Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1866-06-22

90, allows the President Of the Board So, AND
each Of the other members of the Board So
for every day employed in attending to theil
duties, not exceeding ten days in any one year
II does not say how this is to be paid. Blu
the Code above quoted, sec. "a, provides thai
it shall be paid By an order Of the School Boafs
on their otcn Treasurer, and, Of course, not BY
the County Commissioners.
Section 95 OF the act of 1861, requires all
school funds, as well State as county, to hs
paid TO the School Treasurer, and " the bal
ance necessary for the support Of schools and
the building of school houses shall be annu-
ally estimated by the Board Of School Com
mssioners, who shall report the same [esti-
mattel to the County Commissioners, who arc
thereby authorized to levy the sum SO cstima-
ted and reported, II they shall deem the same
[levy] expedient, but it must net exceed one
tenth of one per cent on the assessable pro-
perty Of the county"
The County Commissioners are responsible
to the people Of the county for the propriety o.
all expenditures of the peoples money, drawn
from them by taxation and as all laws
Wrestling from the individual his pr operty
must be strictly construed, it is the duty Of
the County Commissioners strictly to examine
and construe all laws under which they are
required to lay taxes on the people. Under
the school laws above quoted, the County
Commissioners have q right to examine the es-
innate of the balance which they may be
asked to levy for schools and school houses,
and have the right to determine for themselves
whether the estimates are correct and the bal
ance deemed to be necessary for that purpose
is in fact necessary for those purposes OF not.
To enable the County Commissioners to de-
termine those questions correctly, the report
and estimates of the School Commissioners
ought to show to the County Commissioner
the data upon which their estimate is based,
and the mode in which the estimated balance
is ascertained. In this construction Of these
laws, am guided, not only by the laws mem
toned, but by the original local school law Of
this county, and the practice 1t, where
sent his books and vouchers before the County
Commissioners, and, annually, before that
Board, to make his settlements. In no other
way can the taxpayers of the county hold the
School Board TO any sort OF proper account
for the use that may be made of their money
The papers or claims submitted to me are
not, in my opinion, a report and estimate OF the
balance necessary to be levied for the support Of
schools and ol-houses, as required by law,
and the County Commissioners are author
lied, or at least justified, in exercising the dis
erection vested in them to make the levy for
school purposes, or not, as they may deem ex-
pedient.
The County Commissioners are entitled to
have from the School Board an accurate state.
ment of the receipts of all school funds and
of the items of the expenditures thereof and
until that is furnished they ought not to make
the levy for schools and when it is furnished
If, in the opinion of the County Commission.
ers, any portion of the money has been i'm.
properly expended, either in extravagsnt sala-
ries to the Board, or in any other unwise man
ner, the County Commissioners have a righ'
to reject all such items, and reduce them to q
just standard, in order to arrive at the true
balance, which they may levy or not in thu
just exercise Of their discretion, looking Il
the public interest.
Which is respectfully submitted.
w. YEIRS BOUIC.
The Hon. the Commissioners for
Montgomery county.