The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1919-04-24
IoWA,s NEW ROAD BILL.
Representative Weaver Says Iowa
Entering New Era With Pass.
age of Road Legislation.
There are eight million dollars {

There are eight million dollars OF
beginning this date and ending Jan.
/, 1921. This is an average OF $SO,,,
900 to the county from the federal
government alone. This amount is
required by the federal act to be used
for improvement on the primary
roads, and must be met BY a IKE
amount from the motors Venlcle
license fund.
Thus there will be coming to each
county an average of $4,000 dur
ing the next two years for develop
ment of the primary roads. Nc
county can afford to lose it's share Oh
this money and the present bill takes
care of that.
Designs Three Classes.
The primary road fund consists OF
the federal aid money, the motors
license money and the proceeds OF
special benefit assessments. The
special benefit assessments however,
are only levied where there is hard
surfacing done.
of about 5000 miles of inter-county
seat main market roads. The rest OF
the roads in the county system are
called county roads, the township
roads remaining as at present.
In the Improvement OF the prl-
mary roads if hard surfaclng is in
yolved the cost is paid IS per cent cent
cent from special benefits, within
zone that may extend mile and
one-half each side of the road. The
cost of grading and draining is not
assessed. This is paid from the pri-
mary fund only.
Estimating hard surfacing at $20,-
900 per mile, each mile along the
rood distance hack Of the mile
and half on each side would have
to raise $1,000, or $4,000 on each
side. This is a very low assessment,
and the bill says that it shall not in
any case exceed 4 per cent of the
value of the tract. 1t would not
reach as much as per cent, but that
is the maximum.
The primary road system EMBRACES
5000 miles, being more than one
third OF the mileage of the county.
system. Too much of the general
funds heretofore have had to be
used on the primary roads.
Under this bill the county fund
all present taxes will be available for
the secondhand roads, being the re-
naming county roads and the town
ship roads. Heretofore the mill
road building fund has been levied
on farm property only Under this
bill it is spread over all the proper
ty in the county, including cities and
secondary roads. Thus the county
and the township roads will have
more money than they ever had be-
fore, and will be relieved of the ex-
pense of improvement of the primary
system.
Repeats Present Law.
There is on the statute books in
10 ur1i Hh &C.
Enlistment of road Improvement
districts in the county, and provides
for the assessment of not less than
one-half the cost to the farms. The
present bill repeats that law.
Under the bill no county is re-
quired to issue bonds and cannot do
SO except upon vote of the people.
lied to proceed from year to year in
improving the primary system out
OF the primary fund as it becomes
availa BILE, and no bonds are requir-
ed.
The county before doing any hard
surfacing at all can from the pri-
mary fund grade and drain its entire
it can gravel Or oil it's primary roads
before it needs to do only hard sur
facing at all. 1t will take several
years to complete the grading and
draining OF all the primary system
in many. counties, and long before
that time many counties will have
done more or less hard surfacing
which will be an object lesson to the
rest of the state
Township Roads Unchanged.
The county funds as increased as
mentioned above, can be used just
as at present on the county roads,
and the township funds on the town.
ship roads. However, if the owners
of land within a district on the sec
ondary road system desire to estab-
.lish an improvement district for
crawling or oiling, or other i'm
provement, they can do so by petit
tioning the board, and the board will
decide on the petition.
If district is thus petitioned for
a<first mprovement-say by gravel
ing, the. cost on a county road is to
be. paid>75 per cent from the county
road funds and 25 per cent from
special benefits within the district,
which benefits are payable in ten in
stallments if the owner desires.
elf it be township road that is be-
ing improved in this way the cost is
paid 25 per cent from county road
cash fund, 25 per cent from special
assessment benefits and so per cent
from the township funds.
Whv NOt2