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<br />24 <br /> <br />TUESDAY <br /> <br />FEBRUARY 26, 1974 <br /> <br />A regular semi-monthly meeting of the Martinsville City Council was held in Council <br /> <br />Chambers at City Hall at 7:30 P. M., on February 26, 1974, with Mayor West presiding. <br /> <br />All members were present, viz., Francis T. West, Mayor; Harry L. Boaz, Vice Mayor; <br /> <br />W. Donald Hartford, William D. Hobson, and Morton W. Lester. <br /> <br />,,-. <br /> <br />Before the roll call and the reading of the minutes of the February l2, 1974, meeting, <br /> <br />which were approved as read, Mayor West noted the presence of City Clerk W. H. Yeaman, <br /> <br />who had been on sick leave, and Mr. Yeaman was assured that he had been missed and that <br /> <br />Council was indeed happy to have him present at the meeting. <br /> <br />,,,,-, <br /> <br />It was explained that subsequent to the February 12 action of City Council, at which <br /> <br />meeting Council had decided to reduce the number of voting precincts from ten to five, <br /> <br />the Electoral Board had learned that apparently there had to be published a formal legal <br /> <br />notice of any intent to change one or more voting precincts, so this matter was, of <br /> <br />necessity, on the agenda for reconsideration of Council, pursuant to legal notice which <br /> <br />had been published on February 17 and February 24, 1974. Citizens present were again <br /> <br />invited to comment on the proposal, whereupon Mr. Joseph Pritchett inquired about the <br /> <br />legal notice, and was advised that the certificate of publication had already been <br /> <br />received by the City. Mr. Pritchett and others reiterated reasons stated at the February <br /> <br />12 meeting for their objections to consolidating Precincts No. 1 and 6, the two precincts <br /> <br />in the west end of the City. Others present also expressed the general belief, again as <br /> <br />had been noted at the previous meeting, that the City should not consolidate the two <br /> <br />West End precincts into a single precinct, expressing the strong view that such action <br /> <br />would deter voters and would tend to slow down recently increased interest in voting. <br /> <br />In responding to the suggestion that the existing two West End precincts be allowed to <br /> <br />remain as they are with consolidation to take place in the remainder of the City, Mayor <br /> <br />West explained his feeling that such a decision would be patently discriminatory, and <br /> <br />,- <br />