Butte record. (Bidwell, Butte County, Cal.) 1853-1858, 1855-06-02
AN ACT CONCERNING ROADS AND
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resented IN Se,stste and fssem5{y, do enact
as totfotes:
81 All roads shall be considered as public
highways which are now used rs such, and
1 have been declared such 10y order OF the court
of sessions or board of supervisors, or which
may hereafter be declared by the board Of
supervisors within their respective counties.
| g 1t shall be the duty Of the board Of su-
pcrysors of each county, to divide the county
into a suitable number Of road districts, and
to appoint annually, or whenever vacancies
may occur, an oyerseer for each district, wnom
they shall have power to remove at pleasure.
! s 3 The county clerk Of each county, shall
notify all persons who have been appointed
road overseers, within ten days after such ap-
pointment has been made, informing them Of
such appointment. and describing the bounda-
ries of their district.
/ 5 The Road Overseers shall cause all the
Public Highways within their respective dis
tricts to be kept clear from distinctions, and
in good repair, causing banks 10 be graded,
bridges and causways to be made where the
same may be necessary to keep the same III
good repair ard to renew them when dlstroy-
ed
| 5 The Road 0verseers shall have power
| to make use of any gravel or dirt for lmprov-
ing the roads which may be absolutely neces-
| sal AlDui any dIldCNilt u1llbiIipftA AHh'tos
and the Board of Supervisors may allow such
damages if there be any, to the owners OF
said lands as they may deem just, provided,
that said supervisors shall not be liable to pay
damages to the County at the suit Of any cit
izen, If it shall be proved that they have al
lowed extraordinary and eXtrayagaEt dam
ages.
6 The Board Of Supervisors snail have
power to Levy Tax on all able bottled men
between the ages of twenty one and fifty years
which shall not exceed four dollars per an
mum, (and a property tax, which shall not ex-
coed FIVE cents on each one hundred dollars
Tor Road purposes to he levied and collected at
the same time and 4 manner as other property
taxes are collected)
81 The property tax so levied, shall be
collected by the Sheriff Of the County, in the
same manner as in the collection of other
taxes, but all road taxes for road purposes
shall be collected by the overseers in their
respective districts.
Provided, that the Board of Supervisors
shall in ali cases require bond OF such over
seer to secure the payment Of such monies as
lie may receive under the provisions of this
act
) s Whenever any contract for the i'm
proyement of roads is to to be made, adver-
tisement thereof shall be given by the overseer
Oh lile ulSlflCA III WHICH sutH Improvement Is
to be made, by dosting written notices in two
/, of the most public places of his district, and
by advertisement in one newspaper of the
county, or if none be published in the county.
by notice posted Ut the court house door, ten
days prior to the letting of such contract, and
all contracts shall be awarded to the lowest
responsible bidder, subject to the approval OF
the board of supervisors. Provided, that the
oVerseers shall have power to make contracts
for the improvement of roads, which shall not
exceed the sum of fifty dollars, at their option
such contracts to be approved by the board Of
supervisors.
80 The board Of supervisors of each coun-
ty, on presentation of petitions, praying for a
county road to be laid out within the county,
or praling for a cart road to be laid out from
the dwelling or plantation of any person, to
any public road, or from one public road to
another, and designating the points therein,
shall cause motto to be given to parties owning
the land over which such road is to be located,
and if objections by one or more of the owners
shall be made. the board of supervisors shall
consider and determine the same, AT their next
regular meeting, and if they shall be Of opin-
ion that such road is necessary, they shall
appoint two persons as viewers to view out and
locate said road, and upon the return Of the
certificate of the viewers, shall declare the
same to be public highway. When abso-
lutcly necessary the county surveyor may be
called in by the supervisors to assist in said
location.
5 10 Each Road Overscer shall report to
the Board of Supervisors quarterly, the a.
mount Of money collected and paid out by him,
and to whom, and for what paid, the number
of days he himself has been in actual service,
and also list of delinquents, and the said
! oycrsecrs shall make an affidavit before Il
Justice of the Peace that said report and de-
| llnqucut list is correct. to the best Of his
knowledge and belief, and any person refusing
or ueglecting to pay the road tax required by
this act to the overseer, on or before the first
day OF October OF each year, shall be consid-
cred 4 delinquent, aud the overseer shall pro-
ceed to levy and sell at public vendue to the
highest bidder, after giving six days public;-
ton, the property OF such delinquent, or SO
much thereof as shall be necessary to satisfy
such delinquency and cost.
( 5 II The 0gorseer shall receive for their
/ services while in actual employment, the same
per diem compensation as is allowed to the
Supervisors Of their respective Counties.
} y Ii any person shall obstruct any pub
lie Road by telling any tree across the same
or by placing any other obstruction therein
or daming, digging or deepening, a creek or
river, or its banks so rs to destroy a ford or
+ crossing ne snail De HaDLe 10 prosecution be-
fore any justice Of the peace, by any supervi-
sor OF the county, or over seer of the road dis
trict, on behalf of the county, and on convc-
ton thereof, shall be fined in snm not ex-
ceedtng fifty dollars, and shall Forfeit five dol
lars for every day he shall suffer said obstruc-
ton to remain alter he shall have been order
ed to remove the same by the oyerseer.
} - any person shall wilfully destroy
or injure any bridge, or causeway, or remove
or cause to be removed. any Of Che plank or
timber therefrom, or cut down or iniure any
tree planted or growing as shade trees in any
public highway, or damage any highway by
digging in it. he shall be liable to be prosecu-
ted before any justice of the peace, by any su-
pervisor of the county, in behalf of said county
and on conviction thereof, shall be fined in Il
sum not to exceed one hundred dollars.
II All fines collected Under the provis-
ions of this act, shall be paid into the county
treasurer for the use of the road district in
which the same was collected.
10 An act concerning roads and high
ways. passed April eleventh, eighteen hundred
and fifty, and an act concerning roads and
highways, passed April nineteenth, eighteen
hundred fifty-three, are hereby repealed.
Approved April 2sth, 1855.
/ STATE OF CALIFORNIA.
Office Secretary of State.
hereby certify that the foregoing is a true
copy Of an original act now on file in this Of
fee. Witness my hand and seal Of State, ut
I Sacramento this oil n, dow If NV