J. MILLARD TAWES, Governor                    1007

(b) The mayor shall take and subscribe to this oath or affirma-
tion before the clerk of the Circuit Court for the County or before
one of the sworn deputies of the clerk. All other persons taking and
subscribing to the oath shall do so before the mayor.

99.    Official surety bonds.

The clerk-treasurer and such other officers or employees of the
town as the council or this charter may require, shall give bond in
such amount and with such surety as may be required by the council.
The premiums on such bonds shall be paid by the town.

100.    Prior rights and obligations.

All right, title, and interest held by the town or any other person
or corporation at the time this charter is adopted, in and to any lien
acquired under any prior charter of the town, are hereby preserved
for the holder in all respects as if this charter had not been adopted,
together with all rights and remedies in relation thereto. This charter
shall not discharge, impair, or release any contract, obligation, duty,
liability, or penalty whatever existing at the time this charter be-
comes effective. All suits and actions, both civil and criminal, pend-
ing, or which may hereafter be instituted for causes of action now
existing or offenses already committed against any law or ordinance
repealed by this charter, shall be instituted, proceeded with, and
prosecuted to final determination and judgment as if this charter had
not become effective.

101.    Misdemeanors.

Every act or omission which, by ordinance, is made a misde-
meanor under the authority of this charter, unless otherwise pro-
vided, shall be punishable upon conviction before any trial magis-
trate or in the Circuit Court for the county within which the offense
is committed by a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars ($100.00)
or imprisonment for thirty days in the county jail, or both, in the
discretion of the court or trial magistrate. The party aggrieved
[shall have] has the right to appeal as is now provided under the
general laws of the State. Where the act or omission is of a continu-
ing nature and is persisted in, a conviction for one offense [shall not
be] is not a bar to a conviction for a continuation of the offense
subsequent to the first or any succeeding conviction.

102.    Effect of charter on existing ordinances.

(a)    All ordinances, resolutions, rules, and regulations in effect
in the town at the time this charter becomes effective which are not
in conflict with the provisions of this charter shall remain in effect
until changed or repealed according to the provisions of this charter.

(b)    All ordinances, resolutions, rules, and regulations in effect
in the town at the time this charter becomes effective which are in
conflict with the provisions of this charter [be and the same hereby]
are repealed to the extent of such conflict.

103.    Separability.

If any section or part of section of this charter [shall be] is
held invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, [such] this holding
shall not affect the remainder of this charter [nor] or the context
in which such section or part of section so held invalid [shall]
appears, except to the extent that an entire section or part of section