Senate Joint Resolution Number 28 of February 20, 1958, directed the Auditing Committee of the General Assembly, in association with the Auditor of Public Accounts, to make a study of the maximum bond to be required of county and city treasurers for handling State revenues.

It will be observed that the resolution indicates that specific bonds are required of county and city treasurers for handling State revenue. While city treasurers have for decades been required to give separate bonds for State revenue handled by them, this has not been the case with county treasurers. The bonds required of county treasurers, at least since 1887, have been based upon revenue estimated to be received by these officers for their counties and the State. Separate bonds have not been required of county treasurers for State revenue handled by them.

In considering the matter of the maximum bonds to be required of these officers, we have deemed it appropriate to review the history of legislative action with respect to bonds required of them. All of our research shows that the General Assembly has been the policy-making body as to the amount of the bond to be required of a county treasurer in connection with the revenue to be handled by him for his county and the State, and as to the amount of the bond to be required of a city treasurer for revenue to be handled by him for the State.

So that we may present a clear and concise picture of legislative policy with respect to bonds required of each group of these officers, we shall present our findings first as to the law relating to bonds of county treasurers, and second, our findings as to the law relating to bonds of city treasurers. While on occasions a very few exceptions to the general law have been made as to bonds required for several of the county or city treasurers, we believe for purposes of our study that we should confine our considerations to general law requirements.