The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-08-08
Investigating County Com M missioners,

The citizens investigating committee,
that is investigating the county offices
down in Guernsey, have now reached those
officers that have more to do in the con-
troll of county affairs than any others
the commissioners. A first installment
of the report would more than fill three
columns of this paper. AS this office is a
very important one, as it is run in about
the same way in all the counties, and as
the people have great deal yet to learn
about the inside workings Of all the off,
ces, we shall summarize the findings of
the committee in this last installment of
the report.
After stating that the total amount col
lected in Guernsey for taxes was in 1894,
S1s3, 702. go, and that of this sum S22,
111.00 went to the state for state taxes,
the committee apportions the remainder
among the different funds: County fund,
s2s, 993; poor $23, ,S75; bridge S16, 201 !;
$50, 619 municipal corporations, S17, 3s7 !;
INDECENT soldiers, 81, 1,7O5; dog tax, 81, 33S.
The committee then lays down as q
rule of law that very small part of the
amount paid out of the county funds
fixed by law, or authorized to be fixed by
any other person or tribunal than the
board of commissioners The certificate
of an officer to claim ON which the
amount due is not fixed by law, or which
he is not authorized to fix, is nothing
more than evidence of the fact that the
person in whose favor the certificate is
SUI has some claim against the county.
In all such cases 1t is the duty of the COM
missioners Notwithstanding the certificate
of the officer, to examine the claim and
fix the amount due. But the committee
find that in Guernsey, the practice is to
treat the certificate of a county officer to
claim as an allowance, and the commits
sioners take no action. OF the amount
paid out of the county fund ON allowance
of the commissioners S87, 663.54 was for
borrowed money and Interest, leaving
only SIT, S1.24 for other claims paid on
their allowance. 1t thus appears that,
aside from repayment of claims for bor-
rowed money, the larger part of the fund
was paid on certificate of other officers,
without revision or allowance by the COM
missioners in any case.
The committee says on this point very
emphatically, that the law does not con-
template that the man who presents a
claim against county shall also be the
| arbiter of 1t and the major part of the re-
port is needed to give examples of the
way this pernicious custom has come to
work. The committee take up the costs
in lunacy cases, the fees of the sheriff for
subpoenaing witnesses before the grand
jury, the salary of the prosecuting attor-
ney and the fees of the recorder for keep
ing up the index all of which have here
tofore been mentioned, and which are all
paid in Guernsey on certificates Of officers,
but are all subject to revision by the COM
missioners. In addition to these matters,
are the expenses of various kinds incident
to the business before the courts. OF the
$50, S3O.05 paid out of the county fund
on certificates, very large part of it was
epended in defraying the expenses relat-
ing to the administration of justice en-
tirely on certificate.
Then the committee take up the annual
printed reports of the commissioners and
show that, controlled by false notion of
economy or for some other reason, these
reports are not give In sufficient detail to
be intelligible and thus defeat the very
end the law would have them subserve.
On this point the committee say;
In the matter. Of the county fund, for
instance, the commissioners are required
TO provide the funds TO meet all payments
therefrom, and the annual reports here
tofore made, as far as we have seen, in
clude only the amounts paid out on the al
lowance of the commissioners, and no
mention whatever is made of the various
payments on certificates of the officers.
1t seems to us that In fairness to the tax
payers as well as the commissioners, the
report required to be made and published
should show how all the money collected
was expended, whether the claims were