` ·· 557 ··
g (Next entry 410, p. eso)
1
¤ XXIV. COUNTY ROAD ENGINEER
Introduction L
From.l799 to 1892, the county court at its claims and levy sessions
exercised supervision of county roads and bridges in Breckinridge County;
thereafter, upon its creation in 1892, the fiscal court directed the
management of such work in the county. (1)
In its supervision of this work, the county court had the duty of
appointing road ovorsoors; since thcccmpcsition.of the court was radi-
cally changed in 1851, this appcintive duty was first a power of the _
court as a whole (the justices) from 1799 to 1851; it then became a
power of the county judge who, f1·or;185l to the present, has boon the
sole member of tho court. (2) 3
From 1799 until 1894, the technical duties of constructing and
maintaining the road and bridge system of the county were carried on
by precinct overseers; in 1894, the office of county road supervisor
was established to take ovor thc general supervision of the entire road
system, under the direction of the fiscal court. The ovorsecrs, however, j ,
.- continued their individual jobs in their assigned precincts. (5) · 1
 
Structure t
Creation 7
An act of 1912, which abolished the office of road supervisor, Q
created the office of county road engineer to meet the need in each l·l5· 1
county of a trained road man to exercise county-wide supervision of the Q
construction and repair of modern rural roads, and to integrate such 1
county’s road system with the State and Federal highway systems. (4) {
R. M. Basham was appointed as the first road engineer of Breckin— i
ridge County in April 1915. (5) {
Selection and Term 2
An act of 1914, which superseded the act of 1912, provided for the Q
appointment of a county road engineer by the county judge, with the ap- 3
proval of the fiscal court. His tern of office was for two years. If 1
the county court failed to appoint a road engineer, his duties were per- Q
formed by the county surveyor, the road commissioner, or some other por- Q
son designated by the county court. The compensation of such person was i
1
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1. LITTELL, vet. 1, 1797, P. 634; Egg- STMT-. 1973 ED-, F- 759; §§[?» *9O"93» pP• J
1
1194, Il9‘5. i
_, 2. Sas Coomrv Count, P. 205. · I
3. Acws, 1894, P. 79. ‘
4. gg;s,1912,1x 329.
5. Fnscwt Coeur Oaoss Boox, vet. 2, P. 102, SEE ENTRY 3- -