Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1900-01-26
PAY OF COUNTY OFFICERS.
State Fee and salary Commission Adopts
"A New Plan

State Fee and salary Commission Adopts
New Plan.
AT the adjourned session of the State
fee and salary commission, held Mon
day morning, the following resolution,
which is the first step toward the form
ulation of plan that will equsize the
salaries of the county officers of the
state, was adopted:
Resolved, That the State zee and sal
ary commission recommend the follow
ing: That, in calculating the salaries of
the clerks, auditors, recorders, treasur-
ers and sheriffs of the state, no other bs-
sisIbe used than the population and tax
able value of their respective counties:
provided, that the clerks, auditors, re
corders and sheritfs be allowed, in addi-
ton, 10 per cent. of the fees of their
respective offices, collected by them, and
that the treasurer be allowed, in addi-
ton, one-tenth of per cent of all taxes
collected
The commission may, however, re-
consider its action in regard TO the
treasurers and allow 10 per cent. of the
fees accruing on the collection of de-
liDquent taxes. The commission fur
ther resolved that all county offices were
to receive fixed salaries based on the
taxation and population of the county,
to be paid pro rata at the end of each
quarter; that all fees, including the per-
centsge due the officers for collection,
be paid directly into the county fund,
and that all per diems and allowances
of every kind be not allowed, and that
the clerks fund, auditors fund, record
er's fund, treasurer's fund and sheriff.
fund be abolished, and all payments of
salaries and percentages due the Off
GERS named be paid cut of the county
fund.
Reports received from forty-one
counties by Secretary Wilkins show an
amount of $33,911 have been paid the
respective clerks over and above their
fees, paid them directly from the treas
ury. This amount includes the per
diem and court allowances. An aver
age struck for the Temaini lg fifty-one
counties shows an amount in excess of
the regular fees allowed as salary of
S42,7l which makes a total of $76,622
that the clerks of the ninety-two coun-
ties have received in two years over and
above their salaries, or an average of
S543 for each clerk,
The sherffs were paid per diem in
the fOrty-One counties for attendance
upon two courts, the circuit court and
the commissioners court, i'll the period
of two years. inc!udiSg turkeys fees
and boarding prisoners, Sl30,78 more
than they were entitled to, and an
average for the remaining fifty-One
counties amounting to $4,000, would
swell the total to S300,7S8, that was
drawn by the sheriffs of the state over
and above the fees they were entitled
to as salaries. This amount divided
among the ninety-twO sheriffs of the
state would give each of them $l,63O
yearly above their lawful salaries.
The sheriffs' yearly average per diem
for the two courts in the ninety-two
counties is $4,000, and the extras
principally for boarding prisoners and
turkeys fees, amounts yearly to S110,-
600, which represents approximately
$1,000 prisoners year in the state
with an average detention of ten days
for each prisoner.
The auditors of the ninety-two coun-
ties were paid in the last two years
sS424 ,598 more than they were entitled
to under the law. 1t is the hope of pro
viding remedy that will regulate the
present unsatisfactory way the county
officers have of paying themselves out
of the fees of the offices that has caused
the commission To labor so arduOusly
for a plan that will prove satisfactory
i'm all of the counties of the state.
The resolution passed by the boarC
Monday is hoped to be a step in th'
right direction, and the board will bas,
all future action thereon.