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;a OF&E OF THE, ATTORNEY GENERAL 0~ TEXA&
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I(Q*OYem SLLLIIll AUSTIN
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,yl, ” ,y
&x&able Cikrlee A. Tosch
county ;.uditor, il3113.3County .,‘. - ‘. .I .,
Records auildizz~
Dallua. 2, Texas .
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Dear i4r:
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“1 zn in houbt as to thb’legallty oi’t’ho kxpdn-
diture of County fun2;‘sfor such purchases md ~there-
.kore respectfully requsst your .o?iaion aith reference
-~ to the richt and ~powter of i)allas COunty to SO UScf the
county SuXds. 1
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“In explanatioa of the 2rosoe:d purchroe of nn ’ ’
autozoblle or *st3tion WS~O3’ f0” the uee of ths County
Jud&a 1x1 3.cmacy proccedinc.;n, 1 by3 to :sdviso that In
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'Dana3 Comty the Cousty Court conduct.3 %ts 1Wnuy
procsedlngs in tbs County TtscoxdS BuLldloD which i3
:.at lsU.at five &la3 fro5 ths City-COUZIty ~~03pita.l
_ where luastj.cs too I.11or too violeat to be brought
. into Court geraoxally tire Coill’luCd. ‘:Yherethe luna-
tic i3 sltbsr too 111 or too violsut to be brought
into Court, Lt Sa necesanry for t!m jury in such
lunacy proosedings to be trunsportcd to the City-
County Zos?itnl to v&w the acouscd. For the Past
Ssvsral yesrs the Court hss transported the jurors
in taxicab:,'at considerable exse;las. At the present
time, la addition to-the expense, XQ LCTO experiencing
considerable difficulty in obtaining taxicabs, sod
it sill be a goat s&viin&~ to the County bath in money
and convenience of the juror3 it the county c-m purchsse
ah autonobile or 'station wigon' capable of hauling at
least six persona to be used in the tram?ortation of
- jurcrs~in these proceedings.
With reference to the proposed purchase of an
-. autoziobilc to be used by the Tax Assessor-Collector,
I advise that in Dallas County thexe npgs3rs.a neces-
. Sity fox the US% of suah ahtonobile by the Tar Assessor-
Collector in driving over the County to visw a3d apgraige
property, and alEo in the establlshmnt of branch offices
during the rush collection ~)ariods whep the ad valores
ad notor vshicle taxes are collscted. The Co,~3i33ionsr3'
COUl% 10 Of the opinion that considerable savings to Dal-
las COUnty can be affected'if the County purc;?ases an
,autozmbile for ,this purposa rather than allowing the 'D2.x
Assessor-Collector travelin& er>ense on a >er mi,leage
basis. .
%ith reference to th5, proposed purchase of an
autozmblls for the 2robrtion Officer, I beg to advisa
that this auto&bile will be used 'cblofly in tramaort-
.ing juveniles to thn BOYS' and Girls' Trainiq schools
ln G+ux3v~lie and Gateavillc, 0s well as fn trnveling
over Dall~s.County in the ~crforumms of his official
datics pcrtrlniq to juvenils ca3es. Ths Cwmisuioners
Court 23 also of the’oginlon that cocnidorable savinGa
to iIslla3 County can.ba effected if the County purchssss
an autonubila for this ;urposs rather than allowing the
3rsb3tion Officer trurslin~ eqense on 3. per aile3Ca
basis.
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~onordble Ckf.~rlesA. Bosch? ?Ge 3
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“1 t!srefore respectfully request nn~opinion
i from your degartmnt as to the 1eOnlity of the use
! OS Cowty f*unds by the Comis8ioners1 Court of Dallas
j Countyfor the purchase of such ahtozobi&es.”
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. ,The gowts’a&d authority possessed by the Cozaissloners*
Courts of Texas are only those ekgresslg, or by necessary implica-
tion, coaferred by the Constitutloa and statutes or our &ate. 34
Ter. Jur., p. 440, par. 67.
A sareful exmination of’ Title 61, V.A.C.S., concern-
ing fees of o$fice, di~c10Sr~ IhO authority TOT the pUSChaSM Of’
automobiles to bo used for the’purposes covered by,your inpuiryr
By Article 3899(a), V.A.C.3., the ,Co~missionorsv Co&t ’
&y a&a 8: sheriff, WtiO’iS compensated On a fee basis, one or
mre autombileti to be us8d in the discharge of his oflicial : ,,
duties.
‘By inbdlvisiin (b),‘saine &iole, vJ&ero.sucli’sherifr’s :
aompenoatiou is 0n.a salary basis, the Coamissioner8t court may
allow one‘or aor% outoxobiles t0 he-used ia the diSChaZ~8 Of _’
his orficial b&nessr " .. :
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The &oVisio& of said foregoin~:!subdivisions ~oi said
;rrticl% 30889 apply to counties having a population .., o< le8S ,thara
190,000 lohrrbitonts. ; ~. ,;+ ‘..,” ;.
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In couuties having a po.mlatl6z in excess of 190,OOQ
ldtubitauts, the Comissionors*.Court my allow the shsriZf om or
&me autombiles t.9 h% uqed’by hix or his deputies in the dischsrge
Of his officiul duties. Said c ourt, In-such counties, may also
al&m the District ittorney.or Criminal District kttornqy one or
=DTe autombilsa to be used by hb in the discharge’of his of- I
.fiCial duties. ut. 3912-e (L).,V. A. c. b.
No other Statutorp or constitutional authority elifits,
so.far as we have been able to asoertaizi, whereby a 6omuissioner8*
Court nay furnish or allolv an autoxobilc ror the use bi’ any county
Or district Officials; other than those hcrelnabove listed.
It is a fatiliar rule of construction that the spe~ifi-
eetioilof one partioultir class, exaludcs all other classes. State
.*o gspel, (CRY. ~pp.) 61 3, ii. (Zd) 149. Also see 39 Tax. Jur.,
2* lW, p1.r. 100, in which the “exprcssio unius” rule (the exgres-
sioa of one thing is exolusive of another) Is discussed. 346
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Dooorabla ChArius d. Tosoh, Daze 4
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rule of construction clearly has application to ‘the questions
now under coneidoration. The Legislature has, by General lsw,
only designzted txo classes of officers th:lt might be allowed
autozobilcs for official use by the Co-missioners’ Court. They
.are’shoriffs 2nd certain Dletrict r.ttorncys or Crizfnol District
attorneys 93 afores.aid. ?lot having so designated any other of-
ficer or officnrs to v~ihom tho Co:~~lasioncrsf Court might furnish
01 allow nutombiles for official U30, the Legislature hm granted.
so authority by general low to said Court to furnish or nllow
autombilos for such use to any offlcisl3 other than those al-
ready na:acd.
be are not unmixldful of the prov~iaions of H. B.’ 744,
Chap. 392, 48th Legisl.3ture, which acmda Seotfon 4 ofthe
Dallas County Road Low as previously written. Fe are also
aware or the fact that .there are other special% road ICVJS ai-
fecting numrous counties in Texas; These special road laws, ..
however, hove no application to the questions submitted.
It is thS8fOro the.‘o?inion of thls~ depart&t that,
thi Cogcdssioners~ Court 6f Dallas County is without suthority
to purchase, automblles for any .of the purposes mentiohed in ...,
your cozlunlcatiop,
Yours v&y truly
.' ATkWEY GiNZiW, OF T&AS
L. 8. Flevdleri-
Assistant
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COMMn-r&E
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Combined Opinion