Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1911-07-27
County Road Fund-County Commits.
siOners and Other Matters

their last regularssmeeting there appears
a resolution adopted by that board con-
corning their method of spending
the road and bridge fund in the past and
under a 'whereas'' of the resolution they
attempt to ~criticise the writer for the plan
they are to pursue in the future. The
only authority under the law authorizing
commissioners to expend this money
must be based on petitions filed with the
county commissioners at a regular meet
ing and acted upon at their subsequent
July meeting. The records of the county
commissioners do not show any action by
them on this matter at the time prescrib-
ed by law and scanning the minutes of
the July 1911 meeting the reader will
search in vain for any authority under
the law for the expenditure of this money
and still the county commissioners as a
board levieda tax of 100000 for this
purpose. How has the money been spent
in the past? To illustrate-the records
show that Commissioner Wienecke re-
ported a receipt of s6557.5o in 1908 and
the expenditure of this entire amount
with the exception of s3I5.6o. In 1909
the same commissioner received $6eo4.So
and expended $6279.22. In 1910 he re-
ceived S3427.oS and expended $33S6.23
leaving a balance in his hands according
to the May report of $4o.S5. In 1911
warrants amounting to $3275.oo were
issued to the anne commissioner. In
the reports of this commissioner, filed
with the board there is nothing to show
when the money was expended other
than it was spent during the year, OR
who received it. Each of the other COM
missioners drew money out in a similar
way and one of them at least made
similar reports. This money while in
the possession of the commissioner did
not pay any interest to the county treas
ury and in the interest received by the
county treasurer on his daily balances
no credit appears for the amounts in the
hands of the different commissioners.
There is no authority under the law for
turning this money over to the commits
%sioners for this purpose. Before the
money was drawn out no full ite1nized
statement in writing was filed with the
board as required by Section I8 of the
North Dakota constitution. Section 1855
of our Code makes it a misdemeanor for
any member of the board to audit and
allow any account unless it is itemized
and verified, punishable by a fine not
exceeding $4,000 or imprisonment in
the county Jail not EXCEEDING six months
or both. Why doesn't our states attor-
rey act in this matter? Section 5o12 of
the revised code was adopted in 1887.
It provides in substance that a road tax
collected as personal taxes and on &C
count of real or personal property situat-
ed within any incorporated city, town or
village by the treasurer of the county in
which said city or village is located shall
be turned over quarterly by said treasurer
to the treasurer of such incorporated
city, town or village to be expended on
the direction of the city council Of such
city or the trustees of the village in the
improvements of the streets or bridges
thereof or the roads approaching thereto.
1 am informed that none Of the taxes sc
collected in the years past have ever
been turned over as the law directs, tc
the city of Langdon or to the villages OF
Milton, Osnabrock, Munich or Sarles
and that this is a part of the money the
county commissioners have been SO ex'
F. pending. The commissioners give nc
bond and it is possible that their persona
/ financial responsibility is not sufficient
to guarantee the honest expenditure O.
l this money. Anyhow the law does no
t authorize it. Under Chapter 145 of thu
j. laws of 1911 county commissioners were
authorized to appoint a superintendent
, of highways. This they refused to do
If they had made a proper appointment
t we would have had a competent maj t.
> look after.sthe highways of the count,
. and would not need to use the incompe
tent services of the county commissioner
1 for that purpose.
: On April 10, 1911 our county commits
> %sioners allowed a bill of $4,000 to tn
North Dakota liquor institute for treat
t ment of Jake Spenst. There is absolutel,
no authority of law for this expenditure
! 1t is a common rumor in our city tina
5 this item was paid in fulfllment of
pledge made by a certain candidate TO
Office during the last campaign.
Our county commissioners at their las
. meeting decided to inject once a month
, hereafter. An examination Of their bill
: for per diem and travel would indicat,
that they have been during the year IeI,
practically IN continuous session. Til,
minutes uniformly show that they ALLOW
their bills, The minutes ALSO show tina