1974, c. 8)
§ 7. In the taxation of real estate provided for by this charter, all lots, tracts or parcels of land which lie partly within and partly without the incorporate limits, that part of the same lying within the incorporate limits shall be properly taxable by said incorporation. (1901, c. 107)
§ 8. All taxes assessed upon property, real and personal, within the corporate limits of said town, under this charter, are hereby declared a lien upon said property. (1901, c. 107)
§ 9. The council may prevent hogs, dogs, horses, cattle or other animals from running at large within the corporate limits of said town, and may subject the same to such regulations and restrictions as it may deem proper. (1901, c. 107)
§ 10. In all offenses, which by the general laws of the state are made misdemeanors, the mayor shall have power in like offenses to impose like penalties, when the offense is committed in his jurisdiction, and in all other cases, which is in violation of an ordinance or by-law of said town, the mayor shall impose the penalty prescribed by said ordinance or by-law, so that the same be not less than one nor more than twenty dollars, or thirty days' imprisonment, or both, as to him may seem proper, and he may commit the offender to the jail of Lee county until his judgment be satisfied, so that said commitment does not exceed sixty days. (1901, c. 107)
§ 11. For the purpose of carrying into effect the police regulations of said town, the town shall be allowed the use of the county jail for the safe-keeping and confinement of all persons who shall be sentenced to imprisonment under the ordinances and by-laws of said town; and all persons so confined shall be under the custody and charge of the jailer of the county, who shall receive, keep and discharge the same in the manner prescribed by the ordinances and by-laws of said town, or otherwise discharged by due course of law: provided, that said council may, if it deem expedient, require all persons sentenced to jail, or committed thereto in default of the payment of fines assessed against them, to work on the streets of said town, under such regulations and restrictions as said council may prescribe. (1901, c. 107)
§ 12. Said town and the persons and property therein shall be exempt and free from the payment of any and all county and district road tax, and for which exemption the said town shall keep its own streets in order and shall not be embraced in any road district of said county of Lee. And this provision shall apply to the assessment of taxes for the year 1901. (1901, c. 107)
§ 13. The mayor and councilmen of said town shall serve without compensation, further than that the mayor shall be entitled to, and may receive such fees as are now allowed by law, when he acts in the capacity or exercises the jurisdiction of a justice of the peace: provided, that from and after two years from the passage of this act, the town council may fix the compensation or salary which the mayor and councilmen are to receive during their term of office. (1901, c. 107)
14. The following-named persons are hereby appointed to fill the following offices until their successors are duly elected and qualified--namely: mayor, R. L. Pennington; councilmen, H. C. Joslyn, C. E. Couk, C. A. Russell, W. E. Orr, J. O. Gibson, L. T. Hyatt, and A. M. Goins. Said persons are to take the oath of office and to enter upon the discharge of their duties as soon after the passage of this act as practicable, which oaths may be taken before a justice of the peace or other person authorized by law to administer oaths. (1901, c. 107)
15. All other acts and parts of acts in reference to the incorporation of the town of Jonesville are hereby repealed. (1901, c. 107)
16. This act shall be in force from its passage. (1901, c. 107)