Chap. 426.—An ACT to amend and re-enact an act entitled an act to provide
for State money ald, in addition to convict labor, for the improvement of
public roads, approved February 25, 1908, as amended and re-enacted by
an act approved February 25, 1910, and as further amended and re-
enucted by an act approved February 29, 1916. [H B 31]

Approved March 27, 1918.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That
an act entitled an act to provide for State money aid, in addition to
convict labor, for the improvement of public roads, approved Febru-
ary twenty-fifth, nineteen hundred and eight, as amended and re-
enacted by an act approved February twenty-fifth, nineteen hundred
and ten, and as further amended and re-enacted by an act approved
February twenty-ninth, nineteen hundred and sixteen, be amended
and re-enacted so as to read as follows:

Section 1. The local road authorities of each county shall formu-
late and lay out a system of county roads in their respective coun-
ties, to include the main traveled highways of said counties, but not
including any road constituting a part of the State highway system
and shail certify the same to the State highway commissioner for
his approval. The local road authorities of any county may change
or alter, add to or take from, the said system in their county, but
only with the approval of the State highway commissioner.

Sec. 2. After the local road authorities of any county have
certified the system of roads hereinbefore mentioned to the State
highway commissioner, they may make application to the commis-
sioner for State aid for the permanent construction of said roads
or any part thereof, or the maintenance of any section which has
been permanently improved, or both for construction and main-
tenance, including any bridges embraced within said system, and be
entitled to receive the same when the said system has been so ap-
proved, and the provisions of this act complied with.

Sec. 3. The expense of such road improvement shall be borne,
fifty per centum by the State, and fifty per centum by the county
and smaller road divisions thereof that may be established accord-
ing to law, as the local road authorities of the county, in which the
road proposed to be improved lies, may determine, as hereinafter
provided; provided, however, that out of the State money aid, which
may be appropriated from time to time to carry the provisions of
this act. into effect, a sum equal to five per centum of the total amount
which such money, and the amount to be raised locally in accordance
with provisions hereof, will make available for road and bridge im-
provement, may, upon the requisition of the State highway com-
missioner, be set aside for the purpose of enabling the State high-
way commissioner to employ such assistants from time to time as
may be necessary for the discharge of the additional duties imposed
by this act upon such commissioner and his assistants; the warrants
for the salaries and expenses of such assistants shall be issued by
the auditor of public accounts in favor of such assistants upon certi-
ficates of said commissioner that they are entitled thereto and shall
be paid by the State treasurer out of the fund set aside for that.
purpose as above provided, and the residue of such State money aid
shall each year be apportioned among all the counties of the State,
except those counties excluded from such apportionment by the pro-
visions hereinafter contained in paragraph seven of this act, accord-
ing to the respective total amounts of State taxes paid into the
treasury from such counties on real estate, personal property, income
and capitation tax the next preceding fiscal year; provided, further,
that the share of each county of such apportionment shall remain
in the State treasury until applied for and such county shall become
entitled to receive it according to law; and provided further, that if
such apportionment for each year shall not be applied for by the
local road authorities of any county and such county becomes entitled
to receive it according to law, before the first day of March, in the
year nineteen hundred and eighteen, and thereafter before the first
day of January in each year, the amount so apportioned and set
aside for that county, or the amount thereof not so applied for and
not so entitled to be received and apportionments hereafter made to
any counties remaining in the State treasury at the expiration of
two years after such apportionments have been made, shall there-
upon be apportioned as herein provided, among the counties entitled
to share in said apportionment as aforesaid, whose local road au-
thorities have heretofore and after the passage of this act, made
application according to law, requesting State money aid to the
extent of a sum greater than the amount of their said apportion-
ments, respectively.

The local road authorities of each county may determine what
part, if any, of the fifty per centum of said expense for said road
improvement to be borne locally, the county shall bear, and what
part, if any, the smaller road divisions thereof shall bear; and such
local road authorities may accept private contributions paid into the
hands of the treasurer of the county to be used on account of said
expense for said improvement to be borne locally.

Sec. 4. The share of each county of said apportionment of State
money aid shall be paid by the State treasurer out of the funds in
his hands, which may have been appropriated and may be available
therefor, to the treasurer of the county entitled to receive the same,
upon the warrants of the auditor of public accounts, issued upon the
certificates of the State highway commissioner that such county is
entitled to receive such share.

Sec. 5. Before any county shall be entitled to receive said
certificate or certificates for State money aid under the provisions
of this act, the local road authorities shall submit each year to the
State highway commissioner for his approval plans, specifications
and estimates for such sections of said system as they propose to
improve during said year, which plans, specifications and estimates
may include macadam and other hard-surfaced roads, and sand-clay
or loose stone, and the said plans and specifications for bridges shall
be in accord with the standard highway bridge specifications of Vir-
ginia. The State highway commissioner shall, upon receipt of plans,
specifications and estimates submitted, as set out above, approve or
disapprove the same, as the case may be, as speedily as possible and
report his action thereon to the local road authorities. After said
approval and as the work progresses, he shall issue certificates upon
the estimates of the cost of the work, as made by the local road
authorities, for fifty per centum of the cost of the same, but in no
event shall the total amount of said certificates, issued in any one
fiscal year, exceed the county’s annual quota of State money aid,
under the provisions of this act; and provided, further, that all
accounts and contracts of said work shall be open at all times to the
inspection of the highway commissioner or his duly authorized agent.

Sec. 6. The said proportion of said expense to be borne locally
shall be a county charge in the first instance, and the fund raised
locally therefor and that received from the State, as herein provided,
shall be paid out by the treasurer of the county upon the warrants
of the local road authorities thereof.

The county treasurer and his sureties shall be liable for all
moneys coming into his hands under this act; but an additional bond
may be required of said treasurer, and such treasurer shall receive
as compensation for his services hereunder a commission of one-
fourth of one per centum of the amount thus coming into his hands
from the State treasury, and from private contribution.

Sec. 7. Where a State convict road force is furnished to any
county in any year under the provisions of the act of the general
assembly of Virginia, creating the State convict road force, ap-
proved March sixth, nineteen hundred and six, as same was enacted,
or as it may be amended, such county shall not be entitled to receive
for such year State money aid under this act.

Sec. 8. The sum of three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000)
annually is hereby appropriated, out of any money in the State
treasury, not otherwise appropriated, beginning with the fiscal year
commencing March first, nineteen hundred and eighteen, to carry
the provisions of this act into effect.