The governing body of each county shall, at its regular meeting in the month of January in each year, or as soon thereafter as practicable not later than a regular or called meeting in June, fix the amount of the county and district taxes for the current year. Any such governing body may provide that if any taxpayer owns tangible personal property of such small value that the local levies thereon for the year result in a tax of less than fifteen dollars, such tax may be collected as provided by ordinance or such property may be omitted from the personal property book and no assessment made thereon.

The imposition of taxes or the collection of such taxes shall not constitute an appropriation nor an obligation or duty to appropriate any funds for any purpose, expenditure or contemplated expenditure. No part of the funds raised by the general county taxes shall be considered available, allocated or expended for any purpose until there has been an appropriation of funds for that expenditure or purpose by the governing body either annually, semiannually, quarterly, or monthly. There shall be no mandatory duty upon the governing body of any county to appropriate any funds raised by general county taxes except to pay the principal and interest on bonds and other legal obligations of the county or district and to pay obligations of the county or its agencies and departments arising under contracts executed or approved by the governing body, unless otherwise specifically provided by statute. Any funds collected and not expended in any fiscal year shall be carried over to the succeeding fiscal years and shall be available for appropriation for any governmental purposes in those years.

Code 1950, § 58-839; 1950, p. 416; 1952, c. 423; 1958, c. 35; 1959, Ex. Sess., c. 52; 1984, c. 675; 1988, c. 430; 1989, c. 81; 1994, c. 252.