770 LAWS OF MARYLAND.

347. The County Commissioners shall annually levy upon
the assessable property of Baltimore County at the time of mak-
ing the Comity levy not less than forty cents nor more than
forty-five cents on the one hundred dollars for the use of the
County roads and bridges, of which sum thirty per cent, shall
be set "apart as an Improved Road System Fund to be spent
as herein provided for, and to be applied to the general use
and benefit of the roads and bridges of the County as herein
provided and the remaining seventy per cent, of the tax so levied
and collected for roads and bridges shall be set apart as a spe-
cial road and bridge fund for the use and benefit of the election
district from which it has been collected and for no other pur-
pose. Whenever the people of any election district may desire
a special road fund for such district in excess of that provided
by the general rate of tax levied for, they may petition the
said County Commissioners for a special road tax for such dis-
trict, not to exceed ten cents on the one hundred dollars of
the assessable property of such district, which petition must
represent two-fifths of the taxable basis of such district, and
when such, petition is presented to the said Commissioners, it
shall be determined by them whether to grant the same or not,
provided notice of such petition shall be given by publication
in two weekly newspapers published in Baltimore County, and
the taxpayers of the districts be given an opportunity to be
heard, and if granted, the said Commissioners shall determine
what special rate, not greater than ten cents on the one hun-
dred dollars of property in the district, shall be allowed, and it
shall thereupon become the duty of said County Commissioners
to levy for and collect such special tax as other taxes, and when
collected, the same shall be used for the exclusive benefit of the
roads and bridges of the election district from which collected.
When there shall not be sufficient money in the County Treas-
ury, set apart as Improved Road System Fund to meet the de-
mand for any emergency, the County Commissioners of Balti-
more County shall have the power to borrow money not ex-
ceeding twenty thousand dollars in one year, on the credit of
the County, to be paid out of road money provided by the next
succeeding levy and from the special, or, the Improved Road
System Fund as the said Commissioners deem proper.

348. All bills or claims on account of the roads and bridges
of the County, after having received the endorsement of the
Roads Engineer, as hereinbefore provided, shall be passed
upon by the County Commissioners at a regular or ad-
journed meeting, and no such claim involving the expendi-