Mississippi Code 1972 (2023) › Title 19 - COUNTIES AND COUNTY OFFICERS (§§ 19-1-1 — 19-31-51) › Chapter 13 - CONTRACTS, CLAIMS AND TRANSACTION OF BUSINESS WITH COUNTIES (§§ 19-13-1 — 19-13-119) › IN GENERAL (§§ 19-13-1 — 19-13-55) › Section 19-13-31 - Disposition of claims

(1)
At each regular meeting of the board, the claims docket shall be called and all claims then on file, not previously rejected or allowed, shall be passed upon in the order in which they are entered upon the docket. All claims found by the board to be illegal, and which cannot be made legal by amendment, shall be rejected or disallowed. All other claims shall be audited, and all those found proper upon due proof shall be allowed in the order in which they appear on the docket, whether or not there shall then be sufficient money in the several funds on which warrants must be drawn for their payment. Those claims as to which a continuance is requested by the claimant, and those found to be defective but which might be perfected by amendment shall be continued. When any claim is allowed by the board, it shall see that the claims docket correctly specifies the name of the claimant, the number of the claim, the amount allowed, and on what account. The president, or the vice president in the absence or disability of the president, of the board of supervisors shall check the claims docket at the close of each day's business and shall verify the correctness of all docket entries made during the day. He shall sign his name at the end of the docket entries covering the day's business, but it shall not be necessary that he sign the claims docket under each claim allowed or otherwise disposed of. The board shall enter an order on its minutes approving the demands and accounts allowed, but it shall only be necessary to refer to such demands and accounts by the numbers as they appear on the claims docket.
If the board shall reject any such claim in whole or in part, or refuse, when requested at a proper time, to pass finally thereon, the claimant may appeal to the circuit court, or may bring suit against the county on such claim. In either case, if the claimant recovers judgment and notifies the clerk of the board of supervisors, and if no appeal be taken to the Supreme Court, the board shall allow the same, and a warrant shall be issued therefor.
If the terms of the invoice provide a discount for payment in less than forty-five (45) days, boards of supervisors shall preferentially process it and use all diligence to obtain the savings by compliance with the invoice terms, if it would be cost effective.
In processing claims of vendors the board of supervisors shall be subject to the provisions of Sections
31-7-301
,
31-7-305
,
31-7-309
,
31-7-311
and
31-7-313
.
(2)
Notwithstanding the provisions of this section to the contrary, the chancery clerk may be authorized by an order of the board of supervisors entered upon its minutes, to issue pay certificates against the legal and proper fund for the salaries of officials and employees of the county or any department, office or official thereof without prior approval by the board of supervisors as required by this section for other claims, provided the amount of the salary has been previously entered upon the minutes by an order of the board of supervisors, or by inclusion in the current fiscal year budget and provided the payment thereof is otherwise in conformity with law and is the proper amount of a salaried employee and for hourly employees for the number of hours worked at the hourly rate approved on the minutes.
Codes, 1857, ch. 59, arts. 32, 34; 1871, §§ 1381, 1384; 1880, §§ 2159, 2175; 1892, §§ 292, 320; 1906, §§ 311, 341; Hemingway's 1917, §§ 3684, 3714; 1930, §§ 253, 255; 1942, §§ 2932, 2935; Laws, 1932, chs. 179, 202; Laws, 1938, ch. 317; Laws, 1940, ch. 253; Laws, 1950, ch. 244, §§ 1, 4; Laws, 1959 Ex Sess, ch. 22, § 7; Laws, 1986, ch. 489, § 10; Laws, 1989, ch. 358, § 1, eff. 3/12/1989.