Chap. 245.—An ACT to work the public roads of Middlesex county, Virginia.

Approved February 6, 1896.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That on and
after the first day of July, eighteen hundred and ninety-six, it shall
be lawful for the board of supervisors of Middlesex county to have
the public roads and bridges in said county worked and kept in re-
pair; and for that purpose are authorized and empowered to levy a
tax not exceeding in any one year twenty cents upon the one hun-
dred dollars of assessed taxable values in said county, and to adopt
such regulations and plans annually, as to said board may seem
best for doing the work; which regulations or plans for doing the
work shall be reduced to writing and submitted to the county court
of Middlesex annually, at the March term, or as soon thereafter as
possible, for its approval or amendment; if not approved the said
court shall certify the same back to the board of supervisors with
the reasous for not approving the same. When said plans or regu-
lations are certified back to the said board, the said board shall take
such further action as they deem best, and report their action to the
said court at the next term.

2. Said board of supervisors shall, as soon as their plans or regu-
lations are approved by the court, cause the said work to be done in
pursuance of the plans adopted and approved, which shall be the
road-law for Middlesex county for that year, beginning on the first
day of July, eighteen hundred and ninety-six.

3. All levies made and collected under this act shall be collected
and accounted for by the county treasurer as other levies are, and
shall] be paid out on the order of the board of supervisors.

4. No member of the board of supervisors shall be directly or in-
directly interested in any contract made under this act, and any
participation therein shall render the contract void.

5. 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.

6. If the board of supervisors shall neglect or refuse to perform
any duty required of them by this act, the judge of the county court
may, upon the application of any person interested, by mandamus,
compel said board to perform such duty.

7. Such provisions of the general road law of the state as do not
conic with this act, shall continue in force in the county of Mid-

lesex.

The act of the general assembly, approved March third, eighteen
hundred and ninety, entitled an act to provide for working and keep-
ing in repair the roads in the county of Middlesex, is hereby re-
pealed; provided that existing contracts made for working roads in
said county shall not be interfered with until the terms of said con-
tracts expire.

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