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OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
Al JSTIN
GROVER SELLERS Ootobc Bl- 11._ 194h
ATTORNLY GENL~AL
Honora blr E. I.. Hlnson, Jr.
County Auditor, Polk County
Livingrton, Tsxse
Dear Sir:
long4 or personal sutomo-
used tor oifioisl bualneaa.
nlon request of rooent date
and quOt4 tr
at the time the
fiioers Zalary Fund
n the Commlbsioner4’
p 0r 4ng 0rrid3i or th4
on the Budgot 14 sst dnd approved
44lonere Court ror 4aon 0rri04r or
nd oaoh otflos has its budgot
it a4 a Grand Total? I m44n by thlr, it 4
oortaln amount ir set aside for deputy hire,
o&n ho only 4pend that amount tor drputy him
or oan ho spend his who14 grand tote1 budget
just r0r doputg hire ii ho rishos?
Hon. IE. L. HInson, Jr., pogr 2
“(3) Whorr the shrrlrr reorlvrr 41 pew
~mIl4 for oar0 for oounty bualno88, oan the
oounty auditor roquiro hia make l da ily
mileago rsport on rorm8 iurnlshrd by the
auditor showing all personal all44@- and
all mileage for county and to bo roportod
to the auditor laoh month boiore &a got8
him pay?*
oUr 4n8W4r t0 JOUT cU4Sticn fi030, 1~ 18 a8 fOiiOW82
The Commis810nerr1Court has thq right and authority
to rlr tha salarlor of t&o oitlc4r4 namd la ,PootIon 13, Art,
39120, at my emount not 1088 than the total 811111 larn4d a8
componertIon by thr ortlorr in his oiflolrl oapaolty ror the
rlsoal par 1935, rnd not more than the maximum amount allowed
8UOh ofiioor under hWS 4Xf8tin6 On AugUrt 24, 1935, and *OIA
8uOh salaries have on04 bosn tixod by tho.~omml88Ionore~ Court
for 84id Offlosr8, they oennot b4 Ohqpd dtU?Ing that par;
howovor, tbr COmniS8IWlOr8' court Jkay ohsngr the salarl48 or
said OftfOOr8 for the folloalng Joor, provldrd 8uah 8alarIoo
are net 1444 then the total sum oarnod 88 oomponsation by thr
orri04r In his orfl0lel oapaulty for tbo ii4041 year 1935; and
not more than the maxImumamount allowed euoh otiloor undo?
laws rxlstlng on Au@mt 24, 1935. Anrwrrlng your quoatlon
sp4oifioallp, It 8ucb salaries are not now sot at the maxim&
amcunt allo-Aed euoh otticbr under laws exI8tIng on August 24,
1935, the8 oan be ralssd to 8uoh marimum smount for the year
1945.
For turtber Information O?I thi8 quostlon, including
the text of pertinant 8tstuto8, 844 attrobed oopi48 of our
OQiniOll8, Nos. O-1595, O-4226, and O-5746.
In oonsldrratlon of your Qurstlcn HO. 2, w4 polnt
out the rollowing:
Artlolo 689a-9, Vornon'a Annotated Olvll Batutos,
provides, In part, a8 r0110wrr
“Tbo County Judge shall 8orv4 a8 budg4t
orriosr ror the Co~l88Ion4rr' Court In laoh
oounty, end during ths month oi July ot each year,
ho, asslated by the County Auditor or by thr County
Clark, 8ha11 properr a budget to oov4r a11 propO84d
4~4nditU48 ot the oounty gOVorfU84nt tor the
8UOoeeding year. Such budg.6 8ha11 bo oareiully
Hon. E. L. Xlnson, Jr., pagr 3
Itoeiaod 80 a8 to maks a8 olrar 8 oompariron
a8 praotloablo brtreen l xp4ndituro8 Inoludod
in th4 prOpolls& budgot and aotual expnbi-
tures for the 84m4 or eisllar purp084r.ror
thr preceding yorr. Ths budgot muat alao b4
80 pr4parea as to show a8 d4rinit4ly a8 po8-
eiblo ssoh of the vwious jmojeotr'tor mhlch
appropriations are set up In the budget and
the ostllasted a@ount oi money oarrlod in the
budgot for eaoh or 8uoh projeotr. . , .4
Artlolr 689a-11, Y. A. C. S., prdvldrs, in part,
a8 rOiiOW8:
*Tho Com.lssloners* Court In eaoh oounty
shall laoh year provide tor 4 pub110 hoar-
on t&r oounty budgot -- -ahIoh hoering rhall takr
plaoe on 80114 data to br named by the COmmi88IOi-i-
or8' Court aubeequent to August 15th and prior to
the levy Or tax08 by said COCLLli83iOIlOr6'Court.
Pub110 notloe rha11 be given that on said deto
or bearing thr budget aa preperod by th4 County
Judge will be oonaidered by the Comml8alonora*
Court. Cald aotlor r&all name the hour, the datr
and the plaoe where tho hrarlng shall b4 oonduotod.
Any taxpaysr of 8UOh 0oUnt.y shall hero the right
to k present and pertlolpato in said hearing.
