OFFICE OF THE ATTOdNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorabla R. 8b Wrobr
countr A8aitor~
Crags 08unty ...
.LoIi&rlow,,TIur
816
“notas I&; ~~4er sent oar repair billa to my
0rr100. T h a a ba ill8wr a 8pprova~ lnd also warrants
The bill8 war8 laoh .ttma
ali&ht~ Bore thaa
~;.‘?ko lest auoh LILT #aa x*jaoted na3 tha varrent
was not approv.4 br a..
“Ia m y $ uQa unt
thaw is no o a rlxpanae tioldent
t0 th8’ 0onauotof hi8 duties and h0 ia not drir* 4hy
oar oxoapt to go to and troiqtho oourthouw to his kma.
*Question la lie18 X'tho autherlty to rkjeot tha
bi11# fqr ,ttlir @al: a%&ma88~
~*Th.i auditor ‘@ha&lAWe a general oTarai&ht or
ull the books CA&roooxbs of aU ‘the Mii~oera OS tb
county. dirtriot or Ztakr who may be auth&lzed or
mpti$a by lam to noalti or oolleot ang soamy,
funds, ~a88 nor other ror tha MS of, or
property
belon&g. to, tb& tnqntyf and he.rhellu*totha
;~~tri~oro~oisssrt et ~taelau 5oraanl3 oounty
. .,
Art:016 1660 or teid ate&s is .a8 tailawer
*kill 018in8, billa ma :aooounta against tho
ootafity aust bo rllod In aaple tinu for the auditor
to alatie --a a p p r o velm beron ~the mestQag8 or
the ooneieaioncra oourt. Wo olalai, bll%or aooount
shall tm ellow4 or *ai& tmtll it &as boon lxAmln8b
and ajlprorad by the oounty auditor. T&id eudltor
shall oxasaino the Sania, @Ad6-p hi0 epprOV81
If i.w (Ioew It-neooawwy all lueh ao-
z?*biU,or a lelb a&et
a b e +erhM by lifl-
aavit ~ouohiog tha oorreatneba OS the We ‘PbO
auditor ii hereby auth&zod to admlniator. oaths.
for the purporea o$ thlr I~w.~~.
817
lion*. R. 8. yyoha, pa&
A.rtlola lb61 of *al& lta t~tolaa as iollowa:
9% (thi auditor) shall not audit or approro
eny .auoh ~oI.ain w&l088 it haa boOn oontxaokd as piv-
~4486bf Ian, no r any looount for the pwohaa of
lupplleg or nmtmlala for tha wo 0r 84ia oounty 0~
any or i.ta orrloara, ualaaa la addition to ottm
repulnmanta of liu, the0 faattaobaa thorrto 5
noaalaltloai algnoa by the otfloor or6orlne ammo
end abjworoa by tha oounty Judge. said nqulal-
tio5 must b0 meds out 05a 8iwea aa approve*. in
triplieakby tho Bald OfflOOrS, the trlplloata
t0 XWIIIS~~ with t;ia 0rri00r aoa~iag th0 PWO~~M,
.tLu dupl?ortr to:k illtid'wlth~tho oounty luditor,
and the origiaol. to be agmmd to tha party rrom
whomaala purohuu la to bo made baron any purohtiao
ahull bo mede. All warrant0 on tho oouDty treasurer,
lxoopt warranty Sor jury aemlee,.muat be ooimtor,
u0a by the oo+tr ‘eu~Uqm.n
It ii ciur ~plnion that the above ltatutei give y&a im-
thorltyto nJeot the m~lr~billa rer8rred to, ii-thef hare not
baen6oitraot~d ea. piovlbd by lay.
‘ArtSole Z35l of aald-•iatutaa, providoa in p er t
l,a :fo llo wa :
u~aoh ocx4alarlonera 00~1% ahaUl
“. . . .
