‘I
‘i OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable 6. P. Rorma, Jr.
county Auditor
wnllnrr County
H~patud, Tom8
IMar Slrr
Ioor letter OS roquutln~ thr oplnlnn
of thll, departmint on the tad thrreln, lm in part,
aa followm~
medim ragsrd-
nlstratll~ offleer
au the mherlff 18 ourtodian of thr Court
Houao than @oars rou&ly outllna tha r~*anlu of the
wma ICurtodian* aa u8ed in th8 8tatuta8 ooreclry
partloalurly the followlag polntw
1. Ths sppointmuk, and general auportlalon
of the work, of the jmltor.
2. T h e
la sl~nt of of?ios spnoe to the
w4rloua aounty orrices.
1. Th8 allooatlon of offioa equipment to
the rarlour 0rri0eh
4. The responrlbllity for minor rspairr
to be mada to bulldings.
“If the above numbered Item are tho Sheriff’s
rosponalbillty wlthln ths~llrPlts of his dutlea .,
OUStOdiM Of tb6 COllI’t xOU86, than in item8 Number
1 and 4 where an rxpandltura is nros66.ary to full-
fill suoh 8ervloe--end slnoa the Co.mlseionsr*s
Court bar crole authority to make suoh expondlturas--
thsn in effeot, doaa thin not preoluds snj admlnls-
tratlvs rasponslblllty of the sherlrf ror whlah ax-
psndltura of funds 18 n606saery.-
Art. 5, S60. 18, of the State Conntltution, provld68,
in part, as r0iior8:
“The county oosmlseloners 80 choam, with the
oounty judpe a8 pre8ld OrriO6r, ahall OOUipOS6
9
the Oounty Coamlssloner~ Court, whloh ahall axarolss
suoh powara and jurIsdlotlon ov6r all oounty bualnees,
as 1s oonfarred by thl8 Constitution 8nd the 18~8 of
this State, or aa may be hareaftar prsaorlbsd."
In the oan6 of Anderson, 6t al, vs. Wood, 152 S. .
: 26 1081, the 8uprama Court, rrlth rsrsrrnoe to the foregoing
provision of the Conatltution, a~ldr
While under the above oonatltutlonal provlalon,
the jurisdiction 0r the Coamlsslon6r8~ Court ovsr
oounty buoln688, 10 not general and all-lnolurlr6,but
18 ll!nltad to such as i8 8p6olfloally conrsrrad.by
th6 Constitution and 8tatute8. (Ml118 Oount V8.
L6mp.6888 County, 90 TaSa8, 603, 40 9. :f. 403 T , yet
tha Coamlesloner8* ,Court is the aotlng governing body
0r thf 00unv. . . .It is the grn6ral bu8Insas and
oontraoting agnoy of the oounty, and it alon ha8
authority to omka oontraota blndlng on tha oounty,
unlaoa oth6rwlae 8p6olfloally provided by statute....
iYh6rQ a right 18 oonierred, or obllgatlon ImpO88d On
said Couft, it ha8 ImplIed authority to 6X6rOl60 a
broad diaerstlon to aooompllah tha p~~po66s Int6ti6d..
. .. On the other hand, a rharlff ham no authority to
make oontraots that are binding on the OounW, 6IOept
where ha is spaoifloally 80 authorized to do by
etatuts....-
0-7
‘irt.. ‘, V.A.C.S.. providea:
*Sherlffe cli?ll have o!inrco qnd control of
the wurthouac of their rcrpcotlvc countlsa,oubjcot
to rh regulations ae ths Commlscloncral Court may
praulbe; and ths official bmd ah*11 axtcnd to
qod k~oludo the fs1ltfifulpsrformcnoa of their dutlcc
unaa this artlole."
Art. 2352, V. ..C.S., imposes on the CommlsslGn6rc*
Court thcduty to "provide and keep in rcpcir oourth0u848, jclla
and all rcsccary pub110 buildtigs.'
Referring to Art. 2351, in the oCc6 of kndcrsa,ct al,
vs. :io9d,supra, lt la st.atd;
“The dutlcs thus imposed arc not limitsd to
thctirnlchln~ of a bare bulldlag and kecpIng it in
rep&r. It oontcmplatsa an inhabitable OOurthOUSe;
onsthat 18 USCfUi hr the pUrpO86s intend66. ai8
wOd# iDClUd6 the furnishlog Of heat, SlcVctOr scr-
Tiffnhcrc OCedSd, as rsll aa jsnitor ssrrioc to
kaglt clean and USCf& Since it 1s under the
dug 0r providing there oonr6nl6no88, the COdSSlOa-
erg Court has at lcaet the implied power 8nd author-
ityt0 COotraOt th6rSiOrr~ Godson ~8. Marshall,
Tea Civil hppsals 118 S. a. 2d 621. ijc think,
thacforc, the Co. ml.iCSiOR6iS’ COUrt he* th6 authority
to aleot ( oontrnot with, and dicohsrgc the abolr
me&oncd courthouse 4ap10yc48.a
Coastruing Art. 6672, V.i.C.S., it 1s at&ted in the
oase 0r bdcr8on, et al, vm. Wood, aupra,:
-The abovs statute placoc the sheriff in ohargs
mdoontrol or the courthouse neucly for the purpose
of$cepinr. order snd prssarrine the property. Thscs
sr~mInlsterla1 dutlas that are ln kecplne with the
dUacs of a psaos offlocr. It lc not intended to
r& the sheriff with dlcarctlonary power to oontraot
forc3n hehalr of th6 county with Smp1OyS.S t0 k66p
tbr~bulldlng in a useful aondltlon. Thcac arc duties
tM aall for the es6rolcc Of dlsarstlon in the uce or
th&oontraoting power of the ooUnty, auob nn 1s rested
tithe Co~celonsrc~ Court."
In view of the forq-olnc authorltlea, Y’JU are
respeotfully advised that it Is the opinion of this da-
partmant thnt It 1s thr duty of the Commlasloners' Court
to appoint a janitor qnd supsrv'lse his *;ork. It is our
further orlnion that ths amalgnment of office spaca to
various oounty offloars, the allooatlon of orfioe equip-
ment to rarlous otflosrs and the renponaiblllty for minor
repairs to bs aads to publio bull@ln@ arc all duties of
the Commlssloncral Court. Tharc 1s no duty or responsi-
bility lmpossd upon ths sharlff Fortslnin& to the ques-
tlons under con4lQrretlon.
Yours vary truly
ATR,T;'::;Y
G?KFRAL. OF T!:XAS
&-@%Wd!
Ardsll allllama
Assistant