The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-02-20
i WORK AT THE CAPITOL.
The County-Organization BiIH--.A
Measure or Economy.

-
Measure OF Economy.
CoDIFICATIoN OF THE ACTS RELATING TO
THE DUTIES AND COMPENSATION OF
COUNTY AND CITY OFFICERS IN REGARD
TO STATE TAXES AND COUNTY LEvIEs-
THE SCHOOL FUNDLTHE McCULLoCH
BILL, &C.. &C.
Senate bill No. 1871, which passed that
body Tuesday by unanimous vote, amends
md coilifies the acts Of Assembly relating to
the duties. powers, and compensation of
county and city treasnrers and clerks, in re-
gard to State taxes and county levies, and
or the superintendents OF the poor. The
material changes In existing laws proposed
by this bill are as follows:
No county treasurer is required to exc
cute bond for more than 100000. Each
treasureriis is required to submit his bond to
the commissioner Of accounts OF his city or
county fifteen days before the March and
September terms Of the court OF his city
or county, and the commissioner Is required
to examine it and make report OF its cor
rectness and snficiency to the court and to
the Auditor of Public Accounts. II the
bond is deficient new bond or additional
security must be given, or the office be-
comes vacant in thirty days. A fine Of fifty
dollars per week isifnposed on the treasurer
for failure, to submit the bond to the COM
missioner, and of five dollars per week on
the commissioner for failure to report. Fees
to be paid by the county.
COUNTY TREASCRERs
are prohibited from holding any other
elective office.
They may appoint one or more deputies.
By an act passed last winter, II they ap-
pointed any, 'ttwo or more" were required.
They are required in bi-monthly state
ments Of county levy collected to make list
OF all county warrants paid by them; and the
clerk is required 10 certify to each regular
grand Jury whether or not the bi-monthly
statements have been made.
Requires treasurers to receive county
warrants, whether docketed in his book or
not, in payment Of the county levy due
from the payer Of the warrant. Where the
warrant is larger than the amount OF levy
due the treasurer must endorse q credit on
| the warrant, aud take receipt from the
payer.
REQUIRES final settlement for county levy
at the July meeting Of the board OF super
visors. Fixes ..
COMPENSATION FOR COLLECTING COUNTY LEVY
at per cent. on $4,000, and per cent. on
residue, except that in counties where the
levy is less than $4,000 he gets 4 per cent.
additional on the amount unpaid December
1st. Where the amount is in excess OF
$4,000 and less than $4,000 he gets q per
cent. on amount unpaid December 1st.
The compensation for collecting State
taxes is the same as for county levy. 1t is
estimated that the change In rate OF commits
sion will save about S25, 1000 to the State, and
as much to the counties.
Power Is given the treasurers to levy on
and after the 1st of July, except in 1879 he
shall not levy until September lst. They
are required to make settlement with the
Auditor December 18th, as at present, and
final settlement June .1st. The Auditor is
empowered to call on trcasurers once in
every thirty days after July 1st for state
ment, under oath, OF the taxes collected by
him, and payment OF the same.
Each deputy treasurer is required to make
oath to the : :..e..... ...
| CORRECTNESS OF THE DELINQUENT LIST.
The county-court clerk is required to re-
ceive at his Office, and forbidden 10 receiue
etse1chere, the delinquent capitation and per
sha ene tie amodSf hsff9 eakd By y@ @
|
same; and to post copy of such entries on
the courthouse door the morning of each
general election, and furnish another copy
to the Auditor. 1t is made misdemeanor
for clerk to issue blank receipt for capl-
tatiou tax, or to give receipt when the tax
Is not actually paid.
The Auditor is required on or before the
1st OF January and 1st OF July each year to
deliver to the Attorney-Gencral list OF al
treasurers who have not settled as required
of them, and the Attorney-General is re-
ouired forthwith to proceed against them IN
the Circuit Court OF Richmond city. A
clerk, at salary not to exceed $500, is al.
lowed the Acknowledgement to enable him
to perform this additional service and any
other duties required of him in relation tc
the revenue.
Authority is given treasurers and collect.
ors to go out OF their counties or corpora
tions to collect taxes of Taxpayer who has
removed after being assessed.
The provision in existing laws, requiring
the board of supervisors to levy for the
poor the amount estimated by the superln
intendent of the poor is changed so as tt
require the board to levy only for tht
amount they determine to be necessary.
THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE POOR
is required to state in his annual report tbt
amount and value OF grain, meat, potatoes
beans, peas, hay, fodder, and other crop:
raised on the poor-house farm; the amour
" of such products used by himself and fam
ily, the amount used for the county poor
and the number and kinds Of stock kept or
the farm, and to whom the same belongs
i A copy Of his report is required to be post
ed on the courthouse door, or published II
the county newspaper.
The compensation OF superintendent O.
poor is to be fixed by the board OF super
yisors, and is limited so that it shall not cx
ceed S400, nor $A per thousand inhabitant
in the county, except that in counties o
less than ten thousand inhabitants $240 may
! be allowed. & !--
It is believed by the friends OF the bill
that the provisions requiring. the Audito
to certify delinquencies to the Attorney
General, and the regulations concerning
taxes collected by clerks, will ensure mucl
more prompt payment OF the revenue, an(
secure to the Commonwealth large amoun
of money which is annually lost by the fail
ures OF tax-collectors and their suretics, b.
the fraudulent issue of receipts for capita
tion tax, and by the failure OF clerks to max
proper returns OF the delinquent tax col
lected by them.
strenuous effort was made to remove
THE PENALTY OF FIVE PER CENT,
imposed for non-payment before Decembe
1st: but when it was shown by the Senate
from Nelson that the Treasury would los'
from $4,000 to $4,000 annually py suci
action it was defeated.
81 1k4ro