The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-03-30
REPORT HELD UP
Comm'rs Balk at Treas
urer's Compensation
Contend That he has Overcharged
ST 200 on Road Taxes in two Years.
Under Law Board Seems to Have
Power to Fix Salary.

Tt has developed that there is q con-
fiict between the present Board of
County Commissioners and the Treas
urer of Wake county with respect to
the compensation which that officer
shall receive.
1t is stated that at the recent meet
ing of the board when Treasurer b.
p. Williamson made his report he
charged as commissions three per cent
on receipts and disbursements of the
road fund of the county, whereas the
commissioners declared that he was
entitled to but one per cent
The report of the Treasurer was to
that extent held up" for further adj
vice and there was talk in the board
of asking him to return certain sums
received by him on that account for
the past two years from the old Board
of Commissioners, the difference be-
tween the sum contended for by the
Treasurer and that which the COM
misSioners say is the maximum
amount he can receive being for the
two years about twelve hundred dollars
in round figures.
In connection with this difference it
is of great interest to note the fact
that the general law of the State gov
erning the compensation of county
treaSurers apparently gives the boards
of county commissioners practically
-.
been generally supposed that the COM
pensation in commissions set out by
the Code fixed the salaries of the treas
urers, but this would not appear to
be the case. AS will be observed from
a reading of the Code section which
follows. it appears that the commits
sions therein specified are the maxi
mum amounts which the treasurer
may receive from the board and not
the percentages which the treasurer
has the right to demand:
Section 40. The said treas
urer shall receive as q compensation
in full for all services required of him
such a sum not exceeding one-half
of one per cent on monies received
and not exceeding two and a half per
cent on monies diSbursed by him as
the Board of Commissioners of the
county may allow: Provided, that in
counties where his compensation can
not exceed the sum of two hundred
and fifty dollars, the said treasurer
may be allowed sum not exceeding
two and half per cent on his re-
ceipts and his disbursements"
1t has been generally held that the
provisions of the Code section above
quoted, which it is understood is still
in force. apply only to the general
funds of the county coming into the
hands of the treasurer. Other funds
specially created, such as road and
school funds, are received and paid
out by the treasurer in accordance
with special provisions in the acts pro-
viding for the levy of such special
taxes.
In the case of Wake county, the road
tax is collected under the provisions of
the Acts of 1903 as amended by the
Act of 1905. Under that law the COM
pensation of the treasurer for handling
road funds is limited in the act to
one per cent on disbursements alone.
And in the School Law it is pro-
vided that the treasurer's compensa-
of one per cent on receipts.
While it is understood that they
claim the power of fixing the salary
ton shall be not exceeding two pei
cent on disbursements and one-half
of the treasurer, the contention of
the present Board of Commissioners
seems to be that Captain Williamson
has received two per cent more in
commissions from the road taxes than
ne was entitled to, having charged for
the handling of that fund according
10 the maximum percentage permitted
for the handling of the general funds
of the county.
For the past year the commissions
collected by Treasurer Williamson
amounted to about $4,000 from all
| sources, or $500 more than the salary
of Governor of the State.