Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1898-03-23
THE COUNTY SEAT
REMOVAL BILL.
Senator Hoffman Introduces
it at Trenton.
FULL TEXT OF THE PROPOSED NEW MEASURE
IT PROVIDES FOR A SPECIAL ELECTION,
AND GIVES THE BOARD OF CHOSEN FREE
HOLDERS AUTHORITY TO RAISE THE
MONEY FOR NEW COUNTY BUILDINGS.


duced in the Senate at Trenton a bill,
which we print in full as introduced, to
provide for submitting to vote of the
people the proposition to remove the
County Seat at Mays Landing to some
more convenient locality and empowers
the County Board of Freeholders to
erect new buildings in case the people
should vote for removal. 1t is known
that other bills have been prepared upon
the same subject and all will be sub
mitted to the Committee on the Revision
of the Laws. 1t is not yet definitely
known whether any of them will be
passed at the present session of the
Legislature, but one will undoubtedly
be reported and hearings given. The
following is the bill introduced:
An Act to provide for a special election
in Atlantic county, state of New Jersey.
for the purpose of ascertaining the sense
of the legal voters of said county upon
the proposition to remove the county
seat from Mays Landing to such other
convenient location in said Atlantic
county as may be determined by the
legal votes cast at said special election,
for the erection of such public buildings
as may be necessary under the provisions
OF this act, and to fix the time when
such public buildings shall be completed
aud occupied for the purposes designated
by law.
Be it enacted by the Senate and Gen
al Acoox,, bIx, ,f Narx1 T.,roox-.
L. A special election shall be held
in Atlantic county, state of New Jersey,
on the seventh day of June, one thou
sand eight hundred and ninety-eight,
under the same regulations as are now
prescribed by law for holding the general
elections for members OF the general
assembly and senate of New Jersey, and
notice of said election shall be given by
the election officers of said county, and
published once a week for the four weeks
NJ xt preceding said special elaction in
the official newspapers in said county;
and it shall be the duty of the several
election officers to conduct the said elec-
ton. to canvass all the votes cast and to
declare and forthwith certify the results
to the board of chosen freeholders of
said countyf and in all respects to per-
form the same duties at said election as
they are by law required to do at the
election for members of the general
assembly and senate of New Jersey, and
they shall receive the same mecompensation
therefor as they receive at general cleo
tions.
2. All persons entitled to vote and
voting at said special election shall have
written or printed upon their ballots the
name of the place in said county OF
Atlantic at which they desire the court
house, clerks office, surrogate's Office,
county jail and other public buildings to
be located and erected.
g. If. when the result of said special
election shall have been ascertained and
certified to the board of chosen free
holders of said county of Atlantic, it
shall be found that some other place
than Mays Landing has been designated
| for the county seat of said county, it
shall be the duty of the board of chosen
| freeholders of said county to make
public announcement of the same in all
| the newspapers of the county within ten
days thereafter, and within thirty days
| after receiving notice from the election
officers of the result of said special
election, it shall be their duty to secure a
suitable site, with legal title, whereon to
erect the new public buildings required
for the use of the county.
4 1t shall be the duty of the said
board of chosen freeholders of said
Atlantic county as soon as a site has
been secured to advertise for plans for a
courthouse, clerks office, surrogate's
office, jail and other public buildings;
and said plans and specifications shall
be submitted and choice made within
thirty days from the date of advertising
| for them.
| 5. And the board of chosen freeholders
for said Atlantic county shall have
power to utilize, sell, or otherwise dis
pose OF, as shall seem to them most
advantageous to the county, such part
| or parts of the old county buildings as
may be by them deemed advisable; and
| they shall also have power to make
whatever temporary arrangements may
be needed for the accommodation OF the
courts pending the erection of the new
county buildings.
6. And the board of chosen freeholders
| for said Atlantic county shall raise the
necessary sums of money to carry out
| the provisions of this act, and for that
purpose may issue bonds for the pur-
chase of site and the erection of a
court house, clerks office, surrogate's e's
office, county jail , and other public
buildings thereon in the same manner as
is now provided by law; and the said
buildings shall be completed and ready
| for occupancy on or before December
first, eighteen hundred and ninety-nine.
after which date they shall be used and
occupied for the purposes designated by
law.
Z. This act shall take effect immedi-
ately.
COMMENTS.
"Pleasantville is interested in the bill
and is working like q Trojan to have the
county seat come in its direction. The
site just near Pleasantvilln, known as the
County Farm, seems to be q favoritt
location, satisfactory to Pleasantvillt
and to Atlantic City. However, Atlantic
City is too much interested in obtaining
| City Hall site and bringing about tht
erection of its own public buildings tC
take very active interest in the move
ment to change thelocation of the ecounty
buildings. 1t is possible the bill will &c
over until the next session. ."-Atlan til
City Daily Press. March IL.
.sIf the bill which Senator Hoffman hal
| Just introduced in the Legislature be
comes g. law, the citizens of Atlantil
County will have an opportunity OF
June Z next of deciding whether th'
County Seat shall be moved from May
IN