18-3-511. Presentation, auditing and payment of claims; issuance of tax-anticipation warrants; limitation and form of warrants; effect of acceptance.
(a) All claims and demands against a county shall be presented for audit and allowance to the board of county commissioners before any action in court is maintainable. All claims when allowed shall be paid by a county warrant or order drawn by the board on the county treasurer upon the proper funds in the treasury for the amount of the claims. The warrant or order shall be signed by the permanent or temporary chairman of the board, attested by the county clerk under the seal of the county, and countersigned and registered by the county treasurer. The warrant or order shall specify the amount of the claim or service and be numbered and dated in the order in which it is issued. Such warrants and orders are payable on demand and shall be drawn and issued upon the county treasurer only when there are sufficient monies in the appropriate fund in the treasury to pay such warrants and orders.
(b) Whenever there are no monies in the proper fund of the county treasury to meet the necessary expenses of the county, the board of county commissioners may authorize county warrants and orders to be drawn and issued in anticipation of the collection of taxes already levied. The aggregate amount of such warrants or orders may not exceed eighty percent (80%) of the total amount of taxes levied. The warrants and orders so drawn and issued shall show that they are payable solely from the fund on which they are drawn and the taxes levied to form the fund when collected. These warrants and orders do not increase the indebtedness of the county.
(c) County warrants and orders may be in such form as the county commissioners provide and made payable to the order of the payee or bearer. The person or persons to whom the warrants and orders are allowed and delivered are held to have accepted the same in full payment and satisfaction of the claim for which it was issued. The warrants shall be paid only from the fund drawn upon, and the collected taxes paid into the county treasury to create, constitute and form the fund. The taxes provided by law shall be paid into the fund until all warrants drawn are fully paid including principal and interest.