Title 11 — Counties

Judges of the superior court in each county may appoint any number of voluntary forest fire wardens deemed necessary for the proper protection of the forested lands within the county. The wardens shall serve without pay, and their appointments shall expire on November 1 each year…

Voluntary forest fire wardens and peace officers, including deputy game and fish wardens, may make arrests on warrants issued by a magistrate for violation of forest fire laws, or without warrant for violation thereof committed in their presence.

In any county the board of supervisors may establish the office of public defender and appoint a suitable person to hold that office.

A. No person shall be eligible for the office of public defender or deputy public defender unless he is an attorney at law, licensed and in good standing in this state. B. The public defender shall receive that salary which the board of supervisors shall determine, provided that …

A. The public defender and his full-time deputies shall not engage in the private practice of law, except: 1. Such prohibition shall not apply to part-time deputies, except that in no instance shall part-time deputies engage in any private litigation in which the county or an off…

A. The public defender, on order of the court, shall defend, advise and counsel any person who is entitled to counsel as a matter of law and who is not financially able to employ counsel in the following proceedings and circumstances: 1. Offenses triable in the superior court or …

A. In each county where the office of public defender is established, the board of supervisors shall provide suitable rooms, office furniture and supplies with which to properly conduct the business of his office. B. The county shall be reimbursed by the appropriate governmental …

A. The public defender, with the consent and at salaries fixed by the board of supervisors, may appoint those full-time and part-time deputies, and hire stenographers and assistants necessary to conduct the affairs of their respective offices. The appointments shall be in writing…

The public defender shall petition the court to withdraw as attorney of record, and the court may grant such petition, whenever private counsel is employed either by the defendant or by any other person to represent such defendant and such private counsel is accepted by the defen…

A. The state aid to indigent defense fund is established consisting of monies appropriated to the fund and monies allocated to the fund pursuant to section 41-2421, subsections B and J. The purpose of the fund is to provide state aid to the county public defender, legal defender …

In this article, unless the context otherwise requires: 1. "Alternate medical examiner" means a physician who has training and competence in the principles of death investigation and who performs or directs the conduct of death investigations. 2. "Autopsy" means a surgical proced…

B. If the board of supervisors determines that the appointment of a medical examiner is not practicable, the board of supervisors shall designate one or more alternate medical examiners who need not be residents of the county. An alternate medical examiner shall perform the dutie…

A. Any person having knowledge of the occurrence of the death of a human being including a fetal death that is required to be reported pursuant to subsection B, of this section shall promptly notify the nearest peace officer of all information in the person's possession regarding…

A. The county medical examiner or alternate medical examiner shall direct a death investigation and, on a determination that the circumstances of the death provide jurisdiction pursuant to section 11-593, subsection B, shall: 1. Take charge of the dead body. 2. Determine if an au…

A. The county medical examiner or alternate medical examiner may enter any room, dwelling, building or other place in which the body or evidence of the circumstances of the death requiring investigation may be found, provided that a law enforcement agency investigating the death …

A. A human body or body suspected of being human shall not be removed from the place where the death occurred, if the death is of a nature requiring investigation, without first obtaining permission of the county medical examiner or alternate medical examiner. B. Embalming, clean…

A. The county medical examiner or alternate medical examiner shall conduct a death investigation to determine whether or not the public interest requires an external examination, autopsy or other special investigation. B. An external examination or autopsy is not required for dea…

A. On receipt of notification from an immediate family member of a decedent in the physical possession of the medical examiner, the medical examiner shall conduct an identification meeting in the time frame prescribed by this section, unless in the professional opinion of the med…

A. Notwithstanding title 39, chapter 1, photographs, digital images, x-rays and video recordings of human remains that are created by a medical examiner, alternate medical examiner or their employees or agents during a death investigation that is conducted pursuant to this chapte…

If in any case of sudden, violent or suspicious death a body is buried without any inquiries by the county medical examiner or alternate medical examiner, the county attorney of the county in which the body is buried may petition the superior court for an order directing that the…

When a funeral director, embalmer or alkaline hydrolysis operator is requested to cremate or prepare for cremation or alkaline hydrolysis the body of a dead person, the funeral director, embalmer or alkaline hydrolysis operator or any other person having knowledge of an intention…

A. When a death investigation has been completed by the county medical examiner or alternate medical examiner and no other person takes charge of the body of the deceased, the examiner shall cause the body to be delivered to the funeral establishment, licensed pursuant to title 3…

County charges are: 1. Charges against the county incurred by virtue of any provision of this title. 2. Salaries of county and precinct officers, deputies and employees and necessary expenses incurred in the conduct of their offices. 3. Expenses necessarily incurred in the suppor…

A. The board of supervisors shall create a fund known as the expense fund, and shall order, when necessary, the transfer of money into such fund from the general fund of the county sufficient to pay the expenses of maintaining the government of the county until additional revenue…

The expense of maintaining the government consists of official salaries, fees and mileage, fees and mileage of jurors and witnesses, county printing and advertising, books and stationery, feeding county prisoners, the care of the indigent sick, water, wood, lights and like suppli…

