OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAiS 

AUSTIN 

-c.mNm 

-- 

xoRorab1e E. P. Jennings 

aoautp Auditor 

Hardln County 

Koulltze, Texae 

am Court of ‘~ 

hao no author6 and pay for 

38 for an autoby e Cwnty CCSiUh he usea in 

P aounty burdlatsll mattere. 

n&w this office your oplni .. 

on the PolLdwing queatf on. : 

county FunBs. 

he 0888 of Couuty Comissloner 

privatsly~ohs autoLoblle in which he oonducts 

county busdness, is the Com,ieoionars~ Court 

g%rdttetI to purohaee tires, and tube8 for his 

oar charged to oounty funds, if SO out of what 

flld? 

. 
*(B) Undei? wh;rhat authority of Article 1s 

Llbertv Countr. Torso mmittad to wrchaee QU- 

. 

Driould appractats your ~ivlrvg this ofPIca 

your ophlion on the, above quastioas l2imGiatsly 

as we ham a olalz to eat on.* 

Rang oountl@a of this Btats operate under apeair~l road laws, which laws provlda ganerallp for a riiore 

Catailed road sy3tum in much oountlea, ana also grovlae 

for the payment of acoounts incurred by the oounty OOZEttiseloner in the omratlcn of their own Drivat.e autosbllos while eupervislcg the xsain.tenanoe & roads ln suoh 

aountloe. In aottje laotancee these epeclal road lane proride for the purohaee and gsymnt of verious kinaa or 

equipmeat, lntfludtng pick-ups, eta. 

In an o:lnlon of this Departmnt aed Auguet 5, 

1920, aoil pubtlst+at ~$9 114 OS the RiotizlaZ Report for 

the years 1918-20, it nae hala by +&is Departmnt that 

aouoty oomlaaloners are not author&m& to purohase and 

pay for, goaoilne or other autor;,oblle su~pliea am3 mbdt 

their olalm therefor to the ConMaalonors~ Court for audit and allo%moe, ma 01ai.m for such supplies fumlshe8 

for w~oh yurpcjr~s are not legitb3te ot:argers againet the 

oounty, whet.hor ao purchased and paid fom by the Co&ealouers or sold direct to the county by the dealer. ThlB 

opinion Oites the o&eas of mlpga vs. Gtawart .Sron Works, 

8% Se W. $32; Rigby vs. mite, 10 8. W. 760; and IsarXlS 

Oounty va. Hcrc?mond, 203 s. X. 448. We quota Prom the above 

~en~ionea opinion as follow~t 

‘1% 18 axloaatlc that publlo funds aan 

be lawfully expended only for the purpoeeft, to 

the extent and In the rmumr prseoribad by Law, 

ana in t,he ebsence of a statute authorizing a 

particular axpmditwre of pub110 funds, suah 

expenditure should be etudicuslg avoiced: and 

that every officer ehoule fait!iPully eschew 

every transaot%on reopcat.ln~g public flll%~Oe 

that beere even tha aezblanoe of doubtful authority ought to go without aaylng. 
RonorebLe IL P. Jennings, Fqe i? 

Ve am of the opinion, therefore, and 

you are 50 advieod, thnt it if3 not proper ror 

a oounty comlsslocar to purchrrsa 6nU pay for 

gasoline or other euto;lcbilo su;c>lle:; used by 

bin; in tho dlsc!m!r$w of hi5 official duties' 

md proscat hl& acaount for amm to the oos!- 

&ssiomr5~ court ror audit ard payauant; also, 

thnt ouch 60 account iE not a lagiti~%ts charge 

@fiainst the county whcthcr auoh supylios be 

purohzxsad and &aid for by the cautiasioner in 

tfis JiaCD&r ,stwa, or bo furniohcd and ohor~sd 

;;r.;; county for that purpose by the dealers 

.n 

We belleve the doctrine laid down in the above 

niontioned opinion to be sound, and wa approve the sam a5 

applicubls to your request. 

12Urlfn County bus 8 population of 24,760 lnhabitants aocord:cc; to the last ixooeding E'edsral Gsn~us, 5nd 

GQOtian la of ArtlOle 2330~1, Vornon~s dnhotatod Civil. stintutne Coals with the amount of aalery n ccmsinnionor is cmtitled to receive in oouclies containiuq a populatioh oi 

not less than 14,SGo amI not &ore thou 14,EOG iahabitante 

aooordirig to the last avallsbla Podsral Census, and eaoh 

available lrodcral Census ihweafter. 

. 

~The @miral low or the abova mntZoned 8eotion 

of Afctiols ESOn, oupra, E5kea no provISloks for the payrant of acaounts or expenses incurred. by eozml8stonerCi 

while using their own private autor;obllee In conmctloa 

With their business a8 CoI.inty oOr’i5alOners. Therefore, 

ym& first question is respectfully analrered In the nega- 

* 

We now consider your aoaond question, anti your 

;kyu;;lon iar dlreated to Sectlon~ J., Act~s 1933, 44th Lo&is- 

, i;eoond CsLlad Session, page 1711, Chapter 443, ralatlng to aalarlss 0P oounty oo~:;iaeloners iti oartein 

countiee l Libnrtg County has a Fapulzitian of 24,309 inhsbitanta according to the last qrececl:ng Bedoral 05~8~5, 

and the above rxmtioned Act provid.ee that in oounths hevice a population of not l.css than 24,200 and not riior5 t.hna 

24,600 lahobltnnto according t.3 the l:.~t brccodln~ ~Z'edoref 

censu5 ) the aorxi&sisacrs~ ccwt ie authorized to alLot* 

eaah ootiasloner the SW of tmmty-five dollnrs per jlonth 
, 

far traveling exgm5ota within the county while on otfioial 

bu6lnea6, .vtiy~loh awn shall be peid out OF the mad and 

brid&e funds df tho resp3otive oor;lr5s&mer! s preolnat, ‘and/ 

or t&e ganaral fund of the county not to erooed flPty par 

oent of mid ex.wnsas, and oath oomfwioaer ahsll matie UCLI 

dcr 06th on itoidzed Qcoount or his erp@nstPa far eaoh wonth. 

.Thare 18 nothing in thlo Aot which authorizoe Libwty County 

to puI?Ohaea 5~t0mbil~~ for thd OOunty OOi~.isd.One~. After 

a oaraful sesroh or the etntUtes, w are unable to find my 

special etaLute, or road lw whio!~ aut.harizes Liberty county 

to purahaae atitoimbil&e tar me aaunty oorifsaioners or said 

oounty, to be used by the oounty comlsaionera in the aonbat 0f their 0rri09. 

Tiaxsting that the foregoin& tully mwne~s your ingulrp, we are 

APPROJYED AUG 2, 1940 

ATTORNEY GENERAL