N.D.C.C. § 57-45-06 — Suits against officers defended at expense of county

Whenever civil action is brought against any county treasurer, county auditor, or township,
or district officer for performing or attempting to perform any duty authorized or decreed by any
statute of this state for collection of the public revenue, such officer, in the discretion of the court
before whom such action is brought, by an order made by said court and entered in the minutes
thereof, may be allowed and paid reasonable fees for counsel and other expenses for defending
such action, to be paid out of the county treasury.
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57-45-07. Debts of municipalities void if entailing taxation beyond the rate fixed by
law.
It is unlawful for any city, county, or township officer, or for the officers of any school district,
unless specially and expressly authorized by law, to contract any debt or incur any pecuniary
liability, for the payment of either the principal or interest, for which, during the current year, or
any subsequent year, it is necessary to levy on the taxable property of such county, township,
city or school district, a higher rate of tax than the maximum rate prescribed by law. Every
contract made in contravention of the provisions of this section is null and void in regard to any
obligation thereby imposed on the corporation on behalf of which such contract purports to be
made. Every commissioner, officer, agent, supervisor, or member of any municipal corporation
which makes or participates in making, or authorizes the making, of any such contract, must be
held individually liable for its performance, and every commissioner, supervisor, director, or
member of any city governing body, or other officer or agent of any such municipal corporation,
present when any such unlawful contract was made or authorized to be made, must be deemed
to have made, or to have participated in making, or to have authorized the making of, the same,
as the case may be, unless, if present, the person dissented therefrom and entered or caused
such dissent to be entered on the records of such municipal corporation.