CHAP.--An ACT to provide for working the roads in Northampton county.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia,
That it shall be the duty of the judge of the county court of
Northampton county, at the April term, eighteen hundred
and ninety-two, and annually thereafter at the March term of said court, to appoint one
superintendent of roads for each magisterial district in the said county, whose application for such appointment shall be first endorsed by at
least fifty voters of the district for which he is so appointed,
and whose term of office shall be one year beginning on the
first day of April following his appointment, except that
the term of office for the first appointments made under
this act shall begin at the date of their qualification as
hereinafter provided, and end on thirty-first day of March
eighteen hundred and ninety-three.

2. It shall be the duty of such superintendents to make, repair and drain the roads and to
make or repair all bridges of their respective districts for which they are appointed.
They shall have full power to drain such roads through the lands of any owner adjoining or
proximate, and all the provisions of sections nine hundred and eighty-five and nine hundred
and eighty-six of the code of Virginia shall apply to said superintendents in like manner as
to surveyors of the highway. It shall be the duty of said superintendents themselves to
work upon such roads and to employ and superintend all laborers needed by
them for such work, but the amount which shall be expended in any district shall be first
determined by the board of supervisors of said county, and the said superintendents shall
not contract for more labor than shall be so provided for the payment of. It shall be the duty of such superintendents to have charge of and provide for and to take proper care of all
horses, mules or oxen, ands implements, tools and machines which may be placed in their charge as hereinafter provided, and to purchase all necessary provender for such horses, mules or oxen, and the end of his term of office, or whenever directed so to by the board of
supervisors, to deliver the same to his sucessor in office, or to such other person as the said board shall direct and file a receipt therefor with the said board of supervisors. The said superintendents shall be authorized to hire horses or mules by the day at a rate not to exceed one dollar per day while actually engaged at work if they shall need such extra team. They shall be authorized and it shall be their duty to employ all necessary labor by the month or by the day, or both, as the board of supervisors shall deem best, and such day laborers shall be paid at a rate not to exceed ten cents per hour for the time actually engaged in work, for which a receipt shall be taken, duly witnessed; and to meet the expenses of such day laborers and hire of horses or mules the said board of supervisors may, if they deem proper, place in the hands of such superintendents from time to time a sum not to exceed fifty dollars per month. All other expenses under this act shall be paid by warrant or order drawn by such superintendent upon the treasurer of said county, which shall be approved by the board of supervisors of said county before payment.

3. It shall be the duty of such superintendents on the first day of April, July, October, and January, during their continuance in office, to file in the clerk's office of said county a report to the board of supervisors of said county of their transactions during the three months, or so much thereof as they may have been in office, ending at the date of filing such report. The said report shall be under oath and shall state the days actually engaged in work upon the said road, and the number of hours of each day while so engaged, the number of laborers employed by the month, and the number employed by the day, with the vouchers for payments made by him to such day laborers, and stating an account between himself and the money placed in his bands for such day laborers, and showing all other expenses of labor and team employed by him. For failure to make such report as herein required, such superintendent so in default shall be deemed to have forfeited his compensation for the three months for which he shall so fail to make report, unless he shall be excused by the said board of supervisors for reasons spread upon their records, and no compensation shall be allowed for such quarter until such report is made.

4. It shall be the duty of the board of supervisors of said county to meet at the court-house
of said county on the first day of April, eighteen hundred and ninety-two, and annually
thereafter on the second Monday in January and make an estimate of all expenses under this act
for the ensuing year. They shall determine what compensation shall be paid to the said
superintendents, and for what time, and may fix such compensation at one rate for one month,
and at a different rate for a different month, so that such compensation shall not at any time
exceed be sum of fifty dollars per month; or, if the said board shall deem it advisable that
such compensation shall be by the day, not to exceed the sum of two dollars and fifty cents
per day for each day of ten hours of actual work upon said roads, and any superintendent
appointed under this act shall be paid the amount so fixed by the said board if supervisors,
but during the time the said board shall order the suspension of operations under this act,
the said superintendents shall receive no compensation. In no case shall the said board
authorize the expenditure of more than three thousand dollars per year under this act.

5. It shall be the duty of the board of supervisors of said county to purchase one pair of
heavy mules or horses or oxen, as they may deem best, for road work in each magisterial
district of said county, which shall be allotted by the said board to the said districts and
received by the said road superintendents from the said board. The said board shall also
purchase all necessary plows, shovels, hoes, axes, and one cheap road scraper (not to exceed in
cost for such scraper fifteen dollars each) for each magisterial district which shall also be
allotted to and received by said superintendents. The said board shall also be authorized to
purchase one heavy road machine and road plow, to be worked by six mules or horses, and they
shall have power to place in the hands of any one of the said superintendents, for a limited
time not to exceed two months, all six of the mules, horses or oxen, purchased by them as
aforesaid, to be used by the superintendent, who shall so receive the same with the said heavy
road machine and road plow in his said road district.

6. It shall be the duty of the board of supervisors of said county, at their annual meeting in
July of each year, as provided by law, to levy a tax of not exceeding fifteen cents on every
one hundred dollars in value of property, real, personal, or mixed, assessed for purposes of
state taxation, to be collected in the same manner as state and county taxes, which shall be
applied to expenses under this act. All property in the said county liable to
taxation for state purposes shall be liable to taxation under this act.

7. It shall be the duty of each and every superintendent appointed under this act to appear
before the clerk of the county court of said county within ten days from the date of his
appointment as herein provided and qualify as such superintendent by taking and subscribing an
oath for the faithful discharge of his duties under this act, and entering into a bond in the
penalty of five hundred dollars, with good and sufficient security, and conditioned for the
faithful discharge of his duties as such superintendent.

8. This act shall not be construed to repeal chapter forty three of the code of Virginia, as is
now applicable to said county, but all the provisions of said chapter shall continue in force
in said county, except that the levy for road taxes in said county shall be as herein provided.

9. The county court of said county shall be authorized at any time to fill a vacancy existing
in the said office of superintendent of roads upon the application of the person so to be
appointed, endorsed by fifty voters of his district as hereinbefore provided, but no
superintendent shall have any powers or authority until be has duly qualified as hereinbefore
provided. The said board of supervisors shall be authorized to suspend all work under this act
between the first day of October and the first day of April following. And it is hereby
further enacted, that an election be held in the said county of Northampton on the nineteenth
day of March, eighteen hundred and ninety-two, to determine whether or not three thousand
dollars of the Globe fund of said county shall be expended under this act in making and
repairing the roads of the said county: and it shall be the duty of the sheriff of the said
county to post notices of such election at all the election precincts of said county at least
fifteen days before the day of such election. The ballots to be used in said election shall
be as follows: "For expending three thousand dollars of the Globe fund in improving the roads
of the county under the act of ----, eighteen hundred and ninety-two," and "Against
expending three thousand dollars of the Glebe fund in improving the roads of the county under
the act of ---- eighteen hundred and ninety-two." The manner of receiving and canvassing
the ballots and making returns and abstracts thereof shall conform in all respects to the
general election law, except that the certificates of the judges of election shall be as
follows: We hereby certify that at the election held on the nineteenth day of March,
eighteen hundred and ninety-two, ----votes were cast at precinct for expending three
thousand dollars of the Glebe fund in the improvement of the roads, and that ---- votes
were cast against expending said sum for said purpose.

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