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