OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Hon. J.C. Gordy
County Auditor
Wichita County
Blohlta Palle. Texas
at&ad
ment.
Hon. J.C. GowdY, page 8
even aftei such cmand and refusal, and even
though the order ooatalne a olause for the
pay5eat 0r interest. In 8QGIe$.lria~iotions,
howevm, a county board may issue interest
bearing warrants to oover oertaln obligations
or the oourity. Although, when au&horized by
statute, interest on outstandlcgti%rrants
oan be allowed only from the tine the atat-
ute authorfzing its payment goes into effect,
and a ohange of the legal rate does not ap-
ply to I&crest on warrants which have al-
ready beoome entitled to draw lnterest, ln-
ralid warrants whioh are ratified and vali-
d&ted will draw interest as though they were
valid when issued.*
We quote from RULmG CA% LAW, Vol. 15, p.p.
17 and lG as~followsr
*It is well settled, both on prinoiple
and authority,.thata state oarinotbe held
to the payment of interest o&its debts un-
less bound by an aot of the legislatureor
by a Lawful oontract of its exeoutive offl-
oera aradewithinthe coops of their:duly
constitutedauthovityk Thie prlnolpLeap-
plies to bonds) claims,.,udg+ente;and War-
rants. The theory upon -Jlrtnh.themle ~10
based ie that whenever In%&-sat Is allowed
neitherby st:&ute or by common law, exoept
in aase8 where there har been a oontraot to
pq interest, it 18 allowed r0r delay or
default of the debtor. hut delay or dsfd$tit
oannot be attributedto the government, !W
is presumed~tobe s&ways ready to pay whet
it owes. She a pareatly favored poeitlon of
the gcveref@& fn this respect has been de-
olared to Wdeanded by public pollopr A
county is generally regarded as but an arm
or agent or the state, and not liable for
interest, in the absenoe of an express agree-
ment to pay It. $m.s rule applies to ooun-
ty warrants or orders and fa general to
omizaty auntmats, but a oo!xnty is ganerally
liable ror interest ;.auoupons on ito bond
artar mzturity. c - * *
The oase,~C~~x:.r-3Io?~~s*
CwxiT YC. ‘EiAlJ.ACE,
15 S.F. (2d) 535, hold5 that the Comds6ioners~
co’urt must have authsrlty Or law ior ito eontamt,
ysd, if the outhmity has been given, a reasonabla
000~~~uoti0~1 0r it will be given t0 err.sat ie pwr-
pOS89
se :uots fioo.the oacre of %GT?AKE VP* CIikr-
tari,270 5.3. 4-S. aa follwrr
u * 1,.ext ia vary generalLyat&ad that
lntaroat is of a purely 8tatutmy csl&i,
taminot the oreature of the oomm luw, and
that intoreat 8hou.M be remd sxaept in
suoh oneea ad aope withiu Lho bera~ ,sfthe
stutute.*
section 511of Artiole 9 of the St&s Conlltltur
tlon, racda am foUawsr
ahall bav6 no g~W8Prto
"The I.&.SalatuF8
graat, or to authorlse any oounty or munloi-
pal authority to srant, any ertm aonapenaa-
tlon, fee ur ailo~ar~aet.sa publia offla.~er,
or ooztraetor,after ssnioe.
agent, rorvclrst
has baan rendered, or a oontraat has been
entered into, and ywfurmed in whole or in
part{ am pay, mr authorlzo the pantimt OS
any claim oreated agnlerctany oounty or 8nt~a&-
ip0::tg Or the SW&, iandrag any agmsiasnt Or
oontr3at.mud0 without aiitxorltyor Imwb+
Fe ,,i;ote
fraa T2.Z.2tm.i Vol. 11, p. 603, a8
fOllo?Wl!
yhe m&hod of uhb-iiutsrlngthe fincutce8
OS ooutlaa is fuily provided for by the stat-
uteo, MC: the rar&rommts of the law ciaynot
be de!,artadfrom. li1;I "
62
Bon. 3.C. eQwdy, page 4
Atter Q oar6?ul eoaroh of the otatutaa am! the
ounstlt&iPlawa are unable ta flc.dany authority au-
tz~rislng tha caaissionerct~Court ta pay lntarast
an overtrrlrt8.
IO quote rroleTEx* JUR*, I?al*11, pa w4, 8s
r0ii0w8 t
voraruituk~~erc~ courta are 00urtb 0r lLm-
itod &risUatlan, ia that tkeir authority
.extendsonly to nvltterepertaining ta tha
general weliars 0r tar raspotiva oowi-
ties an4 that their powero &re only tho8e
axprasslyar lmpliadlyaoniarrsd uwon thcra
by law,-t&t is, by the oonetitutioasnd
atatUtC8 Of the btIhd.*
00 AU@St 9, lW7 tnin ciopnrtmntheld in an
op&ion wrftrsn by Ron0 Soott Gainsa, bsnirtantittorney
cwmral, adGra8ntId to f&r.J.R. Son8a, county Auditor
wiohita palls, Texar, "that Ghi8 aspiirtmntha8 00~18 fn-
tantly held that the oosty aacmissianors~aourt uau
without autaorlti to al&w and pay intim38t on ordinary
OOUtItyWIirrm8 OX 8Otipt i88Ued kA J?WRi&i Of #ZiUXFSJit
exptwwoe. Thererors, lnterset aould not be paid by a
oaunty to the county Qopaaita~~on averclraft oreutsd
ln the general fund, road and bridge fkbnd or the oifl-
oar's ,gilarymm3 or say other runs 0r tihsaouaty.*
~180 sac tha oasa or the s+imIiSF pxxs vs. wtsoh',
'iIT0X@8 291.
YOU UT0 rtI8JH5OthilyaLVi6~Cithat it $8 tb
cjpirhn 0r this aeprwbnt that ivhena aounty ir 0p0r-
sting on a aa8h basks, auoh oounty a&mot iegakly pay
interest on ovamir.$ts0