Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-01-19
FOR IMPROVEMENT OF ROADS.
Representative Robst.saa id Charge of tn

of American Wheelmen has placed in
the hands Of Representative James w.
Robertson the bill providing for the
permanent Improvement Of the high
ways Of the State.
The bill provides for the appoint
ment, by the governor, of q State
Highway Commissioners, who is to be
competent civil engineer; he is to
receive 81, coo per year as salary, besides
his office and actual travelling OK
penses; is. to serve four years; is to
give bond for $40, 600 ms indemnity for
any loss sustained by the State
through any fraudulent or illegal action
on his part, his Office is to be In Dover.
He is to make a biennial report to tho
General Assembly he is to collect all
Information possibleiii concerning the
conditions and locations of the public
roads I'M the State; and is to act in an
advisory capacity to all commissioners,
or other officers, having charge Of or
/, supervision over the public roads; he
is limited. by lay. in his expenditures,
so that he canbot, ia any one year,
exceed the amount appropriated by the
General Assembly for the purposes of
the act, and " I'D receives, In any ono
year, more petitions for State aid than
there arc funds to accommodate, then
he and the governor apportion tho ex.
penditnros to tho several counties.
The commissioner Is to make con-
slant inspection Of all highways, and
those permanently improved are to be
repaired as he directs and when he
directs, while those which have not
been permanently Improved will be
repaired as he may suggest.
Whenever the Levy Court of any
county declares that 1t Is its intention
to have ashighwsy sor section thereof
permanently improved, 1t shall, after
giving public notice Of its intention,
have surveys made of the highway,
which shall be submitted to the State
Highway Commissioners, with an ap
pication for State aid; in addition to
this way OF securing State aid, the
owners. of majority value of the
property abutting upon any highway
may petition the Levy Court TO have
such highway improved, whereuron IL
becomes the duty of the Levy Court
to make application for State aid.
II State aid has been applied for
under the first provision, and Che State
Highway Commissioner decides that II
shall be given, then, the State pays
one. third of the cost Of the improve.
ment, the county one.thirtl, and the
hundred ne-third; but " the improve
nent has been undertaken by the
second provision, that is by petition
of abutting owners, then the State
pays e-third Of the cost, the county
one third, the hundred 231a per cent
and the abutting owners 10 per cent.
All work done shall be performed by
contract let to, the lowest responsible
bidder, under specifications prepared
by the State Highway Commissioner
and approved by Che Levy Court.
The contractor will, In every case, be
required to keep the highway con.
structed by him IN repair for one yeat
after the work has been finished.
The minimum width of the improved
roadways will DO ~ feet, and the
maximum width 16 feet.
The method Of securing the funds
| for permanently improving the high
ways is as follows: The General As
sembly anpropriates u certain sum, tc
be expended annually as the States
portion Of the expense. and after the
State Highway Commissioner files with
the Levy Court the estimates of the
cost of the entire work, decided by II
as desirable TO be- undertaken during
| that year, then tho said court shall
include two-thirds OF this total cos
in the annual tax levy for that year
one-third OF which is to be levied as {
general county tax, and ono third to b.
| u tax upon the hundred; except the
the highway be improved under petit
ton, of the abutting property owners,
in which case the cost will be an.
portioned as herein before mentioned.
The county and hundred assessors shall
| include such amounts in their assess.
ments and the tax collector will collect
them at the same time as other taxes
are collected and pay the money ovei
to the county treasurer in every case.
If there is deficiency, by reason oi
| the work exceeding theAestimates, OF
the collection Of the taxes running
below expectations, then the county
has the authority to make temporary
loans which must be repaid when the
next annual taxes are collected: or the
county may issue bonds covering tht
whole cost OF the improvements to be
undertaken in any one year, said bonds
to be 15-year bonds. The total amount
which any county Gun expended fol
road improvements, repairs OF main
tenance In any one year is limited X
| l per cent of the assessed valuation.o
all property in the, county, and tn,
maximum amount of bonded or floating
Indebtedness of any county for all pur
poses is limited to 4 per cent of tn,
total assessed property value.
After any of the highways 10 an.
| county are permanently improved
under the act, the Levy Court of tia
county shall appoint q supervisor, VIII,
shall have charge Of all the repairs ans
maintenance of the roads under til,
control of the Levy Court, and shall
make such repairs when, and how tn,
State Highway Commissioner shall
direct; and when 2 highway is per
manently improved by State aid 1t eve
after becomes a. county road unde
direct charge Of the Levy Court, which
shall levy sufficient taxes to keep th,
roads in repair.
The road commissioners, as they ar,
now constituted, have the same author
ity over the roads, which do not becon,
| county roads by resolution of the Lev,
Court, except that they do not levy III,
| taxes for road repairs lin their hun
dreds, nor do they receive or handl,
\ the money so collected; they certif,
| their necessities to the Levy Court
who levies the taxes, and the tax col
lector pays over 10, the county treasurer
| all taxes for road purposes, and tn,
latter keeps. y separate account of al
taxes thus collected for permanent i'm
| proved roads, and pays 1t out onI,
upon the requisition OF the State High
way Commissioner, with the approva
Of the Leyy Court. ti;
| All taxes Tor road pilrnoses n,nst r,
paid in money, the present system
working out ones taxes will not here
after be permitted, and the presen