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GOVERNM NTAL ORGANIZATION AND RECORDS SYSTEM .§
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In November, 1956, the county of Fayette adopted the commission form of U
government as provided in the Constitution of 1891 (Carroll, Kentucky Statutes, M
1956 ed., Stat. 1847). Under the com ission plan three commissioners elected Q
from the county at large, together with the judge of the county court, consti- t
tute a board of commissioners. The commissioners will replace the justices of Q
the peace under the fiscal court system of government, which has consisted of N
the county judge and four justices of the peace, also provided for in the Con- Y
stitution of 1891 (Ibid.). The commission plan of government will not go into i
effect, however, until the expiration of the terms of the present justices. ll
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Elective offices of the county as provided by constitution are: (1) the Q
county court clerk, who performs duties expressed in his title, is the stato's 4
recording agent in the county and acts as clerk of the fiscal court; (2) the Y
county judge, who presides over the county, quarterly and fiscal courts, or {
board of commissioners, and is chief executive of the county; (5) the county i
attorney, who represents the state in criminal cases, the county and state in Y
civil suits, and is legal advisor to county officials and boards; (4) four _Q
justices of the peace, who are judges of minor civil and criminal cases and, ,
at present, district members of the fiscal court; (5) the sheriff, who executes °
various process or writs, acts as peace officer and collects various taxes; Ԥ
(6) four constables, who act as district sheriffs; (7) the jailer, who per- N
forms not only the duties indicated in his title but is charged with custody I
of the county property at the seat of justice; (8) the coroner, whose princi- $
pal function is to investigate causes of death which occur under suspicious 4t
circumstances; (9) the surveyor, who is primarily an adjunct of the court in NY
determining boundaries of real property in litigation (Const. of 1891, Sec. 1
99); and (10) the circuit clerk, who acts as recording agent of the circuit (
court, collects taxes and costs, forwards them to the auditor of public ac- =
counts(and exercises certain judicial powers in the absence of the circuit I
judge Ibid., Sec. 97).
Elective offices of the county mandatory by statutes are: (l) the county
tax commissioner, whose duties consist wholly in evaluating property for taxa-
tion for both state and county purposes (Stat. 4042a-1); and (2) the five
members of the board of education, who are responsible for determining school
policies within that portion of the county not included in municipal or graded
school districts (Stat. 4599-25).
Appointed offices mandatory by statutes are: (1) the three members of the
board of tax supervisors, who review and equalize assessments (Stat. 4115);
(2) the county treasurer, whose powers and duties are limited to the receipt
Of THOIIOYS and their disbursement upon authority of the fiscal COuI"t (Stall. 929); 1
and (3) the county school superintendent, who is an agent of the state in admin- [
istration of school laws and accounting for all funds spent in the county and ‘
an agent of the county board of education in local aspects of school adminis- W
tration and policy (Stat. 4599a—lOa). County election commissioners are appoin- ,
ted by the state board—of election commissioners to supervise county elections .
and appoint election officers (Stat. 1596a-2).
l Optional offices provided by statute are: (l) the county board of health, V
which watches over interests not only of the county but also the state in elim- 1
inating and preventing com unicable and contagious diseases (Stat. 2054a-5); Y
(2) the county health officer, who is executive agent of both the county and
St¤to boards of health (Stat, 2054a-15); (3) the county road engineer, who acts yf
under the direction of the fiscal court in the construction and maintenance of I
local roads (Stat. 4525); and (4) the county auditor, who is essentially an ex-
aminer of claims and accounts under the direction of the fiscal court (Stat. 157). ·Q _
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