Section 12020 - Financial administration of joint-county departments of healthThe financial administration of a joint-county department of health shall be as follows:
(a) At the meeting held after the creation of a joint-county department of health, the joint-county health commission shall decide upon an initial budget for the operation of the joint-county department of health for the remainder of the calendar year. At the meeting held on the second Monday of January of the following year and of each year thereafter, the joint-county health commission shall decide upon the annual budget for the operation of the joint-county department of health for the year.
All budgets shall include, in addition to all other expenses, provision for the compensation of the treasurer and his assistants, the health director, and other employees of the joint-county department of health. The compensation of the treasurer and health director and the number and compensation of assistants to the treasurer and employees of the joint-county department of health shall be fixed by the joint-county health commission.
(b) Each participating county shall appropriate to the local funds required to operate the joint-county department of health a contribution which shall be ascertained as follows:(1) From the total amount required by the initial or annual budget for the operation of the joint-county department of health shall be deducted the amount estimated to be received from State grants, gifts, and any other income, as well as any unspent cash balance that may be available from the preceding year. The remainder shall constitute the local funds necessary to operate the joint-county department of health.(2) Each participating county's contribution shall be an amount which bears the same proportion to the local funds as such county's population bears to the total population of all the counties participating in the joint-county department of health. The population of any municipality or part of a municipality which has not become subject to the jurisdiction of the joint-county department of health, in accordance with section 15 of this act, shall not be counted in determining the population of any county, nor in determining the total population of all the counties participating in the joint-county department of health.(c) The joint-county health commission may at any time determine that additional local funds are required, if such additional local funds are necessary for a lawful purpose. The contribution of each participating county to such additional local funds shall be ascertained in the manner provided in subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of this section.(d) All moneys intended for the operation of the joint-county department of health shall, when paid to the treasurer for the joint-county department of health, constitute the fund of the joint-county department of health. The fund shall belong to the participating counties in common, and shall be deposited on behalf of the joint-county department of health in the names of the participating counties. The depository or depositories of such fund, which may be any bank, banking institution or trust company located in this Commonwealth, shall be selected by the joint-county health commission. The depository or depositories which have been selected shall furnish a bond in a sum fixed by the joint-county health commission to secure payment of the deposits and any interest. The bond furnished by the depository or depositories shall be secured by a surety company or individual sureties or by a deposit in escrow of securities approved by the joint-county health commission.
No member of the joint-county health commission who has complied with the provisions of this subsection shall be chargeable with losses of funds caused by the failure or negligence of such depository or depositories.
(e) The treasurer for the joint-county department of health shall receive all moneys due or accruing to the fund of the joint-county department of health. He shall pay moneys out of the fund of the joint-county department of health upon warrants drawn by the health director and countersigned by the chairman of the joint-county health commission. He shall keep a true account of all moneys received and disbursed, which account shall be at all times open to inspection by any member of the joint-county health commission or by the controllers or auditors of the counties participating in the joint-county department of health. The treasurer shall furnish to the joint-county health commission a statement of receipts and disbursements and the balance on hand every three months, or oftener if required. The records of the treasurer shall be audited annually by a certified public accountant selected by the joint-county health commission. Copies of such audit shall be furnished to the joint-county health commission and to each of the counties participating in the joint-county department of health.(f) The treasurer and his assistants, and the health director and other employees of the joint-county department of health, shall give such bond conditioned for the faithful discharge of their duties and for the faithful accounting and payment according to law of all moneys received, as may be required by the joint-county health commission. The bonds shall be taken in the name of the participating counties and shall be for the use of each participating county and of the Commonwealth, as the interest of each shall appear. The premium of the bonds shall be paid out of the fund of the joint-county department of health. The joint-county health commission shall have custody of the bonds.1951, Aug. 24, P.L. 1304, § 20.