The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1907-11-07
County Board Must Make Pro.
vision For a Fund For Build
ing and Rebuilding Roads
LETTER TO COUNTY BOARD
w. o. HOtchkiss, Chief of the Highway
Division of the State Geological
Survey Lays Down the Law
For the County Board

w. O. Hotchkiss, chief of the High
way Division of the State Geological
Survey, has sent an open letter to the
County Board of this county calling
attention to the provisions Of the new
laws in regard to the duty of the
County Board in connection with the
building and rebuilding of highways.
He finds that under the law the Board
has no alternative, but to levy tax
for the care of the highways. The
letter is in part as follows:
To the County Board Of Kenosha
County.
Gentlemen:-The last Legislature
passed a bill requiring the State
Geological Survey to investigate and
carry on experimental work in road
building. This bill also3lstated that
the Geological Survey may be con-
suited by county, city, village, or
township officers having charge over
highways and bridges" In carrying
out the work of the survey under the
above provisions | have been asked
by many town and county officers in
different parts of the State to explain
the workings of some of the highway
laws passed by the last Legislature.
These requests have made it neces-
sarY to study these laws and to get
opinions of the Attorney General re-
latiug to them. In order to make the
information thus obtained useful to-
as many as possible it has been
thought best to send this letter to all
County Boards instead of limiting it
to those who especially request it.
According to this opinion your
Board, in order to comply with the
law should consider the sections of
chapter 487 to be amended by chapter
652 as stated in the appended analysis
of the conflicting sections.
According to these laws it is the
duty of each County Board at it's next
meeting.
1. To lay ont prospective system
of county highways, which, SO far as
possible, shall be the main roads to
the market, which must connect with
each other, and extend into every
town.
2. To elect some competent engi-
neer or xperiencedl,roa builder as
County Highway Commissioner and
fix his compensation.
3. To levy county tax of not less
than one.fourth nor smoresssthan two
mills on the assessed valuation of all
county property for the county road
and bridge fund.
These laws change theEmethod of
securing county aid for highway
building. Under the old law the
towns raised the tax, keptlEit in their
own treasures, andahadidirect charge
of the work.
The county money was turned over
to the town upon satisfactory COM
pletion of the road. Under this law
the special tax raised isspaid over to
the county treasurer, andsthe county
highway commissioner has charge of
the work. The towns swill petition
for aid through their Board of Super
visors exactly as heretofore.
It will be appreciated that these
laws make important changes in the
present system for the permanent i'm
provement OF the roads of the state. !
Success depends upon the care with
which the Boards select the highway
commissioners. These county high
way commissioners will have direct
charge of the expenditure of county
and town funds, the amount of which
you can readily compute. The rate
of the county tax is not less than one
fourth nor more than two mills, and
the town tax will be in addition from
one fourth to two and one-half mills.
From the ABOVE statements it is evil
dent that the Office of highway com
missioner will be one of the most
important in the county. IF the
proper men are selected they will
spend these large sums with efficiency
and also exert great influence on
road building in the county outside of
their jurisdiction. Consequently it
will be wise thing first to select a |
man capable of doing this work, and
then offer him salary enough to get
him. An incapable or inexperienced
man can easily waste much more
money than the salary of good man
would amount to.
The County Board is given power in
section 1910 2, page 294, to purchase
such modern road building ma ch;nery,
quarries, gravel pits, etc, as are
needed. If the State Geological Sur
vey with its experience and training
in such matters can be of any assist
ance to you or to the man whom you
elect as your highway commissioner !