(a) The county commission may, by designating one of its employees or, in its discretion, employ as new personnel, a county supervisor. The county supervisor shall serve at the pleasure of the county commission and his or her compensation shall be fixed by the county commission. It shall be the duty of the county supervisor of Fayette County to do all of the following:

(1) To supervise and direct all personnel as are necessary to properly maintain and construct the public roads, highways, bridges, and county shop of Fayette County, and he or she shall have authority to prescribe their duties subject to the policies which are in effect or established by the county commission.

(2) To maintain the necessary accounting funds and records to reflect the cost of the county highway system.

(3) To build or construct new roads, or change old roads.

(4) To make recommendations for a yearly work plan and present budget information for the new year.

(5) To maintain and construct all county roads on the basis of the county as a unit without regard to any district or beat lines, insofar as is practicable and feasible.

(b) The county supervisor is hereby designated as the person authorized to make written requisition to the chair of the commission or his or her duly designated purchasing agent for all articles, materials, supplies, and equipment necessary for the maintenance and construction of the roads, bridges, and county shop in Fayette County. Before entering upon his or her duties, the county supervisor shall make and enter into a surety bond in an amount set, from time to time, by the county commission, conditioned for the faithful discharge and performance of his or her duties, and for the faithful accounting of all monies or property of the county, which may come into his or her possession or custody, the bond to be executed by a surety company authorized and qualified to do business in Alabama, and to be approved by the chair of the county commission, and the premiums thereon to be paid by Fayette County. The county commission shall furnish the county supervisor an office, office supplies, and shall furnish him or her with transportation in connection with his or her duties under this part. The county supervisor shall be the custodian of all road tools, machinery, supplies, and equipment of Fayette County, and he or she shall be accountable for the same at all times. The county commission shall furnish the necessary storage facilities in which to keep tools, machinery, supplies, and equipment, and the county supervisor shall keep on file in his or her office, at all times, an up-to-date inventory, containing a list of all tools, machinery, equipment, and supplies belonging to Fayette County. The authority of the county supervisor shall be limited to the expenditure of the funds for the purposes of construction, maintenance, or repairs of public roads and bridges of Fayette County as may be set aside and appropriated by the county commission. It shall be the duty of the county commission to annually fix and determine the amount of funds which will be available for the purpose of building, maintaining, and constructing public roads and bridges of Fayette County for the fiscal year, beginning on October 1, and the amount shall not be exceeded by him or her in building, maintaining, and constructing public roads and bridges in Fayette County during the period. The county commission is authorized, from time to time, within any period, to increase the amount so allowed to be expended by the county supervisor during the period, provided that the authorization will not conflict with other provisions of the general laws of the state.