Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-06-13

proceedings. records them in the s.minute
book and furnishes them for publication;
calls special meetings of the Board on
request of a majority of its members;
receives, files and presents to the Board
oil petitions and all claims against the
county; prepares and signs all warrants
issued on the County Treasury, registers
the same and cancels on the registry
cutive officer of the county, subject to
the direction of the Board in all matters
not otherwise regulated by law,-pcr-
forming such duties as they may require
of him; keeps the accounts of the county
with its Treasurer, settling with him
monthly and examining all his vouchers;
settles with Twp. Clerks for road moneys
drawn by them from the County Treasury
is the custodian of all books, papers and
documents pertaining to the general
business of the Board; has the general
custody and control of the Court House,
subject to the direction of the Board;
receives and distributes session laws and
others documents, for the State; conducts
proceedings relative to the Location and
vacation of county roads, subject to final
review and approval by the Board,-re-
ceiving petitions, appointing viewers and
appraisers, making records and filing
papers pertaining to the same; provides
and prepares assessors books,-upon
their return carefully examining, proving
and abstracting them; makes up the tax
books of the county, entering the names
of all tax payers and descriptions of pro-
pcrty, calculating the taxes and footing,
proving and abstracting the same; enters
all tax sales upon registry books, cal
culates redemptions and issues certificates
therefor; has charge ofthe transfer books,
entering thereon all unconditional trans
fCrS of real estate; has the care of the
permanent school fund,-loaps it's primer
pal and collects its notes and interest,
subject to the control ofthe Board; makes
scmiannual appointments of the
County School fund; records abstracts of
election returns, files lists of jurors and
assists in drawing the same; makes
sundry reports pertaining to 1Aections,
school fund, state fund.- sale of laws, &c,
to Secretary and Auditor ofState; besides
performing u multitude of other duties
connected with the foregoing matters,
too tedious to mention in this connection.
The New Code attaches others duties
which will add materially to the labor of
the office.
The bare mention of the foregoing
items gives in many cases but faint
idea of the labor involved. The pre-.
paration of the tax books alone requires
the severest mental labor for several
each year. Three large books,
over three hundred double
pages each, are required for the work
The names Of all tax payers and at least
eighteen thousand descriptions of proper.
ty, with the valuation as equalized, must
be entered with the greatest care, the
taxes, varying in rates in the different
townships with the varying school levies,
calculated and carried into totals, each
page footed and proved, the footings for
each township distracted and proved and
these footings in turn distracted and
proved to obtain the total for the county
With the utmost care, an occasional error
Of description or calculation will creep in;
with even moderate degree of careless
ness, interminable confusion would be
The result. The simple preparation tor
he work, in proving up the office plat
books and preparing lists of changes in title
rom the transfer books, is no mean item
If labor and requires the closest attention |
o insure the desired accuracy.
The length OF this report forbids
urther reference to the details of office
work. have earnestly endeavored to
% systematic the work, records and pa
,ers of the Office as to insure readiness |
# reference, accuracy in detail and
IN the dispatch ofbusiness.
In conclusion permit me to congratu
ate the Board upon the present excellent
financial condition of the county. In
Jew of the great loss to tho county by |
obbcry, eight years since, with the legal
;osts consequent upon it, and of the ex-
,enscs incurred in the purchase and i'm |
,rovement of poor farm, the building of |
. twenty thousand dollar Jail, the pay.
nent of twelve thousand dollars to vet |
sran soldiers, the purchase of immense |
ire-proof safes for the offices Of the Clerk |
IF Court aid Recorder, the repairs |
necessary to insure permanent occupancy |
Of the Court House, and of the greatly |
increased court expenses, the present
showing cannot but be gratifying alike
% the Board and to the people of the
county. With wise management of the
finances and careful economy in expendi
lures, another year ought to witness a
tangible step in the reduction of the
general tax levy of the county-a
measure which would have been possible
! year ago, but for the unexpected de-
struction of bridges in the spring of 1871.
No increase of levy has been made by
The Board during the past two years and
none will be necessary this year.
Respectfully submitted,
J. l.. LOOMS,
County Auditor.
Schedule of Claims passed. upon by tho
Board Of Supervisors of Buchan-
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