23-255. Town funds; disbursement; orders; warrants; limitations; registration of warrants.

The town clerk shall draw and sign all orders upon the town treasurer for all money to be disbursed by the township, and all warrants upon the county treasurer for money raised for town purposes, or apportioned to the town by the county or state, and present the same to the chairman of the board, to be countersigned by him, and no warrant shall be paid until so countersigned. No warrant shall be countersigned by the chairman of the board until the amount for which the warrant is drawn is written upon its face. The clerk and chairman of the board shall keep a record in separate books furnished by the county, of the amount, date, purpose for which drawn, and name of person to whom issued, of each warrant signed or countersigned by them. All claims and charges against the town, duly audited and allowed by the town board, shall be paid by order so drawn. No order shall be drawn on the town treasurer in excess of seventy-five percent of the amount of taxes levied for the current year on the property of said town, subject to be expended by said town, unless the money is in the treasury of said town to pay the order so drawn on presentation. When any order drawn as aforesaid is presented to the town treasurer for payment, and is not paid for want of funds, the town treasurer shall endorse on said order presented and not paid for want of funds, and shall note in a book of registration, to be kept for that purpose, the fact of the presentation and nonpayment of said order; and said order shall draw interest at six percent per annum from the date of presentation until there are sufficient funds in the hands of said treasurer to pay the same, after paying all orders drawn against such tax levy presented prior thereto, and said orders shall be paid in the order of their presentation and registration. The money received by the town treasurer as the tax levied in any year shall be applied first in payment of the orders drawn against said levy; and such levy shall be deemed specifically appropriated, so far as the same may be lawfully expended by said town, to the payment of orders drawn against said levy.

Source:Laws 1895, c. 28, § 54, p. 146; Laws 1913, c. 54, § 2, p. 161; R.S.1913, § 1039; C.S.1922, § 941; C.S.1929, § 26-255; R.S.1943, § 23-255; Laws 1969, c. 153, § 4, p. 721.