The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-04-16
DUBLIC LOCAL LAW.
To Empower the Mayor and Com
mon Council of the City of
Westminster to Purchase
Water Works.
CHAPTER 5S4.

WdJcr WOThSs
CHAPTER 534.
AN ACT to authorize and to empower the
Mayor and Common Council of the City of
Westminster to purchase Water Works for
said City.
SECTION l. Be it enacted by the General
Assembly of Maryland, That the Mayor and
Common Council of Westminster are hereby
authorized and empowed to purchase theWater
Works, plant, property, real and personal,
easements, rights and privileges ofthe West
minister Water Company, and all or so much of
the capital stock or bonds of said Company, as
NAV be necessary, for the entire and full
management and control of all such property,
rights and privileges of said Water Company,
at such price and upon such terms and con-
ditions as said Mayor and Common Council
shall agree upon with said Water Company.
SECTION 2. And be it enacted, &C., That
before any such purchase or contract shall be
binding upon said City Of Westmin ster, the
said Mayor and Common Council shall cause
to be published in all newspapers printed in
Westminster plain statement of the cost and
price of all such property, rights and privi-
leges of said Water Company, and the times
and conditions of the contract and agreement
upon which it is proposed to purchase said
property, and shall by ordinance direct that
the sense of the qualified voters of said City OF
Westminster, at an election to be held in West
minister at some certain time and place to be
named in said ordinance not earlier than
tweuty-one days from the date of the publica-
ton of their said statement, which said cleo
ton shall be held under and governed by the
forms as far as applicable of elections now
provided for Mayor and Common Council Of
Westminster, including the appointment OF
Judges and Clerks of elections, at which said
election the qualified voters Of Westminster
shall determine by ballot whether the con-
tract or agreement which shall have been
made between said Mayor and Common Coun-
Gil and the said Westminster Water Company
shall be ratified or not, at which said election
there shall be written or printed upon the said
ballots, the words "For the Purchase of Water
| Company's Property" or Against the Pur-
chase of Water Company's Property" as the
voter may chose, and the result of such elec-
ton shall be certified in the usual manner Of
certifying corporate elections to the Mayor
and Common Council of Westminster, and if
majority of the ballots cast at said election
shall have on them For the Purchase of Water
| Company's Property" then said contract or
agreement shall become Immediately opera
tive, binding and in full force; but should a
majority of said ballots cast have on them
Against the Purchase of Water Company's
| Property, then this Act shall be void and of
non effect.
SECTION 8. And be it enacted, &C., That
upon the consummation of the purchase of
the said Water Company's Property, as pro-
vided in the previous section, all rights, fran
chises and privileges of the said Water Com
pany shall Immediately vest and pass in and
TO the said Mayor and Common Council of
Westminster and their successors forever, and
the said Mayor and Common Council, upon
the determination of the said qualified voters,
at any time in the manner provided in the
previous section in favor of purchasing the
property of said Water Company and the
purchase thereof, may, by ordinance, provide
such manner as they shall determine upon
and agree with said Water Company.
SECTION 4. And be it enacted, &C., That
should such contract or agreement be at any
time ratified as hereinbefore provided by the
qualified voters of said city, then in that event
the said Mayor and Common Council of
Westminster are hereby authorized and en-
powered to issue bonds in the name of the
Mayor and Common Council of Westminster,
in sums not less than one hundred dollars nor
more than one thousand dollars, to be signed
by the Mayor, and eountersigned by the Clerk
of said city, not exceeding in the whole the
amount III suCil COutIdCI tOI pun
chase of said Water Works, property and
franchises from said Water Company, to bear
interest not exceeding FIVE per centum per
annum, payable semi-annually on the first
day, &c. of January and on the first day of
July in each and every year, and said bonds
shall not be disposed of at less than the par
value thereof, and said bonds shall be issued
payable twenty years from the date thereof
and redeemable at any time after the expira-
ton of ten years from the date thereof, at the
pleasure of the Mayor and Common Council
of Westminster, and the said bonds shall be
consecutively numbered as the same shall be
issued, and the money arising from the sale
of said bonds shall be applied solely to the
purchase money of said Water Oompany's
property, franchises, &c.
SECTIoS 5. And be it enacted, That all
water rates, water rents or charges made and
collected by said Mayor and Common Council,
for the use of water, and the proceeds of all
water taxes levied by them shall be applied,
first, to the payment of the working expenses
of said Water Works and the expenses of
keeping them in complete repair and laying
such additional water mains or pipes and
erecting such additional fire plugs or hydrants
and making such improvements as said Mayor
and Common Council may deem necessary
or advisable; second to the payment of the
interest on the bonds they are herein author
ICED to issue; and any unexpended balance
of said water rates, water rents or charges,
or of the proceeds Of said water taxes, shall
be applied to provide sinking fund for the
payment of said bonds at maturity, and for
no other purpose; and when all of said bonds
shall have been redeemed and cancelled the
rate charged by the Mayor and Common
Council for the use of water or the water
taxes levied by them shall be so regulated as
to not exceed in the aggregate, in any one
year, a sum sufficient to keep said water works
in complete repair and provide for tho neees-
sary extension of the same; provided, how
ever, that nothing in this Act shall be so con-
slrued as to repeal or abridge the power and
authority vested by existing laws in the said
Mayor and Common Council to levy aud col.
lect Wafer Taxes, until the said bonds shall
all have been redeemed aud cancelled,
SEcTIoS 6. And be it enacted, Taat this
Act shall take effect from the date of its pas
sage,
Approved April I, 1892.
FRANK BROWN, Governor.
MURRAY VANDIVER,
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
EDWARD LLOYD,
President Of the senate.
hereby certify that the foregoing is a true
copy Of an Act Of the General Assembly Of
MARYLAND, passed January Session, 1892.
CARLTON SHAFER,
Chief Clerk of the House of Delegates.
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