Ordinances Adopted by Town Council
From "Selma; Her Institutions, and Her Men" by John Hardy, pub. 1879:
On the first Monday April 1831, Elias Dejarnette, Jas. Cante, R. H. Crosswell, Wm. Johnson and Thomas Ferguson were elected Councilmen, Councilmen who elected James Cante, Intendant, D.H. Burke, Clark, Wm. Huddleston, Constable, and James Douglas, Treasurer. James Cante and T. P. Ferguson were appointed to contract fro digging and fixing up two public wells; one a the crossing of Greene and Water Streets, and on at the crossing of Franklin and Water streets, no to cost over forty dollars. Mr. Simpson, the Treasurer of the town for 1830, made his report, showing that he had received $151.51, from fines, street and road tax, and all other sources. He was allowed five per cent, commissions upon this amount as his salary. An ordinance establishing a rate of taxation was passed, and James Douglas and T. P. Ferguson were appointed to assess the property. D. H. Burke was allowed twelve dollars for his services as Clerk for the year 1831. An ordinance requiring carts, drays or wagons to pay a license, and one requiring a license for retailing spirituous liquors were adopted. Thos. J. Frow agreed to do all the printing for the town for the year 1831, for fifteen dollars. An ordinances was adopted prohibiting slaves from living apart from their owners, and free negroes from living apart from their guardians. Col Lapsley, the overseer of the streets and roads, called out all the force of the town to work on the Range Line road. A rate of fees for the constable was established, and an ordinance providing a revenue to build a market house, was adopted, as well as an ordinance requiring the clerk, constable and treasurer to give bonds. Gilbert Shearer agreed with the town to keep up the Range Line road and the swamp road six months for eighty dollars. The price for showing a circus was fixed at twenty dollars, and a fee of two dollars to the Clerk. David Hamilton was the first one to pay for a license to run a dray or wagon the price of which was four dollars for twelve months; the second was to Jack, a free black man, and the third to Thomas and James Adams. On the 7th of November 1831, L. S. McCrary, Wm. Harris, James Cante and Henry Kuntz paid five dollars each for a license to sell liquors by the drink for one year. Gilbert Shearer contracted to clear out and put in repair Broad street from Water to Dallas street for forty five dollars. An ordinance was passed prohibiting all kinds of boats from landing goods on the Sabbath. This ordinance caused two parties in the town, and we may judge which was the largest form the fact that the ordinance was repealed in about six week. Gilbert Shearer, T. P. Ferguson and R. H. Crosswell were appointed a committee to contract for building a market house. The Clerk was made tax collector. M. G. McKeagg was tried by the Council, and fined twenty dollars, for selling liqueur by the drink without a town license. The town Council of 1831, was the first Council the town ever had that seemed to take proper views of public matters, and their record is a good one, and really the only Council that had ever done anything towards improving the town.
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