S.L. 1969-578

1969 SESSION

CHAPTER 578

HOUSE BILL 639

AN ACT TO IMPROVE AND PROVIDE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF A HIGHER STANDARD FOR THE RESIDENTS OF WARRENTON IN WARREN COUNTY, TO ESTABLISH THE WARRENTON CITY ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT, TO PROVIDE FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN SAID ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT, TO LEVY A SPECIAL TAX FOR THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF SAID ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT, ALL OF WHICH SHALL BE SUBJECT TO THE APPROVAL OF THE VOTERS IN A REFERENDUM OR SPECIAL ELECTION.

The General Assembly of North Carolina do enact:

Section 1. There is hereby classified and established a public school administrative unit to be known and designated as the Warrenton City Administrative Unit which shall consist of the territory or area lying and being within the boundaries or corporate limits of the Town of Warrenton in Warren County, and the boundaries of said Warrenton City Administrative Unit shall be coterminous with the present corporate limits or boundaries of the Town of Warrenton. The governing board of said Warrenton City Administrative Unit shall be known and designated as the Warrenton City Board of Education, and said Warrenton City Board of Education (hereinafter referred to as: Board) shall have and exercise all of the powers, duties, privileges and authority granted and applicable to city administrative units and city boards of education as set forth in Chapter 115 of the General Statutes, as amended.

Sec. 2. The Board shall consist of five (5) members appointed by the governing authority of the Town of Warrenton, and said five (5) members shall hold office until the next regular municipal election of the Town of Warrenton to be held in May, 1971. At the regular election for Mayor and Commissioners of the Town of Warrenton to be held in May, 1971, there shall be elected five (5) members of the Board, and three (3) persons so elected who receive the highest number of votes shall hold office for four (4) years and the two (2) persons elected who receive the next highest number of votes shall hold office for two (2) years, and thereafter all members of the Board so elected, as successors, shall hold office for four (4) years. All members of the Board shall hold their offices until their successors are elected and qualified. All members of the Board shall be eligible to hold public office as required by the Constitution and laws of the State.

Sec. 3. All members of the Board shall be elected by the qualified voters of the Town of Warrenton and said election shall be held and conducted by the governing authority of the Town of Warrenton and by its election officials and pursuant to the same laws, rules and regulations as are applicable to the election of the municipal officials of the Town of Warrenton, and the results shall be certified in the same manner. The election of members of the Board shall be held at the same time and place as applicable to the election of the Mayor and Board of Commissioners of the Town of Warrenton and in accordance with the expiration of terms and office of members of the Board. The members of the Board so elected shall be inducted into office on the first Monday following the date of election, and the expense of the election of the members of the Board shall be paid by the Board.

Sec. 4. At the first meeting of the Board appointed as above set forth and of a new Board elected as herein provided, the Board shall organize by electing one (1) of its members as chairman for a period of one (1) year, or until his successor is elected and qualified. The chairman shall preside at the meetings of the Board, and in the event of his absence or sickness, the Board may appoint one (1) of its members as temporary chairman. The Warrenton City Superintendent of Schools shall be ex officio secretary to his Board, and shall keep the minutes of the Board but shall have no vote. If there exists a vacancy in the office of Superintendent, then the Board may appoint one (1) of its members to serve temporarily as secretary to the Board. All vacancies in the membership of the Board by death, resignation, removal, change of residence or otherwise shall be filled by appointment by the governing authority of the Town of Warrenton of a person to serve for the unexpired term and until the next regular election for members of the Board when a successor shall be elected.

Sec. 5. All public school property, both real and personal, and all buildings, facilities, and equipment used for public school purposes, located within the corporate limits of Warrenton and within the boundaries set forth in Section 1 of this Act, and all records, books, monies budgeted for said facilities, accounts, papers, documents and property of any description, shall become the property of Warrenton City Administrative Unit or the Board; all real estate belonging to the public schools located within the above-described boundaries is hereby granted, made over to, and automatically by force of this Act conveyed to the Board from the county public school authorities. The Board of Education of Warren County is authorized and directed to execute any and all deeds, bills of sale, assignments or other documents that may be necessary to completely vest title to all such property in the Board.

Sec. 6. Subject to the approval of the voters residing within the boundaries set forth in Section 1 of this Act, or within the corporate limits of the Town of Warrenton, as hereinafter provided, the governing authority of the Town of Warrenton, in addition to all other taxes, is authorized and directed to levy annually a supplemental tax not less than fifty cents (50¢) on each one hundred dollars ($100.00) of the assessed value of the real and personal property taxable in said Town of Warrenton. The amount or rate of said tax shall be determined by the Board and said tax shall be collected by the Tax Collector of the Town of Warrenton and paid to the Treasurer of the Board. The Board may use the proceeds of the Tax so collected to supplement any object or item in the school budget as fixed by law or to supplement any object or item in the Current Expense Fund or Capital Outlay Fund as fixed by law.

Sec. 7. Within ten (10) days from the date of the ratification of this Act, it shall be the duty of the governing authority of the Town of Warrenton to call a referendum or special election upon the question of whether or not said Warrenton City Administrative Unit and its administrative board shall be established and whether or not the special tax herein provided shall be levied and collected for the purposes herein provided. The notice of this special election shall be published once a week for two (2) successive weeks in some newspaper published in the Town of Warrenton or having a general circulation in the Town of Warrenton. The notice shall contain a brief statement of the purpose of the special election, the area in which it shall be held, and that a vote by a majority of those voting in favor of this Act will establish the Warrenton City Administrative Unit and its Administrative Board as herein set forth, and that an annual tax not less than fifty cents (50¢) on the assessed valuation of real and personal property, according to each one hundred dollars ($100.00) valuation, the rate to be fixed by the Board, will be levied as a supplemental tax in the Town of Warrenton, for the purpose of supplementing any lawful public school budgetary item. A new registration of voters shall not be required and in all respects the laws and regulations under which the municipal elections of the Town of Warrenton are held shall apply to said special election. The governing authority of the Town of Warrenton shall have the authority to enact reasonable rules and regulations for the necessary election books, records and other documents for such special election and to fix the necessary details of said special election.

Sec. 8. In said referendum or special election, a ballot in form substantially as follows shall be used:

VOTE FOR ONE:

[ ] FOR creating and establishing Warrenton City Administrative Unit with Administrative Board to operate public schools of said unit and for supplemental tax not less than fifty cents (50¢) on the assessed valuation of real and personal property according to each one hundred dollars ($100.00) valuation for objects of school budget.

[ ] AGAINST creating the establishing Warrenton City Administrative Unit with Administrative Board to operate public schools of said unit and against supplemental tax not less than fifty cents (50¢) on the assessed valuation of real and personal property according to each one hundred dollars ($100.00) valuation for objects of school budget.

If a majority of the qualified voters voting at such referendum or special election vote in favor of establishing Warrenton City Administrative Unit, for creation of administrative Board to operate public schools of said unit and for special supplemental tax as herein set forth, then this Act shall become effective and operative as to all its provisions upon the date said special election results are canvassed and the result judicially determined, otherwise to be null and void. The expense of said referendum or special election shall be paid by the governing authority of the Town of Warrenton, but if said unit and Board are established, then said Town of Warrenton shall be reimbursed by the Board for said expense as soon as possible.

Sec. 9. All laws and clauses of laws in conflict with this Act are hereby repealed.

Sec. 10. This Act shall be in full force and effect according to its provisions from and after its ratification.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 23rd day of May, 1969.