Art. 20. - Consolidating towns of Sanford and Jonesboro.

The General Assembly of North Carolina do enact:

Section 1. That the Town of Jonesboro, a municipal corporation in the County of Lee, duly created and existing under the laws of North Carolina, be and the same is hereby consolidated and merged into the Town of Sanford, a municipal corporation in the County of Lee, its charter being Chapter 380 of the Private Laws of North Carolina, Session 1915, and amendments thereto; and from and after July 1st, 1947, both of said municipalities shall be and continue as one municipal corporation under the name and style of the Town of Sanford, with its charter that of the present Town of Sanford, to-wit: Chapter 380 of the Private Laws of North Carolina, Session 1915, as amended; and thereafter all the territory now embraced in the Town of Jonesboro and the Town of Sanford shall constitute the corporate area of the Town of Sanford, which shall continue as a municipal corporation with all the powers and privileges theretofore enjoyed by it, and the territory heretofore embraced in the Town of Jonesboro shall be a part of the corporate area of the Town of Sanford.

Sec. 2. That the terms of office of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen of the Town of Jonesboro are hereby extended to July 1st, 1947; and shall constitute the governing body of the Town of Jonesboro and govern the same until July 1st, 1947.

Sec. 3. That at the time of the regular election to be held by the Town of Jonesboro on the first Monday in May, 1947, there shall be elected two aldermen, one who is a resident of that portion of the Town of Jonesboro east of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and one who is a resident of that portion of the town west of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, and the person elected as a member of the board of aldermen from that portion of Jonesboro east of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad shall be and become, upon qualification on or after July 1st, 1947, alderman from the Sixth Ward in the Town of Sanford, and that person elected as alderman who is a resident of that portion of the Town of Jonesboro west of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad shall be, upon qualification on or after July 1st, 1947, alderman from the Seventh Ward of the Town of Sanford.

Sec. 4. That Chapter 380 of the Private Laws of North Carolina, Session 1915, as amended, be and the same is hereby amended by striking out the word "five" in line one of Section 3 thereof, and inserting in lieu thereof the word "seven," and after July 1st, 1947, the Town of Sanford shall be divided in seven wards, denominated as follows: First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh. Said wards shall be bounded as follows:

The First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Wards shall be as described in House Bill No. 285, ratified on the 26th day of February, 1947;

Ward Six shall embrace all of that territory east of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and within that portion of the Town of Sanford heretofore a part of the Town of Jonesboro;

Ward Seven shall be all that territory in the Town of Sanford which is west of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and heretofore within the corporate limits of the Town of Jonesboro.

Sec. 5. That at the regular election of the Town of Sanford to be held on Tuesday after the first Monday in May, 1947, there shall be elected a mayor and five aldermen, one of whom shall be a resident of the First Ward, one a resident of the Second Ward, one a resident of the Third Ward, one a resident of the Fourth Ward, and one a resident of the Fifth Ward, all of whom shall be voted on by all of the qualified voters of the Town of Sanford, as provided in Chapter 380, Private Laws of the State of North Carolina, Session 1915, as amended. The mayor and said five aldermen, as elected, and the two aldermen elected by the Town of Jonesboro, as provided herein, shall be and constitute the Mayor and seven Aldermen of the Town of Sanford and shall take office on July 1st, 1947, and be and constitute the governing body of the Town of Sanford, after qualification.

Sec. 6. That at the regular election to be held on Tuesday after the first Monday in May, 1949, and thereafter biannually, there shall be elected for the Town of Sanford a mayor and seven aldermen, one of said aldermen shall be a resident of each of the seven wards of the Town of Sanford, as provided by this Act, and shall be voted on by all of the qualified voters of the Town of Sanford, as provided in Chapter 380, Private Laws of the State of North Carolina, Session 1915, as amended, and shall take office as provided thereby.

Sec. 7. That for the purpose of the election to be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in May, 1947, there shall be a new registration of all voters living within the boundary lines of that portion of the Town of Sanford created by House Bill No. 285, ratified by the General Assembly of North Carolina on the 26th day of February, 1947.

Sec. 8. That on July 1st, 1947, all assets of the Town of Jonesboro, including cash, bonds, notes, taxes due, accounts receivable, tax sales certificates, and all other property or assets of whatsoever kind or nature of said town shall be transferred and assigned to the Town of Sanford.

Sec. 9. That on July 1st, 1947, the full liability for any and all obligations of whatsoever kind or nature, including bonded indebtedness, the Town of Jonesboro, outstanding, shall be assumed by the Town of Sanford, and the full faith and credit of the Town of Sanford shall be pledged to the prompt payment of such obligations.

Sec. 10. That all records and other official papers of the Town of Jonesboro shall be transferred to the office of the Town Clerk of the Town of Sanford on July 1st, 1947.

Sec. 11. That on July 1st, 1947, all tax lists and abstracts made by the Town of Jonesboro for the year 1947 shall be transferred to the Town of Sanford and all property located in the area heretofore the Town of Jonesboro shall be taxed by the governing body of the Town of Sanford for the year 1947, on the same basis as tax levied against property in the Town of Sanford.

Sec. 12. That on July 1st, 1947, all provisions of the charter and ordinances of the Town of Sanford shall become effective in the area formerly constituted within the boundaries of the Town of Jonesboro; and Chapter 300 of the Public-Local and Private Laws of North Carolina, Session 1941, and all amendments thereto, and all ordinances of the Town of Jonesboro are hereby repealed.

Sec. 13. If any part of this Act shall be held to be unconstitutional, such unconstitutionality shall not affect the validity of the remaining parts of this Act, the General Assembly expressly declares that it would have passed the remaining parts of this Act if it had known that such part or parts thereof would be declared unconstitutional.

Sec. 14. All laws or parts of laws in conflict with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed; but the repeal of the laws incorporating the Town of Jonesboro, including amendments thereto, shall in no way or manner be understood or taken as invalidation of any bonds or other obligations outstanding against the Town of Jonesboro.

Sec. 15. This Act shall be in full force and effect from and after its ratification.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 25th day of March, 1947.

(Session Laws of 1947, chapter 472)