OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAiS
AUSTIN
-c.mNm
--
xoRorab1e E. P. Jennings
aoautp Auditor
Hardln County
Koulltze,Texae
am Court of ‘~
hao no author-
6 and pay for
38 for an auto-
by e Cwnty CCS-
iUh he usea in
P aounty burd-
latsll mattere.
n&w this office your oplni ..
on the PolLdwing queatf on. :
county FunBs.
he 0888 of Couuty Comissloner
privatsly~ohs autoLoblle in which he oonducts
county busdness, is the Com,ieoionars~ Court
g%rdttetI to purohaee tires, and tube8 for his
oar charged to oounty funds, if SO out of what
flld?
.
*(B) Undei? wh;rhat
authority of Article 1s
Llbertv Countr. Torso mmittad to wrchaee QU-
Driould appractats your ~ivlrvg this ofPIca
your ophlion on the, above quastioas l2imGiatsly
as we ham a olalz to eat on.*
Rang oountl@a of this Btats operate under ape-
air~l road laws, which laws provlda ganerallp for a riiore
Catailed road sy3tum in much oountlea, ana also grovlae
for the payment of acoounts incurred by the oounty OOZE-
ttiseloner in the omratlcn of their own Drivat.e autos-
bllos while eupervislcg the xsain.tenanoe & roads ln suoh
aountloe. In aottje laotancee these epeclal road lane pro-
ride for the purohaee and gsymnt of verious kinaa or
equipmeat, lntfludtng pick-ups, eta.
In an o:lnlon of this Departmnt aed Auguet 5,
1920, aoil pubtlst+at ~$9 114 OS the RiotizlaZ Report for
the years 1918-20, it nae hala by +&is Departmnt that
aouoty oomlaaloners are not author&m& to purohase and
pay for, goaoilne or other autor;,oblle su~pliea am3 mbdt
their olalm therefor to the ConMaalonors~ Court for au-
dit and allo%moe, ma 01ai.m for such supplies fumlshe8
for w~oh yurpcjr~s are not legitb3te ot:argers againet the
oounty, whet.hor ao purchased and paid fom by the Co&e-
alouers or sold direct to the county by the dealer. ThlB
opinion Oites the o&eas of mlpga vs. Gtawart .Sron Works,
8% Se W. $32; Rigby vs. mite, 10 8. W. 760; and IsarXlS
Oounty va. Hcrc?mond,203 s. X. 448. We quota Prom the above
~en~ionea opinion as follow~t
‘1% 18 axloaatlc that publlo funds aan
be lawfully expended only for the purpoeeft, to
the extent and In the rmumr prseoribad by Law,
ana in t,he ebsence of a statute authorizing a
particular axpmditwre of pub110 funds, suah
expenditure should be etudicuslg avoiced: and
that every officer ehoule fait!iPully eschew
every transaot%on reopcat.ln~g public flll%~Oe
that beere even tha aezblanoe of doubtful author-
ity ought to go without aaylng.
.
RonorebLe IL P. Jennings, Fqe i?
Ve am of the opinion, therefore, and
you are 50 advieod, thnt it if3 not proper ror
a oounty comlsslocar to purchrrsa 6nU pay for
gasoline or other euto;lcbilo su;c>lle:; used by
bin; in tho dlsc!m!r$w of hi5 official duties'
md proscat hl& acaount for amm to the oos!-
&ssiomr5~ court ror audit ard payauant; also,
thnt ouch 60 account iE not a lagiti~%ts charge
@fiainst the county whcthcr auoh supylios be
purohzxsad and &aid for by the cautiasioner in
tfis JiaCD&r ,stwa, or bo furniohcd and ohor~sd
;;r.;; county for that purpose by the dealers
.n
We belleve the doctrine laid down in the above
niontioned opinion to be sound, and wa approve the sam a5
applicubls to your request.
12Urlfn County bus 8 population of 24,760 lnhab-
itants aocord:cc; to the last ixooeding E'edsral Gsn~us, 5nd
GQOtian la of ArtlOle 2330~1, Vornon~s dnhotatod Civil. stint-
utne Coals with the amount of aalery n ccmsinnionor is cm-
titled to receive in oouclies containiuq a populatioh oi
not less than 14,SGo amI not &ore thou 14,EOG iahabitante
aooordirig to the last avallsbla Podsral Census, and eaoh
available lrodcral Census ihweafter.
.
~The @miral low or the abova mntZoned 8eotion
of Afctiols ESOn, oupra, E5kea no provISloks for the pay-
rant of acaounts or expenses incurred. by eozml8stonerCi
while using their own private autor;obllee In conmctloa
With their business a8 CoI.inty oOr’i5alOners. Therefore,
ym& first question is respectfully analrered In the nega-
*
We now consider your aoaond question, anti your
;kyu;;lon iar dlreated to Sectlon~ J., Act~s 1933, 44th Lo&is-
, i;eoond CsLlad Session, page 1711, Chapter 443, ra-
latlng to aalarlss 0P oounty oo~:;iaeloners iti oartein
countiee l Libnrtg County has a Fapulzitian of 24,309 in-
hsbitanta according to the last qrececl:ng Bedoral 05~8~5,
and the above rxmtioned Act provid.ee that in oounths hev-
ice a population of not l.css than 24,200 and not riior5 t.hna
24,600 lahobltnnto according t.3the l:.~t brccodln~ ~Z'edoref
censu5 ) the aorxi&sisacrs~ ccwt ie authorized to alLot*
eaah ootiasloner the SW of tmmty-five dollnrs per jlonth
,
far traveling exgm5ota within the county while on otfioial
bu6lnea6, .vtiy~lohawn shall be peid out OF the mad and
brid&e funds df tho resp3otive oor;lr5s&mer! s preolnat, ‘and/
or t&e ganaral fund of the county not to erooed flPty par
oent of mid ex.wnsas, and oath oomfwioaer ahsll matie UCLI
dcr 06th on itoidzed Qcoount or his erp@nstPa far eaoh wonth.
.Thare 18 nothing in thlo Aot which authorizoe Libwty County
to puI?Ohaea 5~t0mbil~~ for thd OOunty OOi~.isd.One~. After
a oaraful sesroh or the etntUtes, w are unable to find my
special etaLute, or road lw whio!~ aut.harizes Liberty county
to purahaae atitoimbil&e tar me aaunty oorifsaioners or said
oounty, to be used by the oounty comlsaionera in the aon-
bat 0f their 0rri09.
Tiaxsting that the foregoin& tully mwne~s your in-
gulrp, we are
APPROJYEDAUG 2, 1940
ATTORNEY GENERAL