A. The board may create a salary fund and pay therefrom the salaries of officials and employees, and fees and mileage of jurors. After the transfer of funds to the expense fund, the board may transfer from the expense fund to the salary fund, as provided for transfer of funds fro…

A. The board of supervisors may enter into agreements with a financial institution authorized to do business in this state for the purpose of obtaining a separate and distinct revolving line of credit for the county and each individual political subdivision of that county for the…

Warrants, substitute checks or electronic funds transfers drawn by a political subdivision on the county treasurer shall be paid in the order of presentation to the treasurer. If the fund is insufficient to pay a warrant, substitute check or electronic funds transfer, it shall be…

A. The board of supervisors may collect groundwater transportation fees paid to the county pursuant to section 45-556. B. The board of supervisors shall transmit all monies collected under this section to the county treasurer for deposit in a groundwater basin economic developmen…

A. A payment exceeding five hundred dollars may be made from the treasury of the county upon demand duly presented and allowed, but compensation due to jurors and witnesses and official salaries shall be paid without presentation of a claim. B. A demand is not required to authori…

A. A person having a claim against a county shall present to the board of supervisors of the county against which the demand is held an itemized claim executed by the person under penalties of perjury, stating minutely what the claim is for, specifying each item, the date and amo…

The board shall cause to be entered separately in the minute book of the board: 1. The number of each demand allowed. 2. By whom presented. 3. The amount of the demand. 4. From what fund the demand is payable. 5. The number of each warrant ordered drawn by them and to whom payabl…

A. All county contracts with nonprofit corporations for assistance shall include requirements concerning financial and compliance audits. B. Each nonprofit corporation that receives in excess of one hundred thousand dollars in county assistance in any fiscal year shall file for e…

A. Annually on or before June 30, each county department or agency having outstanding liabilities attributable to the budgetary allotments of the fiscal year just ending shall file with the county board of supervisors for that county, in the manner and upon a form prescribed by t…

A demand shall not be considered by the board unless prepared as prescribed in section 11-622 and filed by the clerk at least one day prior to the session at which it is to be considered. Demands so filed shall be considered and passed upon at the next regular session after they …

A claim against the county presented by a member of the board of supervisors shall be verified as other claims, and shall bear the written approval of at least one member of the board other than the claimant, and of the county treasurer.

A demand in which a county officer is personally interested, or arising out of a contract to which a county officer while in office has been a party or otherwise personally interested, shall not be approved, allowed or paid, and every such contract, claim or demand is null and vo…

A. A demand shall not be allowed by the board in favor of a person indebted to the county without first deducting such indebtedness, or in favor of an officer whose accounts have not been rendered and approved, or who has neglected or refused to make his official returns or repor…

When the board finds that a demand is not a proper county charge, it shall reject the demand. If the demand is a proper county charge, but larger than is just, the board may allow the claim in part and draw a warrant for the part allowed.

A. A claimant dissatisfied with the rejection of his demand, or with the amount allowed thereon, may sue the county therefor at any time within six months after final action of the board, but not afterward. If in the action judgment is recovered for more than the board allowed, t…

A. Warrants on the county treasury shall be drawn and signed by the chairman and either the clerk of the board or the finance director in favor of the persons entitled to the warrants and shall distinctly specify the liability for which they are drawn. B. The warrants shall, comm…

A. When it appears to the satisfaction of the board or county school superintendent by affidavit or otherwise that a warrant on the county treasurer has been lost or destroyed prior to payment and there is no reasonable probability of its being found or presented, the board may d…

Warrants issued by the board shall be receivable in payment of debts to the county, and taxes assessed against property in the county. Upon tender of a warrant in payment of a debt or tax, the county treasurer shall, if the warrant is less than the amount of the debt or tax, and …

A. If the board of supervisors, the county superintendent of schools or a special district presents a warrant, substitute check or electronic funds transfer for payment, the county treasurer shall pay it and make a charge against the appropriate account. An electronic image of th…

A. If a revolving line of credit has not been obtained for a political subdivision or if the revolving line of credit has been spent and if there are insufficient monies in the issuer's account, the county treasurer may invest in the warrant, substitute check or electronic funds …

A. If there are sufficient monies in the treasury to pay the warrants that have been returned and are drawing interest, the county treasurer shall give notice thereof by publication in a newspaper published in the county or by posting written notice at the courthouse door or on t…

Warrants are entitled to preference of payment from monies applicable to the warrants according to priority of presentment.

As monies become available and are in amounts sufficient to justify redeeming unpaid warrants, the county treasurer shall redeem these unpaid warrants in the date order in which they were originally registered.

If the county treasurer pays a warrant on which interest is due, the treasurer shall record the amount of interest paid. The amount of the interest shall be entered on the account separate from the principal.

A. If a board of supervisors or a county or school district officer, employee or agent, without authority of law, orders or causes any public monies to be paid, the board or county or school district officer, employee or agent and the party in whose favor the order is made are jo…