Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-03-07
MR.. KOINER'S road BILL

llSh it IN full, Notwithstanding Its great ienSUh
| as follows "
ABILL-
To pro0ide for 'corking the roads, repairing
| bridges and opening 1eW roads an the county o
| augusta, and repeating so much Of the acts q
affects tie county Of AUGUSTA, approved Febret
| arg 26, 1884. February 10, 1886, March, 5, 1888
February %, 1890.
| l. Be it enacted by the General Assembly O
Virginia, That it shall be lawful for the coun
ty of Augusta, after the first day of July
| eighteen hundred and ninety-four, to locate
| open, change and repair highways, roads anC
bridges as follows:
g For each road district in the county o
Augusta there shall be created and established
| a board consisting of the supervisor, com
missioner of roads, and one director for eacf
district which board shall have control of thu
roads and bridges within its limits and al
taxes levied for road purposes and for build
| ing and repairing bridges shall be expended
| in each road district, except as hereinafter
| provided The director constituting a mem
| Der of the board shall be elected for two year;
| in the manner, at the times, qualify, and TAKE
| office as is prescribed in the election of th'
| commissioner; he shall be a resident of thu
! road district for which he is chosen and ;
qualified voter; and the commissioner of road
shall be elected by the qualified voters OF th'
several road districts as hereinafter provided
| The board hereby created and constituted Ii
| QecldTSu 10 De Il UOuy pOllllC
and shall be known and designated as the roaC
| board for -- road district. The road dis
| tricts named in this act shall be of the same
extent and limits as the maglSterlal districts a:
| now constituted, and the qualified voters here
| in referred to shall be taken to mean such
persons as may be qualified voters of eacl
| magisterial district The first term of Office
under this act shall commence on the first day
of July, eighteen hundred and ninety five
and continue two years, and the election;
| thereto shall be made in May next preceding
| each succeeding term shall commence on the
| first day of-July succeeding the election, anc
| shall continue two years. Each commission
er of roads thus elected shall qualify at the
time and in the manner prescribed for the
qualification of magiSterial district officers,
| and shall at the time of his qualification, give
bond with good personal security in not less
than one thousand dollars nor more than three
thousand dollars The present incumbents OF
these offices shall continue in the discharge OF
their duties until their successors are elected
qualify and relieve them by virtue of this act
3. The commissioner of roads, as the exc
cutive officer of the board, shall have charge
of all the roads in bis district His duty shall
be to see that all the roads in his district are OF
proper width, and in places where they are
not to give notice, in writing, to the person
obstructing the roads; and if the instructions
are not removed after reasonable notice OF
not less than ten nor more than twenty days,
he shall direct the Overseer of roads to remove
the fencing or other distractions, and may re
cover the expenses, with costs, from the per
son or persons so obstructing the roads, by
| Judgment of Justice of the peace, in pro
| ceeding instituted in the name of the road
| board in his district: provided however, thai
| the road board of any district may, in its dis
cretion, retain any existing road at its present
: width. He shall examine the roads in his dis
trict at least twice in each year, in the months
| of May and October and oftener, If the ext
gencies of the service require it, subject to the
approval of the road board, and shall see that
| the roads are drained on the sides and al
standing pools Of water well removed from
| the roads, and that the middle of the roads are
sufficiently raised to shed the water imme
diately into the side bitches, and that the
| bridges are kept in good repair by the over
seer. 1t he shall find any overseer delinquent
in discharging his duties the said commits
Sioner shall give him notice in writing, and
on his failure to discharge his duties in a rea
sonable time, be shall report him TO the roaC
board, who shall, unless good cause be shown
| remove him from office and forthwith appoint
another in his place. The compensation OF
the commissioner of roads shall be two dol
| lars per day in which he has been or may be
| actually employed in discharging his duties
under the provisions of this law, to be paid by
the road board for the respective road districts
| upon 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 forma
| pleading: provided, however, that person;
applying for new road, or to lay out, open
alter or change a public road shall, when the
| same is rejected be charged with the per diem
| compensation of the commissioner of roads
4. There shall be appointed annually by
| the road board, not later tLan the fourth Sat
| urday of May in each year, one overseer O
roads. with his consent for each road precinct
whose term of office shall be one year, begin
ming on the first day of July succeeding hi
appointment. He shall reside in the distric
for which he shall have been appointed, ant
shall have charge of the roads of his precinct
If any such overseer refuse to serve after bein:
| appointed and consenting thereto, or fail t.
work the roads in his district when directed
by the road commission, he shall be liable t
| fine on presentment by the grand jury, no
exceeding fifty dollars; bat any person ate
| being overseer for two consecutive years. ma.
give up his office on producing certificate tt
the board from the road commissioner, o
other satisfactory evidence, that the roads il
his district are in proper order; and he shall
not, within two years thereafter, be appointed
overseer without his consent. The duty o
the overseer shall be to see that the roads il
his precinct are well drained on both sides
and where they pass over wet or DOGGY ground
that they are there. underdrained and gravel
ed as far as practicable, having reference t.
permanence and an extension of the work
He shall keep the road bed full in the centr
to produce brisk water shed into the sid
bitches, which shall be continuous withou
obstruction and sufficiently large to conduc
the water from the road and afford an elevat
ed track; that all loose stones are removed
and placed for permanent improvement; tina
the roads are kept free from distinctions
standing dead trees and other dangerous tim
Der, and otherwise in good order; and that tn
bridges are in safe condition. For these pur
L bar1 rAln of 10 a M n a rp0
of the road board, such number of laborers
teams, wagons, carts, plows and road machine
as may be necessary, with the approval of th
commissioner of roads; and payment be mad
therefor according to the schedule of price
which shall be prescribed in writing on tn
first day of July of each year by the roa
board. He shall, under the direction of tn
commissioners of roads, purchase such tool
and implements as shall be necessary flo
working the roads, have charge of the same
. report annually or oftener if required, thei
condition and number, and deliver possession
of the same to the commissioners of roads o.
: settlement of accounts He shall perform
such other duties as may be prescribed by Law
: or be required by the commissioner of road
as consequential to them. His compensatio
shall be fixed by the road board for each mas
isterial district on principles of Justice and va
ue.
81 5. The road board when they deem
expedient are empowered to have the builC
ing or repairing of bridges, or roads, Or an
part thereof, done by contract in writinI
which shall be filed with the clerk of tt
board. Lettings to contracts shall be precet
S ed by public notice and be awarded to til
most suitable bidders, taking proper sureti
Tor their performance according to this &C
: under the direction of the commissioner {
a roads. In no case shall any member of tt
. board have any pecuniary interest in the col
tracts. If the board shall find at times an
places it most expedient, they are empowere
to employ suitable overseers, at agreed wage
to work on the roads by the month or year,
: discharge of the duties and obligations lmpo
= ed on oveiseers under this act, and the dire
e ton of the commissioners of roads, whose il
| spection of the work shall be as frequent
y he exigencies may require and the board a
+ | prove. Such persons as are personally lab
!, | TO do work on the district roads shall not
: summoned to work between the fifth of Jun
and the fifth of August. All such person
; may commute their labor by paying to tt
commissioner of roads one dollar per day. Q
q or before the first day of April in each yea
\ taking his receipt for the same, which none
> shall be accounted for by the commissioner
Q the board and be credited to the district ros
s fund.
e g. For the purpose of providing fund f
working the roads, repairing the bridges al
for opening new roads. it shall be the duty
4 the board of supervisors of said county on Il
' first Monday in July, in each year, or as SOC
I IL tAxr