Chap. 570.—An ACT to provide for working and keeping in repair the public
roads in Spotsylvania county.

Approved March 2, 1894.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That on
and after the first day of May, eighteen hundred and ninety-four, it
shall be lawful for the county of Spotsylvania to work and keep in
repair the highways, roads and bridges as follows:

2. The board of supervisors of said county shall take charge of
and have worked and kept in repair all public roads and bridges
heretofore and hereafter established, and for this purpose are au-
thorized and empowered to levy a road tax not exceeding in any one
year twenty cents upon the one hundred dollars of assessed taxable
value in said county, and adopt such regulations as do not conflict
with the laws now in force as may be necessary to secure the proper
working of roads in said county. ,

3. The county judge of said county shall, as soon after the first day
of May, eighteen hundred and ninety-four, as may be practicable,
appoint one commissioner of roads of each magisterial district, who
shall qualify before the county court of said county by taking the
usual oath of office, and shall continue as such until their successors
are duly qualified. The term of said commissioner of roads shall
be two years, and shall commencé on the first day of June next after
his appointment, and said commissioners shall be appointed at the
May term of the county court every two years, or as soon thereafter
a8 practicable. The said commissioners of roads shall have super-
vision of all the roads and bridges within their respective districts of
said county.

4. The said commissioners of roads severally shall, at the June
term, eighteen hundred and ninety-four, and every four years there-
after, of the county court of Spotsylvania, or as soon thereafter as
practicable, let to contract to the lowest suitable bidder, the work of

eeping in repair the roads and bridges, or such of them as they
may deem proper, in their districts; notices of which lettings shall
be posted for ten days at each post-office in the magisterial district,
and otherwise published, at the discretion of the commissioner or
by order of the county judge. The said letting shall be in whole or
10 sections of not less than two nor more than ten miles, at the dis-
cretion of the commissioner, and for the term of four years from
the thirtieth day of June, eighteen hundred and ninety-four. They
shall require the bids to be in writing and signed by the contractor,
and shall deliver the same, under seal, to the board of supervisors
for their examination and approval or rejection at their first meet-
ing thereafter. Each contractor shall be required to give bond, with
good security, in the penalty at least double the amount of his bid,
for the faithful performance of his contract; and a recovery may be

ad for any breach of said contract, in the name of the county, for
the benefit of the road fund, in the county court, by motion, after
ten days’ notice to the contractor and his securities. The attorney
for the commonwealth shall prepare all contracts and bonds, and
institute and prosecute such motion. The said contract and bonds
shall be filed with the county clerk of said county.

5. It shall be the duty of the commissioner of roads to give personal
supervision to all the roads and bridges within their respective dis-
tricts, to see that the contractor is faithfully performing his contract,
and for any failure in carrying out his contract the commissioner of
the district shall at once institute, through the commonwealth’s at-
torney, proceedings in the county court of said county for damages
for any breach of said contract.

6. The commissioner of roads of each magisterial district shall
receive a8 compensation not exceeding twenty-five dollars per year,
to be paid on the order of the supervisors out of the road fund of
their respective districts. |

7. All levies made and collected under this act shall be collected
and accounted for by the county treasurer as other levies, and shall
be paid out on the order of the board of supervisors; but the road
tax collected in each magisterial district shall be expended on the
roads within said district.

8. No member of the board of supervisors or commissioners of
roads shall be, directly or indirectly, interested in any contract un-
der this act, and any participation therein by either shall render
the contract null and void.

9. When the court shall order the opening of a new road or the
erection of a new bridge, the work of opening or building shall be
let to contract as now provided by law.

10. The county judge shall have power at any time, for good cause,
to revoke the appointment of any commissioner of roads and to ap-
point his successor to fill his unexpired term, and to fill any vacancy
occurring in the office of commissioner of roads by death or other-
wise.

11. The board of supervisors shall keep a book, known as a road
book, in which shall be kept an account of the road tax levied and
the amount collected therefor, the purchase price of all tools and
implements, materials and other moneys expended: provided that
when a new road is opened or new bridge built, an appropriation not
to exceed twenty per centum of the entire road tax collected may be
expended therefor. No public road shall be less than thirty feet
wide.

12. Such provisions of the general road law of the state as do not
conflict with this act shall continue in force in Spotsylvania county.
An act to provide for the working and keeping in order the roads
in Spotsylvania county, approved February twenty-ninth, eighteen
hundred and ninety-two, is hereby repealed.

13. This act shall be in force from its passage.