OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
GROVER SELLERS
ATrol?NEI CIENERAL
:ionorabls Alton C. Arndd
County Attorney
3razoria County
AAgletoli, ?Oxa6
Dear Sir: OpiZiOA 50. 0-6~+41
3033 pears ago, eetab-
Couty Library, whia3 haa dtivrlo;cd
atiltrr large unit nith brafizk units at
nt points throughout the county. One
e branch libraries is located in Allin,
Taxaa, an ltcoraorsted town in 3razorla County.
Considerable interest has buen s?mwn by the
people of Alvirr so tiiat tkio branch of the
library loaeted thare 288 becme one or tt;e
aoat tipoortaut in tkrr library or~anizatiotl,
Up to tills tics a Itake-shift building, w;llcb
is entirely inadeqpustr to house ttils unit,
ha8 been used for library >urpooes at Alv~tn.
174
hon. Alton C. Arnold, pa&a 2
“Do the parieral power8 granted ths Comprtfd-
aloners’ court by tha statutes go so rer 50 to
allow thu Court to appropriate l~oney Srogl the
county Funds Sor the con$truotion or a branoh
library buildihg when auc~ building is nacded
in oohneotion nith t:ie library service in an
inoorporatad town other than the County seat?
Ths proDosed building iv111 aoat in the migh-
borhood of two or three thouaand dollam.
*IS the Court has the authority to oonstruct
auoh a build& frora County Funds, Is there a
linit in tha asxxmt OS mor.oy that pay be expended
upon suah e building?
“1 would alao llka to kow whati;sr or not the
appropriations say be .;.lads Srou tLa Ad faloraia
lhuul or froi4 aoas other aounty fxA.*
Artlcls 1677, Vernon’s kmotattid slvil statutes,
provides as rouowi:
“The comiise1oners court of any coun.tp nay
establish, -ainteln, and operate within their
reapectiva counties, county Sree libraries io
the iSan&ar and :iith t& Suhatio:;s preaorlbud
in t!lia sitlts. The 5aid court skull 13130 iiavo
the posrer xx! autLor:ty to eatdblish in co-o&-
eration with anotker coluhty or oo~unttea a joint
free county library ;‘or tL:e bcn*Sit 0S the
co-oparutlve oouhtiea.”
Art, 1678 0r aold statute8 ia a5 roii03v5:
“The ooamiasiocara* court 0r any county i3ag
eatabliah county Sree libmriea for Wet part
of such county Lying ou-tsi;lo of the iccorgorated
oitiea arid towna already ~intalnln~ free publio
llbrariaa and for auoh additional parta oS auoh
oountlea as may elect to beoom a part oS or to
partioipata in auoh oounty free library ayata:x.
Gn their own ih1tiative, or ahan petitioned to
do mo by a zaa,Jority OS .tke voters OS that part
or the oouhty to be airected, Said oourt ahall
proceed to eatabliah acd provide for tfio -in-
tanahca of mob. library aaoordlc& to tiw furt!:sr
provielora of this title. The oouiltg library
am11 bo located at the county seat in the court
houaa , unless ;lore suitable quarters are avall-
able .*
.
P
!.:
‘.. 175
Lion. hlton 0. Arnold, wee 3
bst. 1685 or raid 8t8tutee I8 a8 r4im8t
*The librarian ehall endeavor to give an equ81
and oornglete service to all parte of the oounty
thrOu&h brenoh libraries and dspO8it etatlOn8 in
eohoola and other looatiohe rheru suitable quartare
may be obtained, thus distributing printed matter,
booka, end o th o l rduaetlonel !antter a8 quiakly ae
oirowaetencee will permit. The oouhty librarian
ehell have the power to aaka ruler and re~uletlone
for th8 county free library, to eetablieh brenohee
end etatione throughout the oounty, to dotermine
the numbor end kind oi lmployeee Of euch library,
end, with the approval of the aom.ieeionere~ oourt,
to appoint an4 dltiee eueh enployaee. The oounty
librarian ahell, eubjeot to the generel rules
adopted by the oomnIeeioners* oourt, build up and
mmage accordiag to accepted r%lee of library &m-
a+yiment, a library ror the psoplo 0r tb9 county
ahd aball determine whet book8 and other library
equiymcot ehall be purchased.*
Art. 1687 or said atatutee Is in pert a8 follows:
*The oounty library shall be under the &eneral
aupervielon or the oomraieelonare court.”
