The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1914-03-13

TIC Souhg Ia "nA~H NHS so"A 40
situated.
Contracts and How Let.
"No contract for the construction
and improvement of a road or
bridge shall be entered into where
the contract price exceeds $4,000.
unless plans and specifications are
| filed with the county auditor or
town clerk at least three weeks
prior to the time such contracts are
let, and without arst advertising
for three weeks fo- bids. On state
roads where state aid is claimed II
the estimated cost does not exceed
$500 the county boards shall cause
surveys to be made when necessary,
and thereupon receive bids for all
or part of the work. Where the
cost exceeds $500 the county must
have surveys. plans and speciflca-
lions made and first submitted to
the highway commission for approx
al. When plans and specifications
have been approved the county
board can proceed to do the work
by contract or day labor, all such
work to be done under the super.
vision OF the assistant engineer.
Designation OF State Roads.
"The original designation OF state
roads is made by the county board
and approved by the highway CON-
! mission before they become effec-
tive. Early last fall the highway
commission requested the county
boards in the different counties to
annul all state roads previously
designated. and to redesignate not
over 100 TO $50 miles in q county.
This was done because some Of
the counties had designated as high
sas sixty-five state roads with q
mileage OF from four TO six hundred
miles, all more or less disconnected.
The highway commission In restrict
ing the number of miles had In view
the purpose OF making the road work
more effective and making II pos
sihle for US to build roads that
begin somewhere, lead somewhere
and end somewhere. Blue Earth
county was allowed 40 miles OF
state road, but since we had done
so much state road work through
out the county we could not cut
down our mileage TO 100. The
roads that we have designated for
state roads number about 152 miles.
or this amount about flfty-four miles
are graded up to the requirements
OF the highway commission, and
of the fifty-four miles about twenty
seven miles are also graveled.
Road Funds and How Raised.
There are three main sources OF
taxation from which the funds for
roads and bridges are derived. First,
the one mill for the state road and
bridge fund which Is a tax on
all prperty, except, moneys and
cridlts this tax for the year 1914
will amount to s1,390,0O0. Sec
ond, there is a county road and
bridge fund which is levied by he
county commissioners, and which,
for the year 1914 amounts to s1,Si7,.
290,.s9. Third, the town road and
bridge fund which for the year 1914
amounts to $780,. 936.26, making a
total amount Of s5,635.25415 avail.
able for the construction and i'm
proyement and maintenance OF
roads and bridges throughout the
state. Added to this section Al
of the Dunn Law also provides for
Road Dragging Fund.
Under this section the county
auditor of each county shall annual
~ extend upon the tax lists OF his
county a one mill tax on the tax.
able property in each town provided
that, in towns having an assessed
valuation of s1.O00.00O, or more, the
amount of such tax shall not exceed
$1,000. The proceeds of this tar
levy are kept In a seperate fund
known as the dragging FUND.-" and
shall be expended by the town
board only for the expense OF pro
curing a suitable number OF drags,
and dragging the roads of the town.
The town board. upon request OF
4 ehS So"h ONciScCi, ouuii cutcT iutU
contracts for dragging OF roads OF
the town, and give preference to
the main travelled roads and mail
routes. The amount to be paid for
each time road Is dragged shall not
exceed 81 per mile for each mile
dragged.
Distribution Of state Funds.
"The state aid fund as I stated
above for the year 1914 amounted tc
approximately s1.390.O0O, and this
money Is distributed to the elghty-siz
counties by the state highway com
mission. Under the provision OF the
Dunn law no county can receive less
than one per cent nor more than
three per cent. No county this year
can therefore receive less than STA, SOC
nor more than SAL. 200. The state audi
tor yesterday sent communication tc
the state highway commission, that
he would hold back ten per cent foi
delinquent taxes, so the amount e
be distributed will be s1.25O,00 in
stead of 1890. OOo/The counties must
meet this allotment In proportion C
the valuation in each county. The
state pays eighty per cent of thu