Information contained herein was taken from:
· County Ordinances of Appropriations and Salary Ordinances
· HERE IS YOUR INDIANA GOVERNMENT which is published by the Indiana State Chamber of Commerce
· Association of Indiana Counties Legislative Bulletin
· INDIANA HANDBOOK OF TAXES, REVENUES, AND APPROPRIATIONS which is published by Indiana Legislative Services Agency, Office of Fiscal Management Analysis
Functions:
The functions of the Council include:
1.
The
exclusive power of fixing the rate of taxation for county purposes and for all
other purposes where the rate not fixed by law is required to be uniform
throughout the county and impose the tax levy.
2.
The
exclusive power of making appropriations to be paid out of the county treasury.
3.
The
adoption of the annual budget after receiving estimates submitted by the various
county agencies through the County Auditor, subject to the modification by the
County Tax Adjustment Board and Department of Local Government Finance.
4.
The
authorization of incurring county indebtedness within the constitutional
limitations.
5.
The
appropriation of additional funds in cases of emergency arising after the budget
is adopted if approved by a two-thirds vote of Council members.
6.
The
re-appropriation of surplus funds which might be surrendered by one department
of county government in order that the funds might be made available to another
department.
7.
The
transferring of balances in dormant funds to the county general fund.
8.
The fixing
of salaries of officers, deputies, assistants, and employees whose salaries are
payable from any county fund, while observing legal minimums and with certain
exceptions as provided by the statues granting this authority.
County Councils have authority to fix the number of deputies, assistants
and other employees whose salaries are payable from county funds.
9.
Levying
taxes to provide funds for erecting new jails, and repairing, remodeling, and
enlarging of old jails.
10.
Furnishing
financial assistance to any community center for the mentally handicapped
located in the county. For this
purpose, a tax of 4 cents on each $100 of taxable property may be levied.
2.
Amount
required for building and repairing bridges, itemizing the same by giving
location and cost of each bridge.
3.
Salary of
the county attorney.
4.
Amount of
salary or compensation of pauper attorneys, if any.
5.
Expenses
of the County Board of Health.
6.
Amount for
repair of roads, exclusive of bridges, itemized by location and the amount for
each repair project.
7.
Amounts
required for election expenses, showing estimated number of precincts, and by
separate items, the amounts required for expenditure in each.
8.
Amounts
required for paying principal and interest of bonds and loans maturing during
the ensuing calendar year, itemizing the amount required for each loan and issue
of bonds.
9.
Amount
required to pay judgments, settlements, and costs.
10.
Expenses
of supporting inmates of benevolent or penal institutions.
11.
Amounts
required for publication of delinquent tax lists.
12.
Amounts
required for the compensation of employees to be paid from the county.
13.
Amounts
required for the payment of expenses of Property Tax Board of Appeals.
14.
An
itemized list of all other expenditures to be made by the Board, or pursuant to
its order, during the year for which the appropriation is to be made.
15.
Expenses
of inmates to state institutions:
(a)
Indiana Boys School and Indiana Girls School:
Counties are required to pay one-half of the estimated cost of
maintenance and care of inmates.
(b)
Indiana State Farm: Upon discharge from the
Indiana State Farm, the inmate shall be given transportation to the place of
conviction or to any other place within the state the executive director of
adult authority may designate. The
law requires the superintendent of the Indiana State Farm to make out a claim
against the county for all transportation advanced to discharged inmates.
(c)
Persons
Held for Safekeeping: Counties are
required to pay a per diem cost, plus any outside medical care for temporary
care of persons held in safekeeping while awaiting trial and sentencing by the
court.
(d)
State Psychiatric Hospitals: Present law states that mental illness may include,
but shall not be limited to, any mental retardation, epilepsy, alcoholism, or
addiction to narcotics or dangerous drugs.
(1)
The cost
of any services ordered by the juvenile court for any child or his parent,
guardian, or custodian and the cost of returning a child shall be paid by the
county, and the county council shall provide sufficient funds to meet the
court’s requirements.
(2)
The parent
or guardian of the estate of a child adjudicated a delinquent child or a child
in need of services is financially responsible for any services ordered by the
court unless:
(a)
he is
unable to pay for the;
(b)
payment
would force an unreasonable hardship on the family; or
(c)
justice
would not be served by ordering payment.
(3)
The parent
or guardian of the estate of any child returned to Indiana under the interstate
compact on juveniles shall reimburse the county for all costs involved in
returning the child, whether or not the child has been adjudicated a delinquent
child or a child in need of services.
(e)
Burial of patients of State Psychiatric Institutions:
The responsibility of burial of deceased patients of state psychiatric
(mental) hospitals is the duty of the superintendent of the institution.
He shall deliver such bodies for burial in the following order:
(1)
To a
relative or authorized representative of a relative of the deceased making a
claim for such body.
(2)
To the
Anatomical Board any bodies required to be buried at public expense, providing
such persons did not die with small pox, diphtheria, or scarlet fever, and
provided said Anatomical Board makes application therefore.
(3)
To the
trustee of the township in this state in which such deceased person had legal
settlement, said bodies to be buried by the Township Trustee.
(4)
Any bodies
not disposed of under the foregoing classifications to be buried by the
superintendent of the institution.
(1)
School for Deaf and School for the Blind:
For care of children in the School for the Deaf and the School for the
Blind, tuition, board, room, laundry, and ordinary medical attention are
provided by the school. Medical,
optical, and dental care involving specialty care and special medication shall
be provided by the parents, guardian, or other friends.
Clothing and traveling expenses to and from the institution are also the
responsibility of the parents. Upon
the presentation of satisfactory evidence showing a child is entitled to the
facilities of either school and the parents are unable to pay the expenses of
maintaining the child at the school, the circuit court of jurisdiction, upon
application by the County Department of Public Welfare, shall order the child
sent to the school at the expense of the county to be paid from the County
General Fund.
(2)
Other Institutions: No charges are to be billed
to or paid by the county for care at the Soldiers and Sailors children’s Home
in Knightstown, or the State Soldier’s Home in Lafayette.
(g) Transportation:
Transportation to the state institutions upon commitment is the
responsibility of the county. In
most instances, the inmate will be transported by the county sheriff in a
county-owned vehicle. However, in
some instances, it is necessary to transport the patient in an ambulance, in
which instance this would be an expense of the county.
(h)
Private Institutions: None of
the foregoing applies to commitments of persons by a court to private
institutions. Also, it does not
apply to persons placed by the County Department of Public Welfare in
institutions.
16.
An
itemized list of all other expenditures to be made by the board or pursuant to
its order during the year for which the appropriation is to be made.
Data Processing Board
Public Transportation authority
Regional Plan Commission
Park and Recreation Board
County Plan Commission
Liquor Board
Tax Adjustment Board
City-County Building Authority Trustees