Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Cplnlon Yo. 0-19 ?‘02 I!oes E&lo c queetl~n heo bcsn ry and drvelopmaat of the 011 he oouat y have not been taken, o rea8o~hle owtainty that ruoh taken in t!m immdlsta future i tha rcuaty ir m=F.Lttrd to be ooked under thin type ci lease. 8tb 0r tbo oounty aad 0r ita people are not hart being roned by thu lndtoated trend of delay. ‘lb stimulate rotrral disoovery end drrelopr~ent of the patenttal all reaoureea t&e oouaty tbrou;?h its oomaiaaionors* ocurt hns under oooaldnmtlon a pl-OpO8El to OrriM io r tha lotual dlsoovery md eat@lO?5eat of the iirrt well In thr oountf oapable oi produo- 1~ oil in o-rolal qufintltlms the 8uc ot %n. 'finoentTudor, >aue 2 one hundred thousand dollars ppyublo IQ war- rants or the couatr. Ry ape0iri0 derihitioa and tine llaltetion the cff4r will be mde In suoh terms nnd tlntler such CondItIons 8s ~111 rmmmebly end odequstely erreotuete the pur- 9044 0r th0 orr4r. “hs authority 0r th4 ocm- n.lasionere’ oourt to r.ake suoh an offer thus being involved, the oplnlon of your MilCe le. therefore, requested upon the tollowlng sub- jeot: P’T~?~“.fi *iaem Kels Cotat?, Texas, thrru.Th ito am- nisslonero’ oourt have suthorlty to ofrer ror the dleoovery oad Wv'elopant of the firet well 13 tlla aoun~;* oaplble or produoiw 011 In ooa- mrclrl q;lsntities the SW of one hundred thou- aand dalle:a geyeble In umrents of the ccunty”: *In th4 ~lsoussion of ~~110 quastiou it j.4 es: umd thet oonstItutIona1 end st&tutory debt liraifct ion is not involved.” Te quote iron Tens Jurisprudenoe, 701~~ 11, paip 563, a8 fallare: Vhntl48, bob7 omrponent parts 0r *&e State, have no pcmmrs02 dutlem 4xoept those which II.- olsarly set forth and defined in tha Constitution and statutes. '34 s?Jotut4shave olearly dsfirred tha powers, presoribad the duties, end kpoaed SW liablllt1es or the ow~l88loners* oaurt, the redlua thmu$z wbloh the dirrernat ocunties aot, aad rrm those sta- tutes mat 40~4 a13 tha euthority vested In the 0ountlos.* 3dwarda Ccuntr ~4. JeunIngs, 53 Sii 565. "Comlssloners~ ocurte afe oourts 0r limit- ed jurisdletion, in that th4lr authority extends only to ratters pertalnl~ to the Reneral welrere of their respeetlve sountlca and that their powers Ron. Vinoent Tudor, JUs S rrc,only those expresely or luplledly oonferred upoe them by lsw, tht is, by the Ccnstltutloa la dstatutes of the State.* Gun Vapor ~leotrlo Xl&t Co~paay vs. Kesnsn, SO RW8681 Hill Ccunty 2YS 81 292; Tamp10 Lumber Cosipuny *II.tlnftlltoo, vm. Ccmmlsaloaers~ Court or t3ablna County, 830 SW 6668 Smnrd 88. Falls county, 646 6'17 966. we quote rrom the sase or ComIsslouers~ Cod VS. iPallao8,15 m end 535, as r0lia*8r The oanaisalonar8~ oourt 18 a oreatum of the 6tate constitutloa 4.nd its pners are ll@lted sad controlled by the Constitution und tho laws as pessed by the ~6lslature.* The lest sentence 0r &3101* 5, seotloa 16 0r tha Texas Constitution xeadsr V+ze oouatf oo&aclssloners 80 ahosen, with the county judge PO presldi~ orrioer, shall oonpooe the county comlsslmers* oo~rt, rhloh slwll exorolse suoh powers and jurlsdlotlon over all ec?mty bwlnass, as is oonfermd by this Constltutlon and ths laws or the State, or as my ba hermiter ~~reaorlbed." Fo do not think that Seotlon 59a, Artlale 16 o? the Gtats Conatltutlon luthorizem the ao~sslc,ners* oaurt to mike the expenditures sbaV8 r.entioaed. nrtlole 6551, Vernon’s Civil mnottited Statutes, thloh speolfIes the gonsral Faaers end duties of tb OCQ- P~~JIS~OI~~T~* court Isake@no prcvlslons foT the purpose we hove under oonsideration. III this oonneotlon, we am unable to rind anr statute that authorlses tk 00n0118810~*rs* oourt to expend finds or the oounty for the dlsoovexy and developa?antor oil wella in a oounty. ThereSore, you are rospeotfully advised that It la the opinion or this Ueperlineat that the oomissleaers~ amrt of Hale Couaty dO4a not have the luthcrlty to otter HOR.vineoatTudor,Paw 4 the mm 0s 0~ mmdrod Thounob Dollars OT any otbor ummt for the pupas08 above indloetod. bullting that tha forrgoing fully wlmmrll your inquiry, w rmaln ~,~;:i:;'d!?~,FE23 15, 1940 ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS