63
OFFldE OF THE AGORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
GROVER SELLERS
ATTORNEY GENERAL’ ‘.
IIomrable W. P. Herrae, Jr.‘~’
.;.
’ ,,:countJ Auditor
; :~Ekapste-b ;-
-pear Slrt~
t.0
Pd-
, :. : ?: .;: .
)te.guoteaa f
h&3 departm4nt t
OS ..thls
t haa beea itmilly
t cowt, the cons-
authorltsd to 1’
a8 the expendi-
nt to tkie.budget
and were cauhd and
0 tiece~slty to meet
ions which .could
hou@Ltiand atten-
:~%he questhi n& u;ses ae to vhether~the
Ccmmtsaioners@ Court ha8 sole authority in de-
termlnl~ whether there +sts such,~~a public
necessity, *causad b~~uousual end utdoreseea
condltlotls, etc.’
64
Honorable W. P. Berms, Jr., page 2
“To use a speaffio example, aasumlng the
folloving approved Budget AlloEmeats for Road
end Bridge Fund:
1944 Est. spat unspent
Budnet EX- to BalRtlCO
petlkmee Date
PrecinctHo.1
Brth and Gravel Roads
'$moo $2ooo
'
1000 2000
900 1100
1. H4~~~Caastrue-
..’ t&on EOU6 HO!lO ROIl6
2, Pfnkhase~aE
‘under the IW@get set up and i?tpprovedas
above, there .ir nodbudget fuads set up for ‘Pur-
chase of. ~uQm4nt*. ‘. All aychinery is actually
in operatfixg cemdltlea. However, let ua assume
that Coimlssiotaer8* -Court,by or&r, declares
an eaergacy. orders budget ameaded to purchase,
‘forcash, othew equiptkeat, either replaolag
present equlposnt, or an addLti&m to present
eaulrment. We aesume.&at exneabitures at end
be $.l5,O?Minstea of Bud-
‘The abote eaae is taken only for the pur-
pow or 11$latratiPg the fact that no actual
emer~enccg ao4s exxau vhich *could not have been
foreseen eKc;( and that such act by CommZsolon-
era* Courtvas olewly So2 the purpose of cti-
cumventillg the &ad&Jet1lml.tati0as.
‘If coaml.abloaers* court can so act, and be
vlthln its legal authority, and if' that body is
65
P. Herr~,a.; pwe 3
Honorable.QU.
the relo JudgoindetemlnIuguhether such ewr-
;. ~!~AudItor
.In Meprd to the faeta, of vhethsr
.or not stwh emergenay e-to? -
“3- WIBO lb IB el4arlyappment that such emr-
o;smq osder of. the - CcdI88loa6iro~ CottrFo.’
.ra~adLag said .Bud6et, fe. dono fos t&e role
puPpen of ~iromneatlng Budgeb llmltatlons;
tlnsm, aab und~~thoneaondltlona, doer.
'Cozmty
AudItor.hava-the.rothorIty
to refum
to~&eaognIse8u0bbudget.emen&mnt?
a4i’: sr yoe then
amerP'.to io. 3 8bove'ia #l!io' ‘
.. remedy4ar&be had. to prevent such
:.'what
‘aatIo~&,and what' Is AudItor’a duty re&srd-
lag 8ucrhremedy?
:;% s&ml1grslrtly
apprealate
yoir oplnlon
zeguding thin matter, elms came fill determine
. . . .0
(I
.
66
Honorable W. P, Xermn, Jr., page 4
For tinsver to your t’¶XsS quesdl.Oa, ve enclose a