The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-06-05
WILL VOTE ON
THIS ROAD LAW
ProvIslons Of New Road Law, Long
and Involved In Statutes, Reduo
ed to Their Lowest
Terms.
Is EASILY UNDERSTOOD
BY Dioestlng This Syllabus Of New
Law, Lee County Voters May
Qualify Themselves for In
teIliqent Action.

The service bulle Of the Iowa
highway commission publishes the
following digest Of the new road law
upon which Lee county citizens viii
vote within year. 1t reduces 10 us
lowest terms the complicated statute
of great length and makes 1t 1n-elll-
gible, so that voters may MAKE up
/, their minds before the election
What the new road law authorizes
! is this:
Primary road system of 5000 miles
in Iowa.
Primary road fund to improve the
primary road system. This fund 10
be derived from: Annual federal AID
allotment; annual collection OF notor
vehicle fund; special assessment
against benefited property.
| No county may proceed with ally
hard surfacing project whatever. on
any part of the primary system, until
1.-The county at popular election Snail
sanction general policy of hard sur
facing roads.
Three options on which county may
improve primary roads: May com
plete grading and drainage before
hard surfacing; may hard surface
4
portions: may proceed with hard sur
| facing in more rapid manner by
authorizing bond issue at popular
election.
State highway commission respon-
sible for surveys, plans, and super
vision,
| Cost of hard surfacing primary
roads to be paid from following
sources: rs percent from primary
road fund; rs percent from assess
ment against property benefited.
! Board of three appraisers to assess
benefits against property over zone
mile and half back, on each side,
from road.
Assessments must not exceed four
percent of market value Of land.
| Land owners given right OF appeal
against assessment, first to super
visors, then to district court.
| Supervisors may anticipate funds
by issuing certificates against de-
ferred property assessments, also
against primary fund for current and
succeeding years allotment
| Supervisors may OF on petition
must. submit question OF issuing
bonds to proceed with an improve
iment program faster than by annual
iallotments.
Supervisors may, as alternative
plan to above, let tentative contracts
for road improvement and submit
same to popular vote for validas-on
j (so-called Florida p1an), but county
must previously have voted favofably
on hard surfacing.
/ Supervisors may not drain, grade
or surface any highway inside city
limits.
i Supervisors may hard surface prl-
mary road through town, but may not
grade or drain same. Town must
maintain roads SO improved.
/ Supervisors may improve road on
corporation line assessing half cost
to city.
/ Supervisors must maintain primary
Iroad system to satisfaction OF high
way commission.
/ Commission is authorized to take
over maintenance. If necessary, ana
lcharge cost to county.
Commission may purchase equip
lment or material for counties.
Limit of county Indebtedness under
this act is three percent
Provision for improving secondary
system roads is made by authorizing
Improvement district to be establish
ed by supervisors upon petition of 20
percent Of land owners, but county
must previously have voted favor
ably upon hard surfacing policy,
| Method of distributing cost OF I'M
provement on second system to be
as follows:
i On county system: rs percent to
be paid from county road cash fund;
Is percent to be paid from assess
ment on benefited property
!. On township system: Is percent
from county road cash fund; 30 per
cent from township road funds; 70
percent from assessments on bene-
flied property.
i County maintains county road so
improved.
Township maintains township road
SO improved unless supervisors &C
Icept such road as part OF county
system.
Two (2) mill road building fund ex-
tended over city property as well as
rural property.
Townships authorized to add two
mills for use on township roads IN
addition to all present levies.
Law effective upon publication and
nnhIisbed April 10, 1919.