Art. 5, Sea, 16, of the Constitution of Texae, povldse
in part 88 follows;
a. . .Thd county cozxuieeioners eo cho#en, ivita
the county judge, aa preaidiug offiocr, cm11 ooii-
pose the oounty oomieeionere~ oourt, which shall
cxoroiee such powers end Juriediotion over all
county bueineee a8 Ie oonferred by thie Coueti-
tutlon and tile i awe or the state, or ee raay here-
after ba preeor1bed.v
The above quoted provieion of tiio Conetltutior of Taxes
hee btren oonetrued to mean that the oomieeIonere~ oourt Is a
aourt of liaited Juriadiotion and her no authority except xioh
aa is sxpraeely or Implledly given under the Constitution and
the etetutee. Bland~ v. Orr, 39 Y. #. 55%; 2;~ Parte Theme,
2 3. ft. [zd) 2701 Madison county v. Uallaoe, 15 3. w, (24) 535.
Thle rule Is also stated in 11 Tex. Jur., Seaa, 37 an&
38, pp 564-566, 88 r0il0waa
ffoa. Altos C. Arnold, page A
4Co5iuI5eIohere* courts 655 oourtr 0r linitd
JurIedlatIon, in thst their authority extends
only to matters pertaining to the general ~eliare
or their Mspeotive oouhtiee and that their flw4re
tare only thoed expressly or ispli4dlJ confsmd
upon the5 by lsw, - that Is, by the oonetitutioa
and rtetutee or the stats.
*The jurIsdIotIon of oonkvIeeIonere~ aourte Is
limitetl to etriotly *county bueineee,~ and the
legfelaturo he8 no authority to lnlerg4 their
power* or juriediotIon. 4 attempt to oonrer
upon the couPt Juriadlotlon 0r a setter rhloh I8
not *oowty buaIccea* 18 void. aouever, the oounty
oommIeaIonare~ oourt Is th4 aotlve goreming body
0r the oou&ty, with a JurIedIotIon the t touohre
In some respect sheet evd-y feature of the oounty*e
bu8in488, and t:.e court bee full and cenaral oharGe
of the business af~aire of the oounty. Th4 power
of the oourt extends only to euoh bueineee as Is
entrusted to it by the constitution or by the
legIela ture ; end th4 legislature nag, LL it
chooses, comait a netter ot oounty bueimee to
come agency other than the oomieeionere~ oourt.
The t4rm loouaty buslnese~ ehould b4 given a
broaP and liberal conatructiun 80 a8 not to
defeat the ;urpos48 of the law. .khd It 18
held that the co~mdeslon~re* oourts have iin-
plied authority to do what aey be neoeasary In
t&e axerclee of the duties or powers oouferred
u,pon thaw, *
Art, 2351 of V. A. C. 3. provide6 In part as follows:
Veoh ComiseIon4re~ Court shalli
“. . .
“7. Provide and keep in repeir oourthous48,
jails and all neoeeeary pub110 buildings.*
Then oan be no question but that, uhder the euthorlty
or the above quoted statutes, (Arts. 1677 1678, 1685 ena
1687) the oomaIesIon4re~ aourt aan eetabljeh a county frse
library st the county seat in thr oourthoueo, unless aore
luItabl4 quarters ar4 available. It is also 014er Uat the
county llbrarien, uudor the gencrral eupervlsion of th4 co%-
tissio~4re~ oourt, is aur,horized to 4etablfeh branches and
>“.
177
!ion. Alton G. Arnold, pago 5
etstiooa of said llbrarj tJ.woughout the uounty. ft is pro-
vided in Art. 1685 that auoh branoh librorios and at&ions
are to b e latabUa&ed in lohoolaaad othar looatlona where
aultebla qtartara may be obtsinrd, whioh, In our opinion
would inohde bulldin~a constructed by tie oocaalnalMrr8 t
aourt fo r luoh purpom, ff tha eoaatruotlon of ouch hi&d-
icg beccna oe6aaaary, ae a building oonotruotod ror a Srsnoh
librery is auoh pub110 building oa la referred to in the
above quotation from Art. 2351 and ouah as ooaaei within the
generally aooeptad deflnlnitiona of *publio buildinga*, as
set out in 34 Ter. Jur., 300. 2, p 2;
“‘Publlo bulldings’ is o tern ordinari~
used to d8afgnate ouoh atruoturesas tko oapitol
in the oapltol @oMda ot Austin, iaoludl~ the
dX4iOUtiVd auifLSiOfl, thd QariuU8 stat% dByhGk8,
oolhtjd buildings ereoted by the
of university
State, courthoueoa and jails end other buildhga
ildld for publfo uaa by any deyertmnt or brscoh
OS ~oviirmmnt, state, oounty or mmiaipel. aut
the word8 zay have a broader or narrower wa,iiifigI
the statute to be aonetruod and tt6) faota 31 ths
particular case will be axmined in order to dc-
tarmine whether a pertioular buildLag is o publio
oue in the oirmmotanoea prusmtedrW
34 Tax, Jur,, Sea. 8, Q 7 furt&rsr dctfli~ea a yublio
building aa tollowat
‘Tb taras ‘pub110 building’ and ‘publio
grounda,~ wLt2G.u.tht, iaeanin& of tk;uea ;eral
statutes havd alrendy bedn defined (MO, 2).
