utes, are hereby repealed, and this act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. W. S. MCKINNON, Speaker of the House of Representatives. Passed April 4, 1902. F. B. ARCHER, President pro tem. of the Senate. 88G Township road district trustees in Hamilton and Cuyahoga counties. Road tax. How fund expended. Duties of said township road trustees. [House Bill No. 523.] AN ACT To abolish township road supervisor districts and create the office of township road district trustee, to require the letting of certain portions of road work by contract, and to require all special township road tax to be paid in cash to the county treasurer, in certain counties, and to abolish the two days labor on public highways in such counties. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio: SECTION I. That in any county containing a city of the first class and of the first and second grade, the trustees of the several townships in said county shall divide such township into three road districts. Said trustee, in said district where he resides shall have charge and be under his control as a road district during his term of office, unless otherwise agreed between said township trustees. And the said township trustees shall be authorized to levy annually such road tax as they may deem necessary to keep in repair and improve the public road and highways in any respective township, not to exceed three mills on the dollar in any one year. All of the said tax is to be placed on the duplicate of the county by the county auditor, and the same shall be collected as other taxes are collected in the December installment by the county treasurer, and paid over by him to the treasurer of the township from which such taxes were collected; and no work or labor on said roads and highways shall be accepted in lieu of any part of said tax. The fund arising from such levy shall be expended by the township trustees for labor and material necessary in improving and repairing the public roads of the township; provided, that when a township shall include one or more incorporated towns or villages, such special road tax levy by the township trustees shall not apply to or be assessed or collected from the property included within the limits of such incorporations; but the council of said town or village may exercise the right conferred upon the township trustees to make such levy if they deem the same necessary. SECTION 2. The duties of said township road trustee shall be as follows: To open or cause to be opened all public roads and highways which are or shall be laid out and established in his township, and to maintain the proper legal width and location of the same, to keep the same in good repair and make from time to time such permanent improvements by grading, draining, graveling or macadamizing as the township trustees shall order; to remove from the road and public highways, or cause to be removed forthwith all obstructions that may be found thereon, to keep in good repair and condition all bridges and culverts that come within the jurisdiction of the township trustees and to promptly report to the trustees any necessity for repairs or improvements over which the county commissioners have jurisdiction, and to have completed within a reasonable time after having been commenced all repairs and improvements, in a smooth and workmanlike manner, and in good condition for all kinds of public travel. Such township road district trustee shall, between the. 15th and 30th day of June, between the 1st and 15th days of August and between the 15th and 30th day of September of each year, cut all brush, briars, Canada or common thistles and other noxious weeds, growing within the limits of any county or township road, street or alley, within his jurisdiction, and shall employ all necessary labor to do such work, at the rate of not to exceed one dollar and fifty cents per day, to be allowed by the trustees and paid by the treasurer out of the road fund. Said road district trustee may allow any land owner or tenant to cut and destroy any such brush, Friars or weeds growing on such highway along the lands abutting on such highway owned and occupied by such land owner or tenant, and before such work is performed fix a reasonable compensation therefor, which amount shall be allowed by the township trustees, on being endorsed by said road district trustee, and paid by the township treasurer out of the road fund. Destruction of weeds, etc., bush, briers, on highways. law as to width of vehicle tires. It shall be the duty of said road district trustee to en- Enforcement of force the laws of the state in reference to the width of vehicle tires and to prosecute any person found violating the provisions of the statutes relating thereto. township It shall be the duty of said road trustee to report to Reports to the township trustees monthly, in detail, on blanks furnished for that purpose by the trustees, as to work done under his direction during the preceding month, to report progress of improvements under construction, to recommend any repairs or improvements which he may deem necessary, and to furnish to the trustees in writing his approximate estimate of the cost of each improvement recommended by him and the amount of material required. Said road district trustee shall let by written contract, under written specifications, such portions of the public road for ordinary repairs, or for grading, draining, gravelling or for macadamizing, as the trustees shall direct; and as road district trustee, on behalf of the township, shall enter into a written contract with the contractor, which contract shall not be valid and binding until an indorsement of approval is made in writing upon such contract by not less than two Contracts for repairing and improving roads. Advertisement for bids. Contractors' bonds. Supervision over contracts. Approval of bills. Tools and implements. Salary. Shall not be pe- of the township trustees; provided, however, that before letting any contract for any job, for repairing or improving public roads or highways, the estimated cost of which in the judgment of the township trustees exceeds fifty dollars, said road district trustee shall make a careful estimate of the cost and shall prepare, or cause to be prepared, plans and specifications for the work, which estimates, plans and specifications must be approved by at least two of the township trustees, placed on file open to the public examination at such a place as