Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1919-06-04
THE NEW ROAD LAW
Passed by The Thirty-Eighth
General Assembly

mary and secondary roads in eacn
county and to provide for the ex-
tension of such primary system, to
provide for the improvement and
maintenance of such roads and TO
prescribe the procedure therefor,
to extend certain options to each
county in the improvement OF It's
roads, to provide the funds to pay
the cost of such Improvements and
TO regulate the division, accounting
and disbursements of such funds,
to authorize, in certain cases the
levy of limited special assessments
upon real estate which abuts upon
or is adjacent to such road I'M
provements, in order to defray a
part of the cost thereof and 10 reg
ulate and prescribe the procedure
in concentrating such assessments
and the collection and application
thereof, to authorize and regulate
the anticipation by each county OF
the funds (including special as
sessments) provided by this act
for road improvements, to author
iZe the submission to the voters
of each county OF the question OF
issuing the bonds of the county in
order to secure immediate funds to
carry on such improvements, and
of levying an annual tax on all the
property of the county to pay the
annual interest on said bonds and
to pay any deficiency in the prin-
cipal of such bonds which cannot
be met by other funds provided by
this act, to authorize the submis-
sion to the voters of the county of
the question of validating specified
contracts for the improvement OF
highways and the question OF is
suing the bonds of the county in
order to carry out such contracts,
and of levying an annual tax TO pay
the annual interest on such bonds
and to pay any deficiency in the
principal of such bonds which can
not be met by other funds provid-
ed by this act, to provide the pro-
cedure for submitting all such
questions to the voters and for the
determination of the result of such
submission, to provide the proceed
ure for the levy of taxes and for
the form, conditions, issuance, APP
plication, disbursement, and pay
ment of authorized bonds and the
interest thereon, to limit the
amount of bonds which may be is
sued under any vote of authorize
ton, to empower township trus-
tees to levy an additional tax of
two mills for township roads, to
provide for the purchase, lease, re-
ceipt and distribution of equipment
in aid of the improvements provid-
ed by this act and to authorize the
payment of the cost of such equip
ment to prohibit and punish viola
tions of this act.
IT is the intent of this act to divide
the highways of the state and of each
county into primary and secondary
system, to provide for the substan-
tial and durable improvement of
such primary roads of each county,
10 pay for said Improvements on such
primary roads from federal aid funds,
motor vehicle registration fees, and
from the proceeds of assessments on
benefited real property, to permit
each county to anticipate such funds
II it chooses so to do, to divert other
existing highway funds to the con-
reconstruction, improve
ment and maintenance of the sec.
ondary system of roads, to secure the
benefit of all present and future
acts of the government of the United
States which proffer financial aid to
the state of Iowa in the construction
and maintenance of highways, and to
coordinate the system herein created
with the requirements of said feder.
al government relative to such i'm.
The state highway commission is
on behalf of the state,
TO enter into any arrangement or con.
tract with, and required by the duly
constituted federal authorities, in or.
der to secure the full cooperation OF
the government of the United States
and the benefit of all present and flu.
ture federal allotments in aid of high.
way construction, reconstruction, i'm
provement or maintenance. The good
faith of the state is hereby pledged
to cause to be made available each
year, sufficient funds to equal the
total Of any sums now or hereafter
to the state for road pur
poses by the United States govern
ment for such year and to maintain
the roads constructed with said
funds. The board of supervisors OF
each county is empowered to enter
into any arrangement or contract
with, and required by, the state high
way commission, in order to fully
carry into effect the provisions OF
this act.
The highways of the state are, fol
the purpose Of this act, divided into
two systems, to wit: The primary
road system and the secondary road
system. The primary road system
shall embrace those main rnarke
roads (not including roads within
cities), which connect all county-sea'
towns and cities and main marke
centers, and which have already beer
designated under section 2 of chap
ter 249 of the laws of the Thirty
Seventh General Assembly Of tn,
state of Iowa, accepting the provi
sions of the act of Congress approx
ed July IL, 1916, known as the fed
eral aid road act; provided, that tn
said designation of the roads shall
for more efficient service or NOR
economical construction of the fec
eral authorities, be subject to revis
hu "a Tot n s-h. 4