Chap. 615.—An ACT to amend and re-enact chapter 598 of the act of the gen-
eral assembly of Virginia, approved March 3, 1894, entitled “an act in rela-
tion to working and keeping in repair the roads and bridges of Alexandria
county.

| Approved March 8, 1896.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That chap-
ter five hundred and ninety-eight of the act of the general assembly
of Virginia, approved March third, eighteen hundred and ninety-four,
entitled “ An act in relation to working and keeping in repair the
roads and bridges of Alexandria county,” be amended and re-enacted
so as to read as follows:

8 1. That the judge of the county court of Alexandria county
shall appoint a suitable person to take charge of the maintenance,
repairs and construction of the public roads and bridges of said
county, who shall be known as the superintendent of roads and
bridges.

§ 2. It shall be the duty of said superintendent to have general
supervision of all county roads and bridges; he shall keep and
maintain said roads and bridges in safe condition for public travel,
and he sha]! have all the rights, powers and privileges to take from
convenient lands such wood, stone, gravel and earth as are conferred
by existing laws on road surveyors or the superintendent of roads,
and shall, except as hereinafter provided, employ such teams and
labor at the current rates as may be necessary to the maintenance of
the county roads and bridges, said rates to be approved by the board
of supervisors. .

§ 3. The superintendent herein provided for shall employ the
county surveyor to make the surveys and estimates of work to be
done on the county roads, whose compensation shall be fixed by the
board of supervisors.

§ 4. The said superintendent of roads and bridges may employ
three suitable persons to assist him in the supervision of the build-
ing and repairs of the roads and bridges, who shall bé paid such
wages for each day actually employed as may be fixed by the board
of supervisors; and all repairs on the public roads shall be made in
conformity with a uniform system, except such urgent repairs as are
immediately required for public safety. No earth or dirt shall be
placed on the roads except when necessary to give the required shape
to the road bed, upon which shall be placed broken stone or gravel or
both.

8 5. The said superintendent is to give a bond in the amount not
less than the sum of one thousand dollars for the faithful per-
formance of his duties. His term of office shall be for two years,
and until his successor is chosen and qualified. Hoe shall render
monthly reports to the board of supervisors of work done, number of
hands employed, material bought and used, and supplies on hand.
His compensation shall be at the rate of six hundred dollars per
annum.

§ 6. Not more than five hundred dollars shall be expended in any
one fiscal year for repairs to roads in each magisterial district except
under the contract system hereinafter provided for. All other work
on the roads shall be by contract, and in the letting of such con-
tracts the board of supervisors shall cause to be posted in the most
public and conspicuous place at each post-office in the county of
Alexandria, at least two weeks before the letting of said contract, a
notice of the proposed letting of said work, and written bids therefor
shall be invited. The plans and specifications of said work and the
estimates of the kinds and quantities of said work and of materiale
required, shall be accessible to all bidders at least ten days before
the letting. Said bids shall be filed with the clerk of the board of
supervisors, and they shall be by him kept unopened until the first
regular meeting of said board two weeks subsequent to the adver-
tisement for the bids, at which time said bids shall be opened and
the contract for said work or materials shall be awarded by the
board of supervisors to the lowest responsible bidder (in the presence
of such citizens of the county as may desire to be present), who
shall be required to furnish within ten days after said award a bond,
to be approved by said board in double the gross amount of his con-
tract; said contract and bond also to be approved by the the judge
of the county court. No work upon the roads in any district shall
be undertaken unless there is sufficient money to the credit of said
district to pay for same, or, in case of contract work, shall be esti-
mated by the treasurer of said county as likely to be on hand at the
time of the completion of such contract. The portion of the county
roads to be improved under the contract system above provided for
shall be designated by the superintendent of roads.

§ 7. That the term of office of the present superintendent of roads
of Alexandria county shall cease and terminate whenever the super-
intendent herein provided for shall enter upon his duties.

§ 8. That in the expenditure of money upon the county roads, the
road fund of each magisterial district shall be kept separate, and
shall be applied exclusively within the limits of said district.

§ 9. The county treasurer shall make to the board of supervisors
at each monthly meeting of said board a written statement showing
the amount of taxes paid during the current fiscal year to date in
each magisterial district, and the amount of cash in hand belong-
ing to each district, and said statement shall be entered upon the
minutes of the board of supervisors.

§ 10. This act shall take effect from and after its passage, and all
acts and parts of acts in conflict therewith are hereby repealed.