OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
-Gyuo(
--
Xonoreble Kennatb H. Clark
CountJ Auditor
V8rd county
Jksmhans, ruar
0 quote rron your
Annotated Texrr Civil Sta-
08 in the State act-
lp o o t;ve
c o m8zsr lo a -
th eo -ty.
o o uetler
ma 8ls
y o
, frlcludimg the
nocowary bulldilgr nnd other
ImproYmatll, sn thdr ovn oountler or in my
other oounty or olty la #ie Batted State@,
vhero fairs or sxporltionaare being held,
"See. 2. The Cornlarfomrst Courta at the
.respectlve oountios or the Com@ssionerst Courts
of e.evarsl counties aury cooperatevith eaoh
other and participate vlth local Interest!8 in
providing for th elreotion of suoh building8
and other imprmwments aa mar be neceasery to
Honorable Kenneth J4. Clarlc, Page 2
aaooatpliah the purpose vntfoned in Seotionl,
of this Aot and for the larstiling, oreating,
and mlntaining of such hortioultural and agrl-
oultural, livestock and nimeral exhl.bLta, and
the oxpenasa lnaldent thereto.
"Sec. 3. All inoorporatedcities, vater im-
proveamnt districts, and vatar control end im-
proveBent dlatricta mfiy cooperate vith th8 COIlI-
mlsrlonerr~ Courta of rush oountlaa for the pur-
pose8 stated in Saotloa 1, and Section 2 of this
Aat and appropriate monies in providing for auoh
exhibits, eatabliahirtg and maintaining much
muaeuam, and ln the areatlon of such bulldings
and lmprovsmentr, and the aaaembl+ng, erecting
and mafntainlng of awh horticultural, agricul-
tural,~liveatock and mineral exhibita.
“Sec. 4. Rothlng herein oontalned ahall be
aon8trued as repealing or modifying any of the
proviiiona ot Chapter 163, 0mera1 hvm, ?tetgular
Seaalon, Forty-aeuond Legl8laturo (knovn aa Iiouae
Bill 312), {codified aa Art. 236&, V.A.T.C.S.)
nor as taking the provlrlona of th.la Aat out of
limitationa of maid Chapter 163, Acts 1934,
4th LB., p. 52, ah. 20; Actr 1926,
E it;** 3td C.S., . 2103, oh. 507, 1 1.
(S8aOnd iiacketa our8 lp
Article 2368a, Soation 2, Yornon’r AnnotatedCivil
Statutes, reads in part as follovar
“No county acting through its ooaaalaaloaera
oourt,.... ahall hereafter make or enter Into
any contract or agmemtmt for the construction
$b-% :::?g%k$%s%:~~g 2
nditure in excess of Tvo Thousand Dollara
7 $2,000.00), crentlng or lmpoaing an obllga-
tion or liability of an;~ nature or oharecter
upon such comty, or mq subdivision of such
aounty,..,. without first aubmittlng such pko-
posed oontract or agreement to cpmpetitlve bids.
,...” (Undsrsaoring ours)
Xoaormbh Keaabth II. Clmrk, ?a&~ )
ATtiole 1659, V8rmot1~8 Annotmted lelcam Ciril Stm-
tutmm, road8 as follovs~
"8uppUmm of etmry kiti, romd mnd bridge
rtarial, or a4 other uterial. for the UH of
raid aouuty,or uy of its offlomrm, depwtmats,
or inmtltutlonmmust bm purmhmsmdon a~tltlre
bSdm, the oontnot to bm avardmd to thm party vho,
IA the jUd@MtAt of the oommlsrionorrcourt,hum
muwttod thm lovrmtmud bmmt bid, The oounty
auditor mhall mdvmrtisofor l p o r lo d of tvo weeks
IA at lmmst one Qlly nevmpmper, publlmhmd mnd oir-
aulmted ir thm oouaty for lumh suppllemmad amtar-
l
ial aomordingto pmolfimmtias, giving in detail
vhmt 1s needed, Buoh tiYWtbmAt8 &au date
VhbN tbo speolfimmtlonmmtobm found,mad mbmll,
give the t%m md pImoe fos~rooolrlngmuoh bldm.
All muah ooapetitivobids shall be kept OQ file
b yth eo o unty
ludlto~mm mpmrtof thb roaords of
him offlmm,mnd mhmll b~mubject to iampomtlca by
my OAO iImm;rhg to mom Quq. Copier of ml1 bids
reoelrodlhmll bm fur~Imhodwthm oouaty auditor
totheoouAty udgmubtethmoolEU.immloamrmoourt~
mnd vhmn t&m b fdm nooivod erm not lmtimtmatory
to ths mmld dgo oroount oesais11ldp~4rs, thm
auditor mhalP njmmt uid tldl'mnd m-advo~l8s
for nev bldm. IA omes of omrgoncy, puWumm8
not In exommm of wm hundred mad fifty dollars
may bo aBadeUpoA requfsitlo!a ta be appmvod w tbo
aomimslonmrm oourt, vlthout ldvertimimg for am-
tltirqbidm.'
The mame of LWmtonm Oounty vm..Knox, 234 9u 131,
held that the aounty'm oontraotfor purahameof romd ramerj
ln~olrlng lxpmndlture of ~brm tbm~ ~2,000.00 Vl#OUt reqUiX3ng
oompetlt%vo bldm vam void. Ito mnolomohmrmvIths oapy of
o&dAiOA Ho. 0-1839 of this doprrt.S@At vhloh 00~taiA8 a full
of thm LIamstonmOounty mm80 md 6180 dlmmumsmr
dlmaumslor,
Artlolsr 23f%msad 1659, Vmrnon'm AnnotatedTeixAaCl~ti 8tm-
tutor.
In umwer to your question you are rumpeotfdly ad-
v1m.d mm followmr
rmble Kenmth II. Clark, Page 4
1. The aorPlisslonorm" oourt is not luthorlmed to
&o or enter into any oontnot or agreement for the oonmtruo-
tion of m8y publla bulldlng ud 6oclpletlon of mmy pub110 vork
~ulrlag or muthorla My oxpoAdltun In 0x0.88 of Tuo
moummmd(42,OOO.OO) Do i"fIem, onmtlng or bpomiag m,nobllga-
tioa or llmblllty upon the aouBty, vltbout flrmt submttting
swh proposed oontraet or agnomont to oompetltlrr bids.
2. Undar Artlole 1659, auprr, raterlmlm mnd sup lies
fn~olrlngmmexpondltur* of more thma Oae HuAdnd, mrty P$150.00)
Dollmrmrust bm purchased by ooqntltlrm bids.
3. ?hm oo~mmloamrm~ oourt cmmybuy muoh materIm
l.m lacordmnoe vlth Artlole 1659r'mutmittlng mmam to aaPpetltlve
bids, andamyhirm day labor to oamstructtho building. It la
our oplnlo~that the aoanismloners~ oowt would hmve l uthorlty
to him much labor vlthout Ntnlttlng the hiring of much labor
to oompetltlre bldm.
Xaurmvmrytruly
ATTORBEYC?ERERALOFTEXAS
Wm. s. f~nAl.Ag
Amslatmnt
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Combined Opinion