Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-04-06
INREFEIeENCE TO THE PAYMENT OF COUN-
TY CL4IMS.

INREFERENCE TO THE PAYMENT OF COUN-
TH CLAIMS.
AN ACT to define the duties OF County Commits
sioners, County School Commissioners, and
County Treasurers, in reference to auditing al.
lowing and payment of claims, and to require
annual reports of all claims audited. allowed,
and paid by them to be made to the Court OF
General Sessions.
SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and
House of Representatives Of the State of
South Carolina, now met and sitting in Gener-
al Assembly, and by the authority OF the same,
Fiat the County Commissioners of the several
counties of the said State shall keep in their
several offices "File Book in which all
claims presented for their consideration, shall
be filed by their Clerk, designating the date
filed, by whom presented, and to whom said
claim belongs, and the character and amount
of said claims. The said clerk shall also num-
ber said claims in the order in which they are
filed, audited, and allowed, from number one
upwards.
SEC. 2 That the County Commissioners shall
draw their checks upon the County Treasurers
claims, out of any funds in the treasury ap-
plicable to the payment thereof: PrOrided
That no such checks shall be drawn by the
said County Commissioners until they shall
have been formally notified by the County
Treasurer that there are sufficient funds in
the County Treasury applicable to the pay
ment of such checks.
SEC. 3. That County Commissioners and
County School Commissioners shall make an
annual report of all claims filed, audited and
allowed, and ordered paid by them during
each fiscal year, to the Presiding Judge at the
first term of the Court of General Sessions of
each county, which shall be held after the
first day of January in each year, which report
shall be submitted by said Judge to the grand
jury for their examination, with the assistance,
if necessary, of some competent persons to be
appointed by the Presiding Judge, at COM
pensation of five dollars per day for each day
so engaged, provided that no pay shall be re-
ceived under this section for more than four
days. After examination, the grand jury shall
report thereon to the Presiding Judge any
matter growing out of, or pertaining to, said
annual report, which to them may seem worthy
of the attention of the Court. The report
shall thereupon be filed by the Clerk of said
Court for inspection by any citizen desirous of
examining the same.
Sec 4. That the County Treasurers of the
several counties of the said State shall not pay
any claims against their respective counties
upon orders of County Commissioners except
make an annual report to the Presiding Judge,
at the first term of the Court Of General Ses
sions in their respective counties, which shall
be held after the first day in January in each
year, of the number, character, and amount OF
said claims paid by them on orders of County
Commissioners and County School Commits
sioners, and to whom paid which report shall
be submitted by said Judge to the grand jury
for their examination, and shall be filed by the
Clerk Of said Court, and kept in his office for
public inspection.
SEC. 5. That if after examination of said
reports of County Commissioners, County
School Commissioners, and Treasurers, the
grand jury shall find any discrepancies between
the reports, or any irregularities therein, or
any embeZzlements of or extravagances in the
expenditure of public funds, they shall present
the same to the said Court, and such orders
shall be taken thereon as shall meet the ends of
justice.
SEC. 6. The said reports of County Commits
sioners, County School Commissioners, and
Treasurers, shall be published at least two
weeks before the sitting of said Court, by said
officers or their several clerks, in some news
paper published in said county.
SEC. 7. That the County Commissioners of
the several counties of said State shall, on or
before the 18th day of November of each year,
make report to the Comptroller-General of
the number, character and amount, Of claims
audited, allowed and ordered to be paid by
them for the fiscal year ending on the 3lst day
of October preceding the said 18th day of No
vember, to be by him submitted to the Gener-
al Assembly, for their information, in his all
nual report and all claims against a county
not presented during the fiscal year in which
they are contracted, or the next thereafter,
shall be forever barred. They shall also make
out in said report an estimate of the amount
of money which it will be necessary to raise
by taxation in their several counties for coun
ty purposes for the current fiscal year, which
shall also be embodied in the Comptroller-G Gen
erals annual report to the General Assembly.
SEC. s. That any violations Of the foregoing
Sections, by the County Commissioners, the
County School Commissioners, and County
Treasurers, shall be deemed misdemeanor,
and upon conviction thereof in the Court of
be sentenced, by the presiding Judge before
whom convicted, to pay fine of not less than