.,,
%
. .
*
c
In connection r;it.h the above for:. on6 uit.1,your
psrmloelon~we restate your ~ueatloni
"Is the County Aucitor within his suthorfty to
denand the above form be use4 ln requests for
probable supplies in Limounts less than $XiO.OO,
hlch may be neaded for tbe future, by a Co:+
missioner and be allowed by the Ccrznls810rers1
Court subject to the ap?roral of the County
hudltor2*
In the light of your letter aettin~. forth the above,
the tolloulng statutes as pertalnlng to the dutls8 of a County
Auditor, which we think are plain and unambiguous with rerelc
ence to aootrollla~ sny uneuthorlzed expenditure of County
rtw3, ere as followsr
Artlale 1659 or relevant ponlon thereof re6dst
*In ascee of oanergefmy, pureha8ee not In uee88
or One Hundred ad Fffty DO118X'S may be made
upOn requisition to b& 8ppIWed by the con-
5i88iOllOl'8'hWt, WittIOQt 8dYUti8ily for S
o~petltlve bid.-
Artiale 1060 ~8681
-All d&48, bin8 ard 800oWlt8 6(3slilIlt
tie
eoonty must be ru06 In ucple time for t&o
auditor to exasiw 8136 approve 8850 befor
thomeetlneaof the oamalulonen wart. Ho
claba, blll or aocQuat a?wU b8 8lkowkor
paMuntil it ha8 booaexmdaduulapprova6
by the ooanty mi4ltor. TJmator mhall
uulnethe 8smeand 8tsaphi88pprenl
tfluron* Xf he dem lt neoenary, 8ll 8oeh
4%WOO&8, bln8, or al8lm8 ruut be verlfld
by aiifd8Ylt toueh~ the OOmUtfIO88 Of the
The auditor 1s b8reby 8UthOZ’iSd to
$%ktOr Oath8 far the puTpo8e8 of fh18
1cI1.a
Artlole 1661 rode:
-HO 8hall not 8Udit Or WplVrCr My 8Uoh Ohb
tie88 it ha8 beari eOntraCtOd 88 pm~ided by
law, nor any 8ccount ror the purohe8e or
8Upplie0 or material8 ror the tue of said
aOMty Or My Or 1tS OffiOUS, Ul1e8S, ill
addltlon to other requlrcdnenta 0r law, there
1s ottochoC t!!ereloa requloltlon sl,~ned
by the ofrlcor ordarln(-ear:eand ap;!rovadby
tbo county jud/?e. 310 requlsltlon must be
rind0out and sl~xu? and approred ln trlpll-
cate bl the 0~12 orrlcers, the trlpllcate to
rem&n alth the ofricer doslrlrq the >urcbaae,
the dupllcute to be filed wlth the county
nudltor and tha orlc>nal to be dellvared to
the pnrtg fror.whrU said >urchnse la to be
9;adebefore my purchnse shall be mde. All
warrants3on the county treasurer. excent
warrants for jury aerhce, muat 65 souiiter-
sluned by the county auditor."
YIowould be unable to cay, s8 a metter of rlcbt,
that the uee of cuch o fom OS set out nbove would be zanda-
tory 40 the JXArt Or B County ~ZlEii88lO~tW IIdeS pOSS%b~
the Comml8slo5aro~ Court adopea 8wh printed request r0m.
The otatutee do nOt set rorth or rqqdre any particular for&?
of request and we would 3ot ea8uTe that this rorm Is to be
used in tripliootc and take the plaoe of a requlsltion 09 pro-
via8d by ,statute. The above form certainly, ln our view, 1s
not prohlbltetl, bat uhetber approved by the Comnlsalonere*
Court or othsxnlsa w do rat belleve that the iallure on the
part of a11 offioer to we said form could, in ltaelf, defut
the approval and aUwence of puroh8a8 Pade otberwlse, in
m.mor.~n,ndunder the provlslon8 eat forth in tbe above etatut’s.
&Ii agent. .dtiy WthOriZed by the &Xid88iOner8’ COUrti t0 PUS-
chase onppllerr under Article lY301 whether he be on0 of ths
~oid~810n~8 w not, ;S not ~elirt0d OS tbs ~qu~050~tt3 0r
&tittl8 2660, 8UQlW Thla Article has boon held mnd8tWy ss
requlrlng thwappro+el or the Count Auditor, a oon$ltlon pro-
oedent to the uerclee of jurlsdlct fon over such al&w. Antler-
aon t. hshe, 99 Texas 447, 90 S. L 874.
Xn referenoe to the opinion ?o llr.Joe J. Alsup,
Ilselatant Attorney Oeneral, dated February 25th 1937, retiomd
to Yr. Borqx-4 Anborson, County Attorney, A.%srllio, T-88, it
appears from a close readlnc or the opinion, that the aufhorc
Ity of the Coctnlsoloners* Court under Artloles 2X30 and 2659,
IievlaedClvll Statutes lQZ5, ws dealt with 8olelg, and the
oplnlon did not attezgt to co into the manner required by law
for makiq 8uob purcbnoo8.
tie8rb unab~conntrue 8Sia
opition ae holdlae that the provl8lona of Article 1661,supra.
are to be dlsregsrded with referefiaeto au02 purchases by
agents or where in cases of emer~cnoy it la desired to make
purahsae6 not in excem of $150,00, that such requlsltlon to
be approved lr,a different requioltlon than t':atprovided for
in Article 1661 eet forth.
.
lb. Fred !