Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Ilonorablr Lather C. John&on rra)l aa Ir th6 Y. P. A. aa4 ronrequrntly would not rlthln the purvlev of Artilolrr ?H?7lte-I? an& ,“a a, Vernoa(r Annotrtul Cltll btatotrr. . . .’ I’ Rwwablo Luther C. Johnston, Page 2 hrtlole W?Zs, wpra, proridsa In lffsot that tha oounty 00nm18813nsr8~ aourts o? this Stats are luthorlzmd to purohass mtsrialr for the purpcee of lldln and ooopsratiry with the agsnolss of the Mats end Fe&oral 8overnmsnta In the oonatruotion of bulldlngr for the purpws of h3usIng oan- nsrlsz and oannlng faotorlsa wh e rl epproprIatIons have been or rq hereafter bs made out o? the Psdsral and Stats fund8 , lst lslds for the rslls? of the unsmplo~sd and needy psoplr of the Stats of Texas and to pay for luoh material8 out of the oounty~t permanent Improvement fund. Ar tlo ls2372s-2, lupra, provides In sffeot that ths oounty aosrizsloncrz~ oourt of any county ln th:s State 1s authorirsd to lease, rent or pro- rids offloe spnos for the purp~s s of aiding and ooopemtlng vlth the sgsnolea of the State and F’oderal (forernmentz engaged in the adalniatratlon o? rslls? to th8 wtaploysti and needy people of the Btats of Taxac, and to par the rsgular monthly utility bill8 for auoh o??loss, suoh aa lights, gaa,and water md when In the oplnlon o? ths majorlt7 ?? the oommla- slonerat o3urt a? the oounty suoh offioe spaoe 1~ eastntlal to the proper ldnlnlstratlon of luoh sgsnolss of either the. Ststs or Federal Governments, eald oourt la apecl?Ioally euthorlzsd to pay for the seme and for the regular monthly utility bIlla for suoh o??Iosz out of the oounty’a general fund by werrants aa In the papent of luoh other obllgntlona of the oouaty. ut sgrss wlth ynur atatsrent, above quoted, that tht Netlonal Ywth Adrinlatrstlon Is not a rtllef agsnoy that would OOM rlthln ths punlsw of the above mentioned artlolsa. It ha8 long been hsld In thlr Stat. that the aoula- alonerat oourtr ars oourtr or lfmltsd jurladlotlon without any power or authority sxospt suoh aa 1s lxprts8ly o~nfsrred or sxlat by nsoezaary i 1IoFtlon. El Paso V. Elam, 106 6.W. (26) 593; Houard v. zfp endarwon Gountr, 116 8.w. (?A) 4?9; Hill County T. Bryurt L Ru??zun, 964 8.W. UZO; Commlsalonera Court v. Wallor, lb 8. V. (Ed) m In the lad mas oltsd ln luqport of this pro?orltIon, Judge Pierson, s aklng’for ths Buprsms Court, appror8d attd oonrlrmsd the ho din of the Court a? Clrll hppm.18 on this % proporltlon, rsports in 281 8.Y. 575. In the Court of Cltll A;psals oaas, Judge Baroua o? the Waoo Cwwt raid: *The 00nlad3noraS 00urt Is 8 ortatw Of ths Stat. &natItutIon and lta powers arc lImIted and oon- l . Honorable Luthsr C. Johaston, ?age S trolled br ths Conztltutlm and the laws as pas- sed by thr Loglalature. o us hare made a aarrful lsarsh of the statutes and numsraus oases and ham TaIlsd to find anr lutharlty that sxprsarlj or b ImplloztIoa suthorlzes the oomlsbnsrr’ oourts to expend oounty funds for the purposs ahovr nsntionod. Tharefors, TOU us rsapaotfully ldtlaad that It lr the opinion of this Depzrtmnt that ths oonIaaImsrs* oourt doec not hare the legal right or authority to partialpate with the City of Palsstlne and ths Palrstlns Indmpendont School Dlatriot la the oonatruotlon of a build1 to hxzao a Federal Natlmal Ymth Admlnlatratlon projoot To be used for the purporo~ as rbots atstsd and expend funds thorloreor In aonnsatlon thorr- WIth. Trusting that ths fortgolng fully answer8 your ln- qulry, vs are B7 &dsFWIlllua Aaslatant AU:BBB APPKOVEDOCT 26, 1940 Approved /a/ Gerald C. lbnn Oplnlon Commlttss ATTQRNEYGENE:U OP TEXAS Br B.V.B., Chalrmzn