At the oonoluslon ot ths hsarlng, the budget a8
propared by thr County Judgs 8hail b4 aotrd upon
by the Comlsaionars* Court. The Court eh411 havr
authority to makr 8uoh ohrngos in th4 budgot a8 in
their Judgmnt the law warrants and the Intore&
of the taxpayrrs demand. iVhon ths budgot haa boon
rlnally approved by the Oommla8lonor8' Court, the
budgot, a8 approved by th4 Court, ehau bo tllod
Nfth tho Clerk oi thr County Court, and tare8 levied
only in acoordanoo thsrswlth, and no l xpondlturo
ot the fUa8 of the county ah811 theroaiter br
-de exoopt in strlot oo?zpllanoo with the budgot
as s&opted by thr Court. Exoept that la r r g e no y
sxp4rditur4f5, in 0894 0r grave publlo Ki40486ity,tO
moot unusual and unfc~reacen oondltlons which could
not, by reasonably diligent thought and attention,
htvo btto icclu&4d in the original budget, msy
iram time to time b4 authorizsd by th4 Court a8
amendments to the orlglnel budget. In all oasas
wbero euah amendments to the original budget is
zad4, s co;ly of the order of the Ccurt amen&lng the
budgot 8Call bo tiled with the Clerk cl ths %mnty
Court, find ettaoted to th4 bud&at origlnaliy adopted..,"
Bon. E. L. Hlnson, Jr., page 4
Artlole 689a-20, V. A. C. S., prorldea as rollows:
“Nothing oontalned in this Aot shall be construed
as preoludlng the Legislature from making ohenges .ln
the budget tar State purposes or prevent the County
Commissioners’ Court from making ohanges in the budget
for oounty purposes or prevent the governing body of
any lnoorporated olty or town from making changes in
the budget for oltg purposes, or prevent the trueteee
or other aohool governing body from making changer in
the budgeta for school purposes; end the dutlea re-
quired by virtue of this Aot of State, County, City
and Sohool Oifloers or Representatives sta 11 be par-
formed for the oompenaation now provided by law to bo
paid said ofiloers respeotlrelg. Acts 1931, 42nd Leg.,
p. 339, oh. 206, 8 20a.”
In the case of southland Ice Co., va. City of Temple,
100 Fed. (2) 825, deolded by the Fifth Clroult Court of Appeals,
in which suoh budget lew la involved, the following was aald:
(I. . . subdlvlslon 20 or tha BudRet Law (Art.
689a-20, V. A. C. S., supra) aUthOri&R ohanhea in
the budget, must rerer to ohanges wlthln the objects
oorered by the budget, beoause ii new mutters oould
be added to the budget, then the emergenoy provision
‘would serve no purpo8e.n (Underscoring and matter
within parenthesis added).
In view of the above, our answer to your Question Ro.
2 1s that the County Commissioners’ Court la authorized to make
ohanges within the objects covered by the budget rorcoounty
purposes. The Oounty OfilOer, ror whose orrloe auoh budget was
made, would have no authority to make suoh ohanges. We also
point out that the number of deputies appointed and the amount
of their salaries 1s determined by the Commissioners’ Court and
not by the oounty orrloer. Artlole 3902, V. A. C. ?., rlxea
the maximum salaries to be ellowed such deputies,
Ye take up for oonslderatlon your (luestlon No. 3 with
the assumption that you refer only to oars or automobiles owned
by the sherlrr or hls deputies. In this respect, we point out
Bon. E. L. Hlnson, Jr., page 5
the rollswing: Artlolo 3899 (b), V. ii. C. S., in part,
provldrs:
“V5ero the automobile or sutomobllss are
owned by the sheriff or his deputies, they shall
be allowed four (4) oonts for saoh mile traveled
ln the dlsoharge of oiflolal buslnes?, whloh sum
sha1l oover all expanses oi the malntenanoe. de-
preolatlon, and operation of suoh automobile. Cuch
mileage shall ba reported and peld in the same’--
manner presoribad ior other allowable expenses
under ths nrovlslons of this seotlon . . .*
(Undersooring ours).
The %anner preaoribed for other allowable expenses”
to be reported and paid under the provisions of said Article
3899 (b) la stated therein IS follows:
Viaoh officer, shall, at the olose of eaoh
month 0r his tenure or 0rfi08, make an itemized
and sworn report ot all approved expenses lnourred
‘by him end ohargsd to his oounty, aooompanylng
suoh report with lnvoloes ooverlng suoh purohases
and requisitions issued by him in support oi such
report. If such expenses be lnourred in oonneo-
tion with any partloular ease, suoh report shall
name suoh oase. Suoh report, lnvoloes, and requl-
sitlons shall be eot to the audit of the
oounty auditor.. .I) Undersoorlng added)
!‘!e believe that a atrlot oompllance with the above
provisions would oonform substantially with the requirements
set out in your Weatlon No. 3, with the exception of that
requiring a showing or all mileage loqulred on “personal
business” es distlngulshed from “county buslnese.W Such re-
quirement as to “personal mileage” la unauthorized. St should
be borne In mind that the actual expensas Incurred, such as
011 eto., are not to be reported - just the aotual mileage
fizkred’on county business, ltemlzed and sworn to.
Trusting the above fully enswers your questions, we are
Very truly yours
ATTCRN3 GXNZRALOF Tk3A”