The city treasurer shall give bond in such sums as the council may prescribe, with surety to be approved by the council, conditioned for the faithful discharge of his official duties in relation to the revenue of the city and of such other official duties as may be imposed upon him by this Charter and the ordinances of the city. He shall perform such duties, have such powers and be liable to such penalties as are now or may hereafter be prescribed by the laws of the state or the ordinances of the city made in pursuance thereof, and for all services performed for the city, the treasurer shall receive such compensation as the council may from time to time prescribe by ordinance, subject to approval by the state fee commission, and in the event said commission and the council shall not be able to agree on the amount of such compensation, the matter shall be submitted to the judge of the corporation court of the city for final determination.[1]
[1]
Editor's note – The references above and in §§ 18 and 19 to the "state fee commission" should now read "state compensation board" and the reference to "corporation court" should read "circuit court."
The commissioner of the revenue shall give bond in such sum as the council may by ordinance prescribe, with surety to be approved by the council, conditioned for the faithful performance of all of his duties under this Charter and under any ordinance of the city. He shall perform such duties, have such powers, and be liable to such penalties as may be prescribed by the laws of the state or the ordinances of the city made in pursuance thereof; and for all services performed for the city the said commissioner of the revenue shall receive such compensation as the council may from time to time prescribe by ordinance, subject to approval by the state fee commission, and in the event said commission and the council shall not be able to agree on the amount of such compensation, the matter shall be submitted to the judge of the corporation court of the city for final determination.
[1]
Note – See editor's note following § 17.
The treasurer and commissioner of revenue may each appoint one or more deputies provided the number of such appointments and the expenses of such offices shall be subject to approval of the council and state fee commission; provided that if the council and the commission fail to agree, the matter shall be submitted to the judge of the corporation court of the city for final determination, but the sureties of said officers, respectively, shall be equally liable for the acts of said deputies as for those of their principals.
[1]
Note – See editor's note following § 17.
The treasurer, city collector, or their deputies shall have any or all of the powers which are now or may be hereafter vested in any officer of the state charged with the collection of state taxes, and may collect the same in the same manner in which the state taxes are collected by any officer of the state.
There shall be a lien on real estate for the taxes as assessed thereon from the commencement of the year from which they were assessed, and there shall also be a lien on the real estate on which local assessments for improvements may be made for the amount of such assessments from the time the same is levied by the council.
The council may, in the name and for the use of the city, contract debts, and cause to be issued therefore notes or bonds, in the manner prescribed by law and subject to all the restrictions imposed upon cities by the Constitution and general laws of the state.
There shall be a city debt commission appointed by the council, to serve without compensation, one of the members of which shall be the city treasurer, under such regulations as may be established by ordinance, and in conformity with any laws of the state applicable to the city and providing for or fixing the duties of a city debt or sinking fund commission. It shall be the duty of the debt commission to have charge of the administration of any fund for the payment of the principal and interest of any bonds of the city, and to perform such other duties regarding the debt of the city as may be required by ordinance.
There shall be set aside annually from the revenues of the city a sinking fund equal to not less than one per centum on the aggregate outstanding debt of the city in addition to the annual interest agreed to be paid thereon, and whenever hereafter there shall be contracted by the council any debt not payable in one year, there shall annually be paid from the revenues of the city into the sinking fund, for the payment of said bonds, an amount sufficient to pay said bonds at or before maturity, which annual payment shall in no case be less than one per centum of the par or face value of said bonds in addition to the annual interest to be paid thereon. Said sinking fund shall be applied to the debt or debts for the discharge of which it was created, and until so applied shall be invested, with its accumulations of interest, in bonds of the United States, or of the State of Virginia or of the City of Staunton, or of any city or county in the State of Virginia.
The council shall not appropriate any part of the sinking fund or its accruing interest otherwise than as mentioned in the preceding section, except in time of war, insurrection or invasion, and then only by a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to such council.
No debt shall be created by the council for a longer period than four months unless the ordinance creating the same shall have been introduced at some meeting of the council at least thirty days before the same is passed; but an amendment to such an ordinance need not lie over for an additional thirty days.