shall be designated as the office of the township road district trustee. Such road district trustee shall thereupon advertise for not less than ten days for bids for said work, by posting an advertisement therefor on conspicuous posting boards which shall be erected by the township trustees at each of the usual voting places in the township. Said work shall be let to the lowest responsible bidder, who shall enter into a contract, embracing the plans and specifications for such work, said road district trustee signing such contract on behalf of the township; said contractor also entering into a bond payable to the state, in trust for the township, in such sums as the township trustees shall direct, with sufficient securities, conditioned for the faithful performance of said contract, which contract shall not be valid and binding until at least two of the township trustees shall have endorsed their approval of both bond and contract on the back thereof. Said road district trustee shall have charge and supervision of all contracts let under the provisions of this section, and said contractor shall conform to and comply with all orders of said road district trustee within the terms of his contract, and work shall not be accepted by the trustees or paid for in full until the same shall be approved by such road district trustee. All bills for labor done on the public roads and highways, which are not the subject of written contract, when done by order of and under the supervision of said road district trustee, before being received by the township trustees, for payment, shall first be approved by indorsement in writing thereon by said road district trustee. Said road district trustee shall have charge of all township tools and implements used in the making, repairing and improving of public roads and highways, and shall be held responsible for the proper use of the same, and shall take charge of them and preserve them when not in use. SECTION 3. Each of such township road district trustees shall receive a salary, to be fixed by the township trustees of his respective township before his appointment; not, however, to exceed the sum of two hundred and fifty dollars per year. Such salary shall be paid out of said special road tax fund of the township. SECTION 4. It shall be unlawful for any township trustees to be personally or pecuniarily interested, directly or indirectly, in any of the contract work or other work pro vided for in this act, and any such trustee found guilty of violating the provisions of this section shall be fined in any sum not exceeding five hundred dollars or imprisoned in the county jail for not more than six months, or both. SECTION 5. That in any such county the office of township road supervisor and township supervisor road dis tricts are hereby abolished. The road district trustee, as provided for in this act, is invested with all the power and privileges as conferred by law on supervisors, not in conflict with this act. Abolishment of ship road supervisor and township supervisor road districts. office of town certain laws. SECTION 6. That in any such county the provisions Partial repeal of of this act shall be in lieu of sections 2629, 4730 and 4889 of the Revised Statutes of Ohio, and the same are declared inoperative in any such county, and other acts or parts of acts which are inconsistent with or in conflict with this act are hereby superseded in any such county, and all other acts, laws or statutes, or parts thereof not excepted herein, are in as full force in any such county as though this act had not been passed. SECTION 7. That sections 2664-4, 2664-5, 2664-6, Partial repeals. 2664-7, 2664-8, 2664-9, 2664-10, 2664-11, 2664-12, 2664-13, and 2664-14, of the Revised Statutes of Ohio in so far as the same shall apply to counties herein described be and the same are hereby repealed. SECTION 8. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. W. S. MCKINNON, Speaker of the House of Representatives. Passed April 4, 1902. F. B. ARCHER, President pro tem. of the Senate. [Senate Bill No. 4.] AN ACT To establish an Ohio state board of uniform state laws for the CHAPTER 25. Uniform State Laws - Ohio State Board of. Sec. (409-59). Appointment; organization; terms: vacancies; place of meetings; removals; Sec. (409-60) Duties of the board; Sec. (409-61) Report of the board; Ohio state form state laws. board of uni Appointment. Terms. Organization. Vacancies. Meetings. Removals. Duties of board. Sec. (409-62) Expenses of board and members; Sec. (409-63) Appropriations; Sec. (409-59) (Appointment; organization; terms; vacancies; place of meetings; removals.) The governor shall within thirty (30) days after the passage of this act, appoint three (3) suitable persons, electors of the state of Ohio, who are hereby constituted a board of commissioners by the name and style of "Ohio state board of uniform state laws." They shall hold their offices for the terms of three (3) years, and of the commissioners first appointed, the governor shall designate one to hold office for one (1) year, one to hold office for two (2) years and one to hold office for a term of three (3) years, and thereafter said commissioners shall be appointed to hold office for a term of three (3) years, and each commissioner shall, before entering upon his duties, take an oath of office. The said commissioners shall meet and organize within thirty (30) days after said board shall have been appointed; and shall reorganize each year thereafter, and shall select one of their number as president, and another as secretary and said officers shall hold office for a term of one year and until their successors are elected and qualified. Any vacancies in the office of said commissioners by resignattion or otherwise shall be filled for the balance of the unexpired term by appointment of a suitable person by the governor. The board shall meet at least once a year at the office of the attorney general at Columbus. The governor may remove, for cause, any or all of said commissioners. Sec. (409-60.) (Duties of the board.) It shall be the duty of said board, to collect and digest data as to the prevailing law in the United States and other countries upon the special subjects where uniformity is important, with a view to ascertain the best means to effect uniformity in the laws of the various states of the United States, upon such subjects, especially upon the following subjects, to-wit: (1) Conveyances form and execution; |