The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1914-02-19
THE NEW ROAD LAW
All Town Road Taxes Are Payable
in Cash Hereafter and the
Poll Tax is Abolished.
One Road Overseer for Each Town Ap.
pointed by the Supervisors
The Road Drag Law.

Annual town meeting day falls on
the 10th of March this year. Several
important changes have been made
by chapter 235 general laws of 1913
in town road laws. All road taxes
hereafter levied must be paid in cash
and no highway labor can be assessed.
In other words, supervisors cannot
hereafter levy and assess any road
taxes payable in labor or money at
the option of the taxpayer as hereto
fore, and poll tax is abolished.
The maximum road tax that can
be voted at town meeting is Is mills.
Heretofore 10 mills could be voted at
town meeting, and 10 mills levied
by the supervisors to be paid in cash
or in labor at the option of the tax
payer.
Road taxes, and in fact all taxes,
must be levied in specific amounts.
For instance, if the assessable valua-
tion of town is $3.50, ZOO, and it is
desired to levy the maximum amount
Of Is mills for road purposes, SO. $50
should be voted.
The road taxes voted this spring
will not be available until next year,
but the supervisors are empowered,
in case of emergency, to levy a five
mill tax, and the town board may
thereafter pledge the credit of the
town by issuing town orders not ex-
ceeding, however, the amount of the
additional tax so levied, in payment
for work done or material used on
the roads within the town.
No district road overseers are to
be elected as the office of district
road overseer has been abolished.
The supervisors are required to ap-
point a competent road overseer for
each town, and he shall have charge,
under the supervision of the town
board, of the construction Of all
town roads, and the maintenance of
all town and county roads in the
town. Such overseer may appoint
one or more competent assistants,
subject to the approval of the town
board. The compensation of the
road overseer and assistants is to be
fixed by the town board at sum
not to. exceed $500 per day for the
time actually employed in the per-
Torrance of their duties. A road
overseer or assistant is required to
give bond with two sureties in the
sum Of $4,000. Great care should be
exercised by the supervisors in ap-
pointing a road oyerseer. The law
expressly provides that he must be a
competent road builder. A great
deal depends on the road overseer.
The town board has the right to re-
move road overseer at any time.
The matter of dragging the roads
should also be discussed at town
meetings. The roads to be dragged
should be determined upon. The
supervisors will undoubtedly be gov
erned largely by the wish of the
voters as expressed at town meeting.
The law provides that, 1.-THE town
board in each town, on recommended
ton Of the town road overseer. shall
enter into contracts for the dragging
Of the roads of the town, giving pref
erence to the main travelled roads
and roads constituting mail routes. -
The maximum cost of dragging a
road must not exceed one dollar per
mile for each mile of road dragged.
Some roads may require only one
turn, and 25 cents per mile each way
would be fair compensation; other
roads may require two or even three
turns, but in no event must the cost
exceed one dollar per mile. There
will be money available in each town
for dragging the roads this year. as
the county auditor was obliged to
extend the one mill drag tax last
fall. This one mill tax is paid back
TO the town and cannot be used for
any other purpose than procuring
suitable drags and dragging the roads
OF the town. If properly applied
this drag tax will prove of immense
benefit to the roads, especially the
clay roads.
All roads designated as state roads
must be maintained by the county
hereafter. Rut any town may appro-
pirate money to aid in the construc-
tion or improvement of any road
within the town which has been des-
ignated as state road, and the
money so appropriated can be used
only for the purpose designated by
the town boards.
While poll tax has been abolished
there is nothing to prevent patriotic
and public-spirited citizens from
donating work on the roads.
When the new law is fully under