OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
I6snorabXe Ii. IT. Daret
l&xtntyAuditor
Fort Bend county
RWIIS~~~, Texas
Dear Sir: opinion No. 0489e
Rot Constable on t&e foe aystam
ia not entitled to aar mile-
ago allowanas.
V&I will aoknorledge receipt of your? lettAr of
August AS, 1941, in whioh you request the opinion of this
departxent on the queBtiont
T'%m constable of pr6ofnet 1Vo. 1, Fort
Bend County 18 on a tee basis, is it posmlblo
tbr the Coomieeioner'~ Court to legally allow
him uar n&lea@*
.\
The authority for rllovanoe of oar sxpenee to
county orfiosrs aoapensatsd upon a roe balrie muet be round
in paragraph (a) of Article 3899, Reviesd.Ciyil Btat+tes,
Which mad6 t
"(a) At the 0106. ot eaoh moath of him
tenure of office 6aoh.offloer namsd herein who
is oompeaeated on a fee b&&B shall E&O ei8
part of the roport now required by law, an
itsnilzed 8nd aworn tttatentent or all the aotual
and nooessary oxpstwar incurrd by him in the
oonduot of Nr offios, eueh ee BtstiOnftZ’ y,
&s, telephone, premiums on ofilaialet
bonds, including the COB% of ?arety bonds for.
Ms Dapututias,proalum on fire, burglary, theft,
robbery insuranao protecting pub110 funds,
travalinE; oxpemms and other naoeasmy aspensea.
The Comml~sioner8’ Court o? the county of the
;rhariffte rosidenos may, upon tha writtan and
mortt a2plioation of the She&if stating the
Ssnorab1.e B. E8. Darst, Paso B
noacsssity therefor, purohase equiprsent for a
bureau of criminal identification suoh es
anmeme, finger print cards, inks, ohemioals,
mlorosoopes, radio and laboratory oqulpsent,
filing asrd~, fi)ing cabinets, tear gas and
other equipment in keepin& with the syetaa
in uoo by the hogart~~;nt ef Publio Safety
of this dtato or the United Stats Do artment
of Jwtioe and/or Buiwm of arimhml E don-
tiricatiea. li suah oxpon6e6 be inourrod
in oonnootion vith any partiou&ar ease, tiuah
statomont shall name suoh ease. suah expanse
acoount ehall bo subdoot to the audit of the
County Auditor, if any, otherwIse by, tho
Coarmiasioaers* Co~rt; and iS it appears that
any item of such expehse was nat Inourrod by.
such offloor sr suoh itom was not a neoossary
eX$GnBO of offioo, ~suohita shall bo'by
suah auditor or court rejeoted,in nhtoh ease.,
the oollootlons of swh itom may bo adJudioat.od :i
in any aourt of oompotont jurisaietion. The
amount of salarlas pald to AL-lslstantsand
Deputies shall also be oloarly rhmn by suoh
of~loor, giving tho name, positian and 6mWnt
p a id eno h; a ndinno lvo@i shall any offiosr
show any greater amount than aotuallypaid
any such Awlstaat or Deputy. The tunouht of
suoh oxponsos, together,wLth the etaoant ef
salarise paid to Ao6istant6, Doputle8 and
Clerks shall be paid out of tho fees earned
by such offtaos. m5 aelPaimcnerr* a0rvt
of tho oounty of tho 6heriff'B residonoo may,
upon the writtenand ttwora applleation-of the
Sheriff steting thi aeeesslty th?rofor, allow
one or more autonob to bo wed by the
Chttrlff In the disehargo of his ofZioia1 duties,
whloh, If purobaaed by the County, shall be
bou:,:htIn the manner prosorlbod by law for
the -urche.se or suppllo6 and yald for cut Of
the &&era1 Fund of the county end they shall
be and remain the property of the county. The
ex,aeaee of -malntananoo, BopreoiatZoa and opera-
tlon of such autazobllos all may be allowed,
whothher purchaseadby t,ho oousty or, mined by
the Sheriff or his Deputies poraonU.ly, shall
be paid for by the %erif? and the amount
lkmorable Ii. BT. Ikr6t, page S
thmeof shall be reported by the 3harIrf,
on ,the reqort ahove mentioned, In the same
manner *:a herein provided ror other expenbee."
Cormtruing such artiole in our opinion No. C-1284,
a oopy of whioh we enclose for your guidance, we held that.
th0 C~66IOnarS' COWt Of 8 OOWity Op8Ffiting U?OU a fee
basis oould not allow the 'BheFiff a mOathly BLUR fOF the
maintenanGe and upkeep o? an automobile out of the geharal
fund or the 00ultty. Such holding ie equally applicable w i.
a oonsta'ble, and your CO5~11~610~er6~ Coiu?t Is without au-
thority to make any such allowmet, mdt of the general fubd
0s tha county.
The above quoted statute vests In the CommiB8ionorr~ '
Court the right and 'authority to approve reasonable and ~:I,.:
awemary travellag expemes for the oomtable, but swh
ltemm mwt be paid by the oozmtable.out.of his fees of
OffiGG and rs~ortod monthly ata irYe& statute requirss. 1:.