aut socording to the atatute, ‘The ip$oiffo
enuaera tion, . , ahal, nat exolude other
buildings not mod, properly ooming within
the meaning and. deaaription of a ;iublio build-
ing. ’ The bulldlnga neadd - as, for dxaa~l8,
county jails - aro in toma doaiaatad *publio
buildki~a.’ And any other building would seem
to ooma within this dsflnitlon provided it is
properly shown that It la omed or amtrolled
and hold by pub110 authorftlfio ror publlo we.*
uoo. Alton 0. Arnold, pago 6
Them ir no quertlon but thrt 8 branoh library build-
ing fra “pub116 bulldln&’ under raid Rtstuter and ruler,
therefor@, tha only QW8tiOA 18 whether or not it 18 a "A8QBI-
sary” publio A "Aaoe888ry publio building” 18 one
buildin$.
that 18 588Onti81 iOr the ~rtiOUlar J3WpOSQ involved, whiah,
iA thl8 inrtanoa, would br for the QLWQOSSOf a brenoh Of a
oolmty free 1iblwY. If the 009ari~8iOAes8' oOUl?t i8 Of the
opinion t&t 8 balidin& ior ~the brinoh fiibrary referred to 18
lneo e8a a runder
y* the80 wlss, th@A it 18 OUT Opi5iOA thst it
ha8 th8 pow8T to OOS%8tmOtruoh buildi&&*
isrl, db &Or 9 Of thr COA8titutiOA 3f %3=8, ia 88
fO~O?sOl
"The State tax on prop8rty 8xolurive or
the tax Asa888ary +n pey the publio debt, and
OS the tax58 provided for tha bencflt of tha
publio tree 80h0018, &ml1 ABQR~ exwmd thirty-
rite oents on i&a or.6 fiundrsd dollerv v~luntioc~
ttAd no oou.Aty, oity or tow shall levy more than
twmprive cents for aity or oounty purpooaea,
end not eroeed,ing fifteen osnts for roada and
brldgss, and not exoecrdlm fifteen oente to pay
Jurors, on the one humlred dollar8 valuatton,
sxospt for thr payment of debt8 inourred prior
to the adoption of the amentieent &ptambar 25th,
1883~ and for the ereotiw of pub110 buildfn~e,
etrsets, se$wra, weter work8 and othar jsran-
snt iJnpI-3oeIilwltr, not to exceed twsnty-five
oentn on thb oas hundred dollar8 valuation, Ln
any one gear, and exaept be ir in this Conati-
tutlon otsarwise provldod and the Legislatulr,
imy al80 authorito an add 1 tional aMua1 a4
valoresl t6l to be levied and oollsoted for the
further maintenanos of thr pubifo roads; pro-
ridad, thet 8 majority or the gwiri66 property
tax-paging vcitar8 0r the oounty voting at an
sleotlon to be held for that purpose shall vote
#UO~ tax, AOt t0 eXOeed fiftWA NAtI on the one
hundred dollar8 veluetlen of the property aubjeot
t0 t8XatiOA iA 8UQh OOUAty. And the Legi8latUXe
rasp pssa looal lanr ror the ~aLatenano0 of the
publio road5 and highwayr, without thr losal
notiae required for spolal or looal lawa.’
