(a) The Etowah County governing body shall reimburse the office of tax assessor, tax collector, probate judge, and revenue commissioner from the general fund of the county the amount of any monetary loss, not to exceed a total of five thousand dollars ($5,000) per annum, for losses incurred in accepting worthless or forged checks, drafts, negotiable instruments, money orders, or written order for money or its equivalent, if the mistake or omission causing the loss was without the official’s personal knowledge.
(b) It shall be the duty of the tax collector, tax assessor, probate judge, and revenue commissioner to insure that his or her employees exercise due care in performing their duties and to make a diligent effort to correct the error, mistake, or omission and collect the amount subject to potential loss immediately upon becoming aware of the potential loss. This section shall not apply to any deliberate misuse or misappropriation of funds by the official or any clerk or employee of his or her office.