“lo; Audit and aottlo..all aooounta against tha
ooudtr and-dtnot thiir payiunt. .
i&l. 1940 0f,a
l gwhFoh
titutea,~‘ $ dha8 to do with tu'
iut1.S of the oounty olerk; la as follower
‘They Shsll bq Sx-OffiOiO olorka Or the troamla-
slonsra. aourt.* ~.
atlole 2345 or a%,14 StatuteS provldea so rollowa.:
mTh&aouuty olsrk shall be OX-OffioiO olerk OS
the oomnlsalonSr8. oourt; an4 ho ahall attadd upon Oeoh
taris of said oonualseionora oourt). ~preaorvo enb .keap
‘~ all books, paperh, rooords an& effeota belon&ag thorOwco,
isSu0 all notlofis, .writs and proooea neoesaary for thy
propr exeautiaa ot tho powora and dutieo of the ‘cum-
kli48iOAerb oourt; and perfom all ouoh other duties, &in
say be greeorlbS4 by law.,*
‘83-8
Yen. R. 3. Wyabe, PWS b
ArtIolo 3932 of aald ltatutoa provldoa that the, oountg
olork ahall bo Paid S3r oarkin namad lx-orrlolo lorvlaas. ana
lnoludod~thSnl.ii IS issuing oouut$ UQrrants, 80 it la l vih a tig
the duty of thy OoMty olo’rk to iaaua OOUntg Wrrant8, Under
tbeso atatutos tha ~oounty olo*, noting us&r tho dimotion
of tha oanmlar i onoraf oourt, la authorlao to laauo oountg
warrants la pegmu& of o&lma thet ha*0 beon paaaod upon bg
the oomrdaalonora~ oourt, but ho 18 not 8uthorizad to issue
ana dollvor a warrant that tha oomlaalonora* oourt I~taelf
h8a no auth&.ty to 0-r i~ruoQ..
ma rat -m@.rwont or the statutes SMoInobovia r0remd
to Is that all luoh olalaa, lu g h as those hero uaaor oonaldora-
tIon, ba tiled in a&o. tlaiao for tha audItor ta oxamino Mb ap
prow sea pefom the mooting of tho.oonmiaslonora*ooukt. lllra
further, ~.thst no olala, blU or aooount blmll be allawod .or
p4.x4.,UP,tll .it .haa be:A l -ma =a appmyed by the oounty
.
In the oaste.of~ Atider8o.n1. iShi~, PO’5,. w. 872,. the SUP~SU,~
‘court haa w&or oanaIdsratIon aortitlad, quoetlona rraa .$ho.
court or civil Appala la a suit br tho ahoriii or mrrla couatg
8galnst the ootmtg auditor to 0-1 him by maWma ta offi-
olallg .aouatan&n a aauatg vmrrantthat had boan~laauaa to. tha
ahorirr by or&oror th8 oamdaolen*~ra~ ‘dotart for oerteln itome
of lndobtodnoaa irJaIoh tho oammlaalonora~ oowt had adjudged’ to
be lmSul snd joot .a& had allwod. ft wab ah&m that the
olaim for whloh Uld warmat us Iaauad had boon ~pnWPta& ta
th* oouqty audLtor boforo it woe approved .bg tha oombaiorurr~
a ndh emfuaed to lp p r o nit o a ~thground
c o ur t, 0 th e *,
in h is
~u6g m nt;LA oounty was not kjghlly ‘Uabla thorefor. .I0 hold-
kg thet tti oountg iudltor, when oallad upon to oountoralgn
tho 'warrent., had tho rightto Inquire iDto the ieUditg of
the olati or looount in diaoherg!, of *hIoh it. was laauoa and
to rofura to oountaralgn It if ha oanaludod thet tho olaim, or
any part or It, waa.not a propor’dur6o~ against th8 oountg,
‘end to rafuso to oountoraigo tho WSr~ent booawo ha had not
therotororo approved the al&a, tho oourtlaid lorn tha follow-
L?c:nila of lera
*lb the aooond and third questiona wo anamer:--
that ths oounty oofanlsrlonerb~ wxut had no prar to
allow the oleim aIt8r,~It had bSSn pmatqtod to,
ox.adned,. en6 dlaapprorod by *ia@ auditor. T.%o eat'
of tha rwantg-z$ath Loglslatura (&owe 1905, P. 381,
Sip 161). authorISSa tho appoIqtmmt of aq audlbor In
any ooonty in whloh than nag be a city of 23,GOO
ppuleticn atid pro~vlder au folllowaa '20. 15. All
clslm.;, bills a r id looount8 a&lnot the oountg muet
819.
