Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1884-05-30
THE NEW ROAD LAW.
APPOINTMENT OF THE OFFICERS TO
CARRY IT OUT.

BEVERLEY MANOR.
Commissioner. ............J John Towberman.
Director. ........ ...........W VIM. A. Burnett.
NORTH RIVER.
Commissioner, ."~. .....Jas. ii. Iood.
director, .....,.. ........ MdTGlu y. w A1VuIoAo
MIDDLE RIVER.
Commissioner. .............. Christian Eakle.
Director, ...... ......... IN. b. Vanpelt.
SOUTH RIVER.
Commissioner. ,......... Chas. M. Patrick.
Director ....... G. Benton COiner.
RIvERHEADs.
Commissioner. ............."John D. Lilley.
Director, ...... .....A. M. JoIudu.
PASTURES.
Commissioner. .".......... Il. L1ghtner,
At the request of many citizens of the
county, we publish below the new road
law, revised and corrected by the original
act. It would be well for our readers to
cut it out and preserve it:
An Act to provide for working the roads, repair
and reads n te
Approved February 26th, 1854.
1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of
Virginia. That it shall be lawful for the coun-
ty of Augusta, after the first day of May,
eighteen hundred and eighty -four, to locate,
open, change and repair highways roads and
bridges, as follows:
g. For each road district in the county of
Augusta, there shall be created and establish
ed board, consisting of the supervisor,
commissioner of roads, and one director for
each district, which board shall have control
of the roads and bridges within its limits and
all taxes levied for road purposes, and for
building and repairing BRIDGES shall be ex-
pended in each road district, except as herein
after provided. The director constituting a
member of the board, shall be chosen and des-
ignated by the county court; he shall be a
resident of the road district for which he is
chosen, and the commissioner of roads shall
be elected by the qualified voters of the sever
al road districts as hereinafter provided. The
board hereby created and constituted, is de-
clared to be a body polite and corporate, and
shall be known and designated as the board of
commissioners of roads for - road dis
trict. The road districts named in this act
shall be of the same extent and limits as the
magisterial districts as now constituted, and
the qualified voters herein referred to, shall be
taken to mean such persons as may be
the qualified voters of each magisterial dis
trict.
8. At the May term, eighteen hundred and
eighty-four, of the county court of Augusta
county, there shall be appointed by the coun
ty court for each road district of Augusta
county, one road commissioner, who shall be
resident, qualified voter and freeholder of
said district, and who, for his first term, shall
hold Office until the first day of July, eighteen
eighty-fve, and on the fourth Thursday in
Nav, eighteen hundred and eighty-five, and
on the fourth Thursday In May in each Sc
cond year thereafter, successors to said COM
missioners shall be elected by the qualified vo-
tiers of each road district. The first term of
Office of the road commissioner shall COM
mence on the first day of July, eighteen hun
bred and eighty -four, and shall terminate one
year thereafter, and each succeeding term
shall commence on the first day of July sue-
ceedi1g his election, and shall continue two
years. Each commissioner of roads thus cleo
ted shall qualify at the time and in the man
ner prescribed for the qualification of magis-
terial district officers, and shall, at the time of
his qualification, give bond with good person
al security, in not less than two thousand dol
lars or more than five thousand dollars.
4. The commissioner of roads shall have
charge of all of the roads in his road district.
| His duty shall be to see that all the roads in
| his district are of proper width, and in all
| places where they are not, to give notice in
Wr1U1lp 10 Uu6 pGI6OuS OUSCI uCUlIS IOduS
| and if the distractions are not removed after
| reasonable notice, of not less than ten or more
than twenty days, he shall direct the overseer
| of roads to remove the fencing or other OBJ
structions, and may recover the expenses with
costs, from the person so obstructing the
roads by Judgment of justice of the peace,
in proceeding instituted in the name of the
board of CT mmissioners of roads of his dis
| trict; provided however, that the board of
| road commissioners of any district may, in its
discretion, retain any existing road at its pres
| ent width He shall examine the roads in his
| district twice in each year, in the month of
May and October and shall see that the roads
| end bridges are kept in good repair by the
| oyerseer and if he shall find any oyerseer de-
| linquent in dscharging his duties, the said
| commissioner shall give him notice in writing,
and on his failure to discharge said duties, in
| a reasonable time, he shall report him to the
board of commissioners of roads, who shall,
| unless good cause be shown, remove him from
office and forthwith appoint another in his
| place. The compensation of the commission
er of roads shall be two dollars per diem in which
| he has been or may be employed in discharg-
ing his duties under the provisions Of this law,
and to be paid by the board of commissioners
of roads for the respective road districts, upon
the approval of the other two members there
of or if they should disagree, upon the appro-
val of the judge of the county court, who may
determine the matter without formal plead
ing; provided, however, that persons applying
for q new road or to lay out open, alter or
same is rejected, be charged with the peg
diem compensation of the commissioner of
roads.
5. There shall be appointed annually by the
board of road commissioners, not later than
the fourth Saturday in May in each year, ex-
cept the appointment for the first year, one
overseer of the roads for each road precinct,
whose term of Office shall be one year, begin
| ming on the first day of July succeeding his
appointment. He shall reside in the district
| fbr which he shall have been appointed, and
shall haye charge of all the roads of his pre-
| cinct. If any such overseer fefgse tG sarYe
afber being appointed, fail to work the
roads in his district when directed by the road
| commissioner, he shall be liable to fine on
presentment by the grand jury, not exceeding
| fifty dollars but any person after being over
seer for two consecutive years. may give up
| his Office producing certificate to the
board from the road commissioners, or other
aalisfa Glory evidence that the roads in his dis
trict are Id proper orderi and he shall not
within two years thereafter, be appointed Oyer
seer without his consent. The duties of the
overseer shall be to that the roads in his dis
| trict are kept in safe repair; that the bridges
are in safe conditions that the roads are free
from distractions that all loose stones are
removed; and for these purposes he may en-
ploy such number of laborers, teams, wagons
| carts and plows as may be necessary, with the
consent and apppoFal Of the commissioner of
roads, and a just allowance Shall Is mada for
the labor, teams, plows and other implements
which may be hired; such allowance not to
exceed that paid by the county for like ser
vice Immediately prior to the passage of this
act, and days work shall be fixed at ten
hours. He shall purchase or hire all tools and
implements necessary for working the roads,
subject to the approval Of the commissioner Of
roads, and shall have the custody of the same
and shall perform such other duties as may be
prescribed by law or directed by the commits
sioners of roads, His compensation shall be
NV ha hoardc of