179
Hon. Alton 0. ~nold, page 7
Art, 2352, V. A. C. S., ia 88 follow8~
%&id oourt rhall here t3e
power to levy
and oollaat B tax for oountg AOt to
pUl’~BcI8,
azoaad twenty-file Cant8 on the On4 hundred
dollars valuation, and a tax not to sxoaed
fifteen cant8 on the one hundred dollars valu-
ation to ruppleaent the Jury fund of the OOuAtp,
and AOt to axoead fift44A cants for road8 end
brid&a8 on the one hundred dollars valuation,
except iOr the payment Of debt8 inournd p.rl~r
to the adoption Or the MNdSk4At Or th4 COiI8Li-
tutlOQ, Sf#ptOt&er 25, A. ih 1883, aAd for the
ereotion of publfo buildingr, rtroat8, 8awar8,
water works and other permanent iaproremente,
50% t0 exoaad tWeDCg-file OaAt8 on the one
hundrad dollars V8luatiOA iA any one year, 4Ad
except a8 in the Con8titutioa otherwise provided.
They asy levy an additional tax for ro8d pur-
poses Aot to exoeed fifteen cents on the hA4
hundred dollar valuetion of the property
subjeot to taxation, under the linitatlons and
in the manner provided for In Article 8, Sao, 9,
of the Constitutior and in pursuance of the
113~8 relating thereto.”
The last above cuotad provisions of tka Constitution
of Texs8 aAd of the etatuta referred to authorize the Cotis-
slouera’ Court to levy taxe8 for the eraotion of pub110 build-
iW8, 6traet8, oawars, naber rorke, ana otbr yoraanent lr3-
gmwaraantrr not to exoaad twar,ty-five aentr on the oA4 ;lundrtld
dollars valuation, tha,fund oreated thereby being generally
referred to a8 the Peraanant Improveslant fund, You are
advised, therefore, that if the oanmissioners~ oourt is of
the opinion a building should be oonetruoted for the branoh
library reiarrad to, it haa the pwer to levy a tax aa a
part of the Pemanant It4prolement ?uad in order to 880~8
fund8 with whloh to do 80, said levy to be a part of the
tW%AtY-riV4 cant8 on the one hundred dOllor valuation au-
thorized by Irt. 8, Sao. 9 0r the Constitution and art. 2352
of the Civil Litatutaa; or, ii there should be on hand any
fund4 Ln said Peraanent Inprovaolant Fund that have bean levied
and oollaoted without having bean apaoifiad for any partloular
parnanent ltnprovanent, then the oomini88iotlera~ oourt haa the
authority to use suoh fUAd8 in the oonstruotion Of 8UOh bulld-
Lng. Suoh buildin& cannot be paid for fro= any ooiLnty fund8
Other than the r"smsnant Improvement Fund, and the aiaount that
OaA b8 80 Used iA within the di~Or%tiOA Of the oomaiaahxlrs~
oourt. The right to oon8truot 8uoh building, howtier, I8
further lfnlted by the pro~iaio~r of the oorrnty budget lea
08 follows;
zon. Alton C. Amold, page 8
Art. 669a-9, V. A. 0, S., sovidar for the making sf
the oounty budget, ana Art. 689a- L! proforiallr bhet no rrpondi-
turer or the funds or tie o o ullty lhall thereaftat be ma0
taco@ in atriot oonpllanae with the budget (18 adopted by th6
Oourt 6 It la furth%r grorldcd that amergenop lrimalturos,
IA aaae of gravu i,Ublla neoesrIty, to meat ummua~ ana .urora-
aeen oonditiona whlah could not, by reasonably dillgent thou&t
and attentloo, have been lnnaluded In the original budget Maey
frost tim to tims be aUthOriz8d by tAo 00urt ar &nenbaenta
to the original buidget. Thereion, it la our opinion that,
even if there are funds on hand in the Partsanant Improremnt
Buna whiah aould be used to eonrtruat ruoh building under tha
ruler or law haniaabova rar‘errad to, such funds aamat now
bs used for ths oonstruotion of Said ~,Uildia& unL%s# aam
were included in the county budget, .3r them now Oxintl
the igave gublia r;eceesity eWve defined, authorizing the
oounty budget to be enended 80 aa to Lnoludr r*u&r for said
bullding, wsioh is for the $oter&natlon or the oonilkLsaior.em*
oourt, In the event it beaoma aroeseary to levy 83 tax ror
tho purgoee 31 conotructi~~ said bulldiilq,, said it&m 8:louJ.d
bd included fn tAe oounty bu&pt.
3s trust that thie setlaieotorlly answera your in-
quiry .
Yours very truly )