CHAP. 418.—An ACT to provide for the more efficient working of
the public roads in Fluvanna county.

Approved February 29, 1892.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia,
That on and after the passage of this act it shall be lawful
for the county of Fluvanna to work and keep in repair the
public roads and highways of this county in the following
manner, to-wit:

2. The board of supervisors of the county shall, as soon
as practicable after the passage of this act, but not later
than the first day of April, proceed to lay off and divide
all the public roads of the county into sections of from
three to six miles, or thereabouts in length, according as
their location and the difficulties of keeping in proper re-
pair may in their best judgment suggest.

3. Immediately upon the completion of this work of di-
viding the roads into sections, they shall meet at the court-
house and, with the assistance of the commonwealth’s at-
torney and county judge, proceed to appoint three road
commissioners for each township, who shall constitute the
township board of road commissioners for their respective
townships.

4. At their first meeting the commissioners shall appor-
tion the hands along the line of each road to the sections
upon which they will be required to work, and post the
same at the place where the letting to contract will be
done, so that bidders may be informed as to their number
and character.

5. The said board of road commissioners shall annu-
ally, in the month of May, let to contract to the lowest
suitable bidder, the work of keeping in repair the roads
in their respective districts, notices of which letting shall
be posted at each voting precinct and post-office in the
district and otherwise published, as said board may deem
advisable. The said lettings may be for one or more sec-
tions, and shall be for the term of one year, ending on
the first day of July of each year. They shall require
the bids to be in writing and signed by the party, and de-
livered under seal to the said board of road commission-
ers for their examination, approval, or rejection, at their
meeting for that purpose.

6. Each contractor shall be required to give bond, with
good security, in a penalty of at least double the amount
of his bid, for the faithful performance of his contract,
which bond shall be subject to the approval of the board
of supervisors and filed with the clerk of the board of
supervisors, and the condition and width in which each
wection of road is to be kept, is to be incorporated in each
bond and contract, and a recovery may be had for the
breach of said contract, in the name of the county for
the benefit of the road fund, in the county court, by mo-
tion, after ten days’ notice to the contractor and his secu-
rity or securities.

7. The board of road commissioners shall have the right
at any time, for good cause, and with the consent of the
board of supervisors, to reject any bid or revoke any con-
tract and relet the same; and no member of the bor d of
road commissioners shall be directly or indirectly : iter-
ested in any contract made under this act, and any pa tici-
pation shall render the contract null and void.

8. Each contractor shall be entitled to the services fall
persons assigned by the commissioners to his secti n or
sections for two days of eight hours each in each ear.
Any person failing to attend with proper tools and rork
the roads on the days the contractor may direct shall pay
the contractor seventy-five cents for the day upon w iich
there shall be such failure, and if the money be not paid
to the contractor within thirty days, he shall make cat a
ticket against such delinquent, if he be a person of full
age, or if he be an infant, against his parent or guarc ian,
for the amount of said fine, and place the same in the
hands of the constable or sheriff, who are hereby reqt ired
to receive the same for collection and to receipt to the
contractor for the same. The officer having ckarge oi the
collection of such fines shall distrain therefor in the
same manner as for taxes and for county levies, and may
sell any property distrained after ten days’ notice. Such
officer shall have a fee of fifty cents in all cases where the
fee is collected by him, to be paid by the party in addition
to his fine. He shall pay over to the contractor within
thirty days after they come into his hands, or return the
same to the contractor as insolvent within thirty days
from the time he receives it. All tickets for labor which
may be returned by the officer as insolvent shall be re-
turned by the contractor to the county court, which may,
unless good cause be shown to the contrary, order that the
delinquent party be arrested and turned over to the con-
tractor to work at fifty cents per day until the fine and
costs are paid.

9. At the first meeting of the board of road commis-
sioners they shall elect one of their number chairman,
who shall be required to give his personal supervision to
all the roads and bridges within their respective districts ;
to see that the contractor is faithfully performing his
contract, and for any failure in carrying it out shall at
once, through the prosecuting attorney, institute proceed-
ings for the recovery of damages for breach of said con-
tract. It shall be his duty to cause the roads in his dis-
trict to be cleared of all obstructions, secure from all the
falling of dead timber, and a sufficient bridge, bench or
log for the accommodation of foot passengers across each
‘stream when necessary; and for every breach of duty
under this section he shall be deemed guilty of a mis-
demeanor, and for the performance of his duty he shall
receive compensation at the rate of one dollar and fifty
cents per day: provided that in no case shall his compen-

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sation exceed twenty-five dollars per annum, to be paid
out of the road levy.

10. In case the commissioners in any district are un-
able to let to contract any section, sections, or any of the
roads in their respective districts, then they shall appoint
some person or persons to take charge of such section or
sections, and with the labor assigned to them, and the
hire of such other labor as is necessary, keep such roads in
order.

11. The board of commissioners shall make to the reg-
ular July meeting of the board of supervisors a full and
itemized statement and report of all the expenditures and
collections in their respective districts, with estimates of
what amount will be needed for the succeeding year.

12. The members of the board of commissioners shall
receive each for their services annually the sum of two
dollars per day: provided that it shall in no case exceed
ten dollars per annum. |

13. For the proper performance and execution of these
duties, and the payment of contractors, the board of su-
pervisors is hereby authorized to levy a tax not to exceed
twenty-five cents on the one hundred dollars’ worth of
personal property and real estate, railroad and telegraph
lines, and all other property available for county taxes,
and it shall be collected and accounted for by the county
treasurer as a special road fund, and shall be paid out on
the order of the board of supervisors.

14. Be it further enacted, That the board of supervisors
be, and it is hereby, vested with such further powers as in
its judgment may be necessary to put the provisions of
this act into complete and effective operation.

15. Beit further enacted, That in no case shal] the board
of road commissioners, in their lettings of the roads, con-
tract to incur in their respective townships a greater in-
debtedness than one-fifth of the amount levied in the
whole county for county road purposes.

16. This act shall be in force on and after the first day
of July, eighteen hundred and ninety-two.