Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1893-02-15
For Better Roads.

Assemblyman McGillivray intro
duced bill at Madison last week
looking to the solution OF the much
agitated road improvement question.
Section / of the measure provides
that any county III the state of Wis
consin desiring to build good, dura-
part thereof, to be used as main
thoroughfare leading from the city
or cities to the country for the public
use, shall have the right to build, COM
plete and pay for the construction of
the said roads. Section 2 gives the
manner of procedure which the coun-
ty should adopt. The chairman of
the county board of any county shall
have the right to call the board to-
esther on the application OF twenty
five freeholders made in writing, at
some convenient time, to determine
whether road shall be built, and if
it determines by amajority vote to do
SO it shall also determine the location
and length of the road SO to be built.
1t shall also appoint a committee of
three to take charge Of the work and
report the cost, and the county board
shall then adjourn until the commit
tee Is ready to make q report on the
cost of said road. In sections 3 and
it is declared to be the duty of this
committee to call upon the county
surveyor to make levels and grade
lines of said proposed roadbed and
return to the committee true and
correct estimate of the cost of the
road and the plans and specifications
free of cost. When the committees re-
ceives the estimate the chairman shall
call the board together and it shall
determine how much of theroad shall
be built, if any, and levy a tax on the
county to cover one-half the expense
of construction. The board shall
have the right to tax the towns and
cities through which the road runs
more than parts OF the county not
directly benefited. This tax shall
form a fund in the county treasury
to be drawn on order of the chairman
and county clerk for work when aud
tied by the committee. Sections
and 6 say that it shall be the duty Of
the committee to advertise in one or
more of the county papers for bids on
said work for at least six weeks be-
fore the contract is let. 1t shall have
the right to reject any Or all bids I'M
til it is satisfied that it has honest
bids with good bonds at least for the
value of the work. No committee
shall have the right to take a contract
for such work directly or indirectly.
Sections and 8 provide that after
the road shall have been completed
according to plans and pecitications,
and to the satisfaction of the COM
mittee and state engineer, the chair
man and state engineer shall notify
the secretary OF state of the compile
ton and cost of the road, and that
the county has paid its share of the
expense of its construction, upon
which notice the secretary of state
shall issue his warrant on the state
treasurer COR one-half of the expense
of said road. payable out of any
money that the state shall receive
from railroad or other licenses not
otherwise appropriated. The war
rant shall be payable to the county
treasurer, and no county shall draw
on the state for more than $4,000 in
any one year. 1t shall be the duty of
the county committee appointed on
roads to keep and repair such roads
when built at the expense Of the
county.