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