Amador ledger., 1907-07-19
FRIDAY -. 49,. III
Not Payable from Salary Fund.

toner's, amounting to S25 per month
each, are not in compliance with
law, inasinu3h as the same are un-
itemIZed and unVeI flied. Bnt they
have been allowed aud paid In this
shape for long period of time. If
the heads of the county management
are so careless in regard to the
method of presenting their own
claims. how can they be expected to
Keep. close to the line with respect to
other claimants. We now call atten-
tion to another matter concerning
these bills for road commissioners
pay 1t will be oticed that they are
allowed and paid out of the salary
fund. Now a claim tor salary does
not have to be presented to the board
of supervisors. The fixed salary of
county officials is payable by warrant
issued directly by the auditor upon
the treasurer. The supervisors get
way, without the formaIIty of putting
in bill before their own body, and
allowing the same. Even township
officers, such as constables and
justices, draw their salaries in this
way. These are charges definitely
fixed by law, and therefore not sub
Ject to revision by the county mana
gers. But with regard to compens-
tion for road commissioners a differ
ent course is followed. And this
very fact is an acknowledgment that
the money they draw month after
month for road services is not in the
nature of fixed salary, notwithstand
ing the tact that the unvarying sum
drawn, and the fund from which it is
drawn, would lead to that conclusion.
If 1t is salary in the strict sense of
the wcrd, the supervisors do not have
to make out bills therefor. If it is
not a salary. the bills must be item
ICED and verified, and should not be
drawn against the salary fund.
We have no hesitation in asserting
that the compensation cannot proper
Iy be classed under the heading of
salary. The road commissioner is
allowed So per day for time actually
put in on the roads. Bills for such
services are supposed to show the
particular days spent in the work,
on what portions of the highways,
aud other details, and the same must
be sworn to as other bills. Further
more such claims, so allowed, should
be drawn, as we understand it, against
the road funds of the respective dis
tricts, and not against the salary
fund. We Can find no express law to
this effect, but it is the only tenable
position. The per diem for The
road commissioner of road district
one, should come out of the road
fund of that district, and no other
fund.- and so on through all the dis
20 triots. Under the old system of road
overseer, the law expressly stated
that his compensation of three dollars
per day should be drawn from the
road fund of his district. And the
supervisor as road commissioner
stands squareIy in the same position
in this matter.
But it may be asked, what differ
enca does it make whether TIE money
is drawn from the district road fund
or the salary fund? We reply that it
makes a very material difference, and
the taxpayers of the entire county are
vitality interested IN maintaining the
distinction. There is no special levy
for the salary fund. That fund is
made up from the current expense
fund. Money is transferred from the
current expense fund to the salary
fund as necessity arises. The whole
current expense fund is back of the
salaries of county officials. A IL por-
tions of the county contribute pro
rata to that fund-the wealthiest por-
tions of the county of course, furnish
ing the greater portion. But the
money from the general road fund is
appoTtioned to the various districts
in proportion to the taxable property
in the respective districts; road dis
tIicts one and two, under this
arrangement, getting considerably
more money for road maintenance
than road district three, in keeping
with the difference in the property
values in the districts. Now by
drawing the road commissioner S
compensation from the salary fund
the money for road maintenance
is swelIed to the extent of $500 per
year over and above the regular levy
for road purposes. In other words,
by this slick method the super visors
have the entire road funds of their
respective districts to handle in pay
ment foc labor and supplies, falling
back upon the general fund for their
per diem of three dollars, the same as
for their salary as supervisors.
Not only this. but a more serious
objection against the system is that
the burden of road maintenance is
thereby improperly and illegally dis
tributed. The wealthier districts are
thereby compelled to pay an undue
share of the road expenses of the
sparsely settled districts. Townships
Ona fmo opd four ora DooJa 70 ooo