The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-01-22
Road Law.

MANY persons have made inquiry about il
We ~ lblish the act in full, and advise a
lnteH 4stedts preserve a copy for futur
reten ence. Every farmer in the count
chcnl familiarize himself with the pro
visiol of the act:
CHA P.ala6-AN ACT 10 provide for WORKING
the 70 stds. repairing bridges, and opening ne,
reads in lhe counties Of Frederick Clarke
Warte n and Augusta Anp,.oveu february d
1881 H
CC3E1 IENCENIENr OF OPERATION. OF. ACT,
h. ie 1t enacted by the general assembl,
of Vii "gina, That it shall be lawful for tn,
coNMf OF Augusta, after the first day o
Ma@. eighteen hundred and eighty four, t,
locaae open, change, and repair highways
roads, ana bridges, as follows:
DSsTT .IcT ROAD BOARD ESTABLISHMENT.
2 ! or each road district in the county
of Al gusta, there shall be created and eS
taSfFI ied board, consisting of the super
VGNafs Il commissioner OF roads. and one
diueGt or FOR each district, which boarC
Shall ! ave control OF the roads and bridges
wlthl ! It's limits ami I'LL taxes levied fol
road imposes. and for building anu re
/ f@lrt i!g bridges. Shall be expended in eac!
rtsAd . district, except as hereinafter pro
Vdtd. HE director constituting u mem
Der of the board shall be chosen and desie
mated + the county court he shall be 4
residtan OF the road district for which ht
is chosen !. and the commissioner of roads
shah be I dected by the qualified voters OF
| the sever al road districts, as hereinafter
prov1ded9 The board, hereby created and
c0nstlantA d, is declared to be a body polite
and cDrp0i ate. and shall be known aud
designated as the board of commissioners
of dc A1,al- lot, sax nIo y
districts lasai ned in this act shall be of the
same extent and limits as the magisterial
districts as d ow constituted. and the quail
fled voters herein referred to. shall be
| takengto lisest.a such persons as may be the
qualified yota rs Of each magisGerial dis
trict.
ROAD CoMMJss sIONlsR TO BE APPOINTED
BIZ THE COURT.
3. Az the May term, eighteen hundred
aud eigity-fonr OF the county court of
by The county court for each road district
OF Augusta count y, oneroad commissioner
who shall bela resident, qualified voter and
freebooter of said district, and who, for
his first term, shall ahoid Office until the
'tirst day of July, eighteen hundred and
Lightly five. and on the. fourth Thursday III
May in each secOndN year thereafter, sue
cessors to said commissioners shall be
elected by the qualified voters of each
road district. The first term of Office of
the road commissioner shall commence on
the first day of July, eighteen hundred
eighty tour and shall terminate one wear
thereafter, and each succeeding term shall
commence on the first day of July sue
ceedins; his election. and shall continue
two years. Each commissioner Of roads
thus elected, shall qualify at the time and
in the manner prescribed for the qualif-
cation of magisterial district officers, and.
shall, st the time of his qualification, give.
bond with good personal security, in not,
less than two thousand dollars or more
than FIVE thousand dollars.
DUTIES OF COMMISSIONER OF ROADS.
A. The commissioner of roads shall have
charge of I'LL OF the roads in his road dis
trict. His duty shall be to see that all the
roads i'll his district are of proper width,
and all places where they are not, to give
notice in writin 3 to the persons obstruct-
ing the roads : ald if the distractions are
not removed af ter reasonable notice. of
not less than ten nor more than twenty
days. he shall dir act the overseer OF roads
to remove the fencing or other obStruc-
tons, and may recover the expenses, with
costs, from the person SO obstructing the
roads by Judgement OF a justice OF the
peace, in Il proceeding i'll the name of the
board OF commissioners 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 present width. HE shall examine the
roads i'll his district twice in each year. in
the months of Maynard October. and shall
see that the roads and bridges are kept in
good repair by the Overseer; and if he
Shall find any overSeer delinquent in dis
charging his duties. the said commissioner
shall give him notice in writing, and on
his failure to discharge said duties, in a
reasonable time, lie 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 inhis place. The compensation
of the commissioner of roads shall be two
dollars per diem in which he has been or
may be employed in diScharging his duties
under the provisions OF this law. and to be
paid by the board of commissioners of |
roads for the respective road districts, up
OH the approval of the other two members
thereof, or if they should disagree, upon
the approval of the judge OF the county
court, who may determine the matter
without formal pleading; provided how
ever, that persons applying for q new road
or to lay out, open, alter or change pub
lie road, shall. when the same is rejected,
be charged with the per diem compensa-
ton Of the commissioners of roads.
OyERsEERs OF ROADS AND THEIR DUTIES.
5. There shall be appointed annually by
the board OF road commissioners, not later
than the fourth Saturday in May in each
year, except the appointment for the first
year. one overseer of roads for each road
precinct, whose term Of office shall be one
year, beginning on the first day of July
succeeding his appointment. He shall re-
side in the district for which he shall have
been appointed, and shall have charge of
all the roads of his precinct. If any such
overseer refuse to serve after being APP
pointed, or fail to work the roads in his
district when directed by the road COM
missioner, he shall be liable to u fine, OH
presentment by the grand jury, not eX-
ceedng fifty dollars but any person after j
being overSeer for two consecutive years,
may give up his Office on producing a GER
tificate to the board from the road COM +
missioners, OF other satisfactory evidence /
that the roads in his district are III proper !
order and he shall not within two years |
thereafter, be appointed OVerSeer without |
his consent. The duties of the oveYseer
shall be to see that the roads in his dis |
trict are kept i'll good repair that the
bridges are in safe condition that the
roads are kept Tree ITOlll OpSGIuCGlO1lS LIletU
all loose stones are removed ; and for these
purposes he may employ such number of
laborers, teams, wagons carts and plows
as may be necessary. with the consent and
approval of the commissioner of roads, and
Just allowance shall be made for the
labor, teams, plows and other Implements
which may be hired such allowance not
to exceed that paid by the county for like
services 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 pre-
scribed by law OF directed by the commits
sioner of roads. His compensation shall
be determined by the boards OF commits
sioners for each magisterial district.
TAX TO BE LAID FOR ROADS.
6. For the purpose of providing fund
for working the roads, repairing bridges.
and for opening new roads in the county
OF Augusta, it shall be the duty of the
board of supervisors of said county, on the
fourth Monday in July, eighteen hundred
and eighty four, or as soon thereafter as
practicable, and on the fourth Monday in
July in each year thereafter, to levy q tax
,lpOn all real and OprsOna1 prODprtv in said