The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-11-21

Proposed Changes in the Baltimore
County Road Law.-As already stated IN
The UNION Major John l. Yellott, OF the
Towson bar, who, as a member 81 the
County Taxpayers Convention, is preparing
suggestions of changes in the Baltimore
county road law, which will be submitted
to the next meeting of the taxpayers con.
vention, to be held during the coming winter,
and which will send memorial to the Legis-
lature asking for the enactment Of certain new
legislation. Major Yellott states that the most
important change needed in the law is to place
the care and responsibility for the roads in
the hands of the County Commissioners.
Under the present law the Court of Appeals
had decided that the County Commissioners
had no control whatever over the roads and
bridges of the county and that said control
was vested in the road commissioners OF the
various districts, with certain powers reserved
to the roads engineer. By virtue of this de-
cision the County Commissioners evaded the
payment of verdict for damages rendered
against the county on account of injuries al
legged to have been received by a woman on
account of the bad condition of public high
way.
Commissioners had escaped the fulfllment OF
the moral obligations formerly imposed upon
them, they had never since the decision of the
Court of Appeals refrained to actually assume
the control of the roads as far as possible and
to give orders to the road commissioners as to
what they should do, and to assume jurisdic-
ton over the expenditure of the road fund.
Major Yellott said, therefore, he would sug-
gest that the control of the roads be placed alb
solutely in the hands of the County Commits
sioners and that they shall be held responsible
for their condition in full legal sense.
AS to the roads engineer, Major Yellott says
that some changes are needed in the present
law 30 as to make that officials duties and
powers clear and definite. He says that there
is need of such an official and that he had, as
far past as 1873 advocated the creation of such
an Office.
He says that he favored the appointment OF
only two road commissioners for each district.
Another change which Major Yellott sug-
gests is that in some instances where the
County Commissioners deemed it expedient to
do SO they should have the power to enter into
a contract with adjacent property-owners to
keep road in repair. This, he thought, would
prove beneficial in the rural districts.
Another provision of the law which Major
Yellott thinks should be changed is the one
requiring that two-thirds of the road fund
should be expended in hard material. He says
that this works we'll in the districts which have
large road funds, but thinks that the rural dis
tricts, which have only small road funds,
should be excepted from this provision Of the
law.
He says that he is giving the matter his
thoughtful consideration and hopes to be able
to formulate law which will meet with popu-
lar favor and which will enable Baltimore
county to take advance steps in the move
ment for better public roads and better county
government. When Major Yellott has finish
ed his work the new law he proposes will be
carefully considered by the other members Of
the Taxpayers Convention committee on
legislation.