.
HO& d. S., ;Iyohoi~ pago 5
*TLls 4Aak ma xf::60C k-y t::cr auditor Zor.tho
rd88cn tLat tko mtezlal bad not been lnriully ao-
quima. ma pie0 ,xia baa never bt?e~scbdttob to
!:ir;:
terz.*cit v&b !z*t cml a;:.rt*sC b; tA0 805-
.v!ia813nk?rs~ oourt; thnt the bid wa6 iiot tho &.QWost
aA& test bid; th&t tiAbl-6 ii&d bbbA AC 28toritl~ at qu
drliFeI%G BiaOe ,tL;c blb’nsa mb4;. that the+‘@ hid
Sever breri tk> ~~~ulsittioo for a&y of tho Itatorlal
nlsuwl b,- SAY comlssl3aer or approved by the gowatT
juac:rbr tiji~rov~i by chc county ctubitor, ana for the4 -
rurthur retfiso~ tact, l.2 :bt?i, j;lbj.wnt ana disorction~
iii the liattm, thr altia should not be a~~rovci. Kot-
a1thrt.w~ the auditor*; refusal to.e~g20~0 the
clah, th oounty jcxual.sslonera* wirt bhxoved the
stista a&d ordsrcd td oo*ucty ruditor to lracc d&i
i&mast-be%,rin& .wblWlAt ilL&itt:aa;sAt af ft. '*he
auditor havine refunef, to ‘oqprc+ thu Oi8lZ eA to
:mma tha narrsctj Giis atit '~88 brm&t in th0
Hand 3. 3. wyoho, po&O 6
dlotriot oourt or ram&% ownty by thd Wyatt Metal
t Bollor Work8 to ~&uWO #LO 00&y aUditOr Or
BaAAh OOlw~ &A? sequin hi8 approval of tho ol&
iura to rrqulm him ta oouatorriyl thn wrrront in
poyobsnt or ruoh olah
“on the h00rln& boron th4 .oourt juagmnnt wad
catend daring the Watt xotal & Boilor \i,ork# tho
mu0f pnyba r0r, to wah juahput 0da 0-w
bxwptd’ an6 mu a- pr0~0ulua ita appeal to thi8
court by writ or error.
“20 htIV0 OOAOb%3athet #b. t&x OOUSt OAkFba
t&b ytotaF jUd&#At ia thib OOU. Xi8 OOlUA.iO8 he**
a oowty auditor, a0 in thlo oaoo. 813. olalno sgalnot
t&o coutrty of the olaoo her6 ~voivs.b are roqtind ,$O
be riled .wlth th4 auditor as&dapproved by M+ bef~ro .
th a lOMJ nay br all0~6 by tb oowalaoionaroC Court
Of thb oolinty, a&d 'ii the aooouat lb not approrod by
th0 04WIt~ aUditOr $&LO,04iWhoiOnO~bq 00Urt ha8 AD
juri#diotlon- to don ‘tb ol8i.m. &demon ve A&,
99 rbx. l&b?,90 a. ~W.6721 mu0 countyv.*aomlnin
{Tax. cto. App,) 269.8. w. 6901 ?wit10 v* i&qta&w
CourAty,50..Tcr.dv. JiQQI403,.llo 3, y. .&r
Sirrod tha aomio8ioioi~* oourt 20 &hout authorfty to
allowouiih claim over the dloapprovQ ot tho oounty auditor, it
in our opinlcu~~that ~thooounty olerk doe8 not hve aothorityto
elbow aaa dbllvor 0 rarraiit ,whioh ha0 not bson rqroveQ by. tb
oounty auditor ma00 tb r a o to lt4t0a. I
wo bond you herowit oopfrs ct..~ur
aad O-6220.
YOU'8 VWY tm,
ATTCHWTGLW2AL 09 l%XAS