48 BULLETIN 389, TJ. S. DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE. 
plans, specifications and estimates for culverts and bridges, and road construction 
work, tests road materials, conducts experiments, keeps all records, maps, profiles, 
and papers, and submits a biennial report to the governor. 
On or before June 1 each year the State road commission gives notice to the county 
board of commissioners of any county of its intention to engage in State road con- 
struction work in that county. Within 30 days the county commissioners notify the 
commission whether or not they will comply with the requirements of the notice. 
Should they fail to comply with the requirements in the time specified, with further 
time of 30 days, the county forfeits its right to its portion of the State road fund for 
that year. The State road commission makes all plans, specifications and estimates 
for the improvement of any State road, and may have such work done by contract. 
County commissioners are required to secure the right of way for any State road located 
within their respective counties. 
The legislature makes an annual appropriation for the State road fund, which is 
made available by law for the construction and maintenance of State roads in each 
county in equal proportions, the counties being required to duplicate from one-fourth 
to the full amount of their apportionment, depending upon the class of the county. 
The net revenues derived from the registration and licensing of motor vehicles is also 
applied to the State road fund. The county board of commissioners of each county 
is authorized to appropriate funds or to levy a special road tax on all assessable prop- 
erty in the county sufficient to duplicate its apportionment of the State road fund, 
and in like manner to raise additional funds for the purpose of expediting the construc- 
tion and maintenance of the State roads therein, such additional funds to be expended 
under the direction of the State road commission; but the total levy that may thus 
be made in any county shall not exceed 5 mills in any one year. 
The board of county commissioners has power to lay out. maintain, control, erect 
and manage the public roads and bridges within the county, outside of incorporated 
cities. The board enacts all laws, ordinances, and regulations not in conflict with 
the law of the State, for the control, construction, alteration, repair and use of all 
such public roads and highways; grants licenses and franchises for constructing and 
keeping in repair roads, bridges and ferries, and for the taking of tolls thereon. 
The county commissioners are authorized to appoint biennially a county road com- 
missioner, who has charge of the public roads of the county, submits to the board of 
county commissioners plans, specifications, and estimates for the improvement of 
county roads within the county and has charge of the execution of such work, and 
assists in supervising and constructing State roads under the direction of the State 
road commission. He also is required to keep free from obstructions and in good repair 
all public roads in the county and to collect the road poll tax. 
In 1909 a law was passed to establish a standard system of construction of public 
highways. Under it there was adopted and designed a profile of cross sections for 
4-rod, 5-rod, 6-rod, 7-rod and 8-rod highways to be observed and conformed to in all 
work upon public roads in the State. Where physical conditions would not permit 
such construction, the State engineer was required to prepare plans and specifications 
to meet the conditions. 
The county board of commissioners may divide the county into special road dis- 
tricts for the purpose of graveling, macadamizing or paving any State or county road. 
The cost of such work is assessed at so much per acre, or fraction thereof, upon the lots 
and lands abutting upon the roads improved, but the assessment shall not be made 
until notice shall have been given, and, if desired, opportunity for hearing granted. 
A road poll tax of $2 is assessed annually upon each man over 21 and under 50 years 
of age, not physically incapacitated or exempt by law. The funds thus derived are 
expended by the county board of commissioners in the improvement of the roads of 
the county. The road poll tax may be collected in incorporated cities or towns and 
expended on their roads and streets. 
