**OFFICE OF**  **THE A-ITORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  **TEXAS**
**AUSTIN**

maor*blo wayno L8fovro COanty **Auditor** Clay **county** Renrlotto, Toeras

**d4r the**  **faa** 

## a would B oan4rltsraa Into bethe Olay Oounty 8ionor8* court T V8laatlua Itamekr8, 

### forthamlton **of** all oil,and atllitler rendwed alay oountf,.b6 *al800 requsrtln& thb qd.nlon tated questfunrbrda 18

meko a request ice an oplnlon

ontraot entorrd into betwon Coaoriaalonefs

Court end Pritt, farsr

taluetlou Englnssra, whereby alay county Cormie8lenerr Court donttaot to pay Priehsrd d Abbott &OO.OO per mlllion dollars tcaluation OS all oil end gas and utllltl~a rendered in cfryOorinty, be rrlid? There 088 not plaoad in tha bud@ for th6 jasr Snwhioh thla uontraat is made satimetes to pay ,Eorsaid aontraot. Al80 ~ag.?rsnta .Xoaarablomyno L6i6vr6, **Paga** n

Waoo for suoh 

### servloo8 would exoeod the **r6v6nuoa** frem the CJ666rsl

popd if other obllgstlons droady bad&66 wers **paid.** There is no 6ourt order l

xlstsnt aettirrg

up a **tax** rate to teks oar0 of psyment, or the ursatln~ of
an lat6rest & 6lnklng ftldl 

## tar rate. And 6616 oontraotwas never road in open Oourt bven though t&s obalrarn OS ths oourt, had arks4 the oomalsdonera if they oared to road QC haoo read said oontrsot. Alao the oontraot la 

### ~lgned by tho foar members oi the oourt but not by the County Judge. But thsrs 16 an odor 6;prorlngssld aontreat on theminutea of aaid oourt.

.I would approoLt6 a raply et your 66rllOSf Oonv6rlionOo.~

Ia the oaso ofRoper vs. Ball, Z80 8.S. 2439,th6 t+rt_of **cltf~~App~al6** s~rt~lned a aontr6ot 166doby Yl'eOstoMCounty with Thomas I. Piokett for oollestln( and oompllhg information oonsornfng oil properties sad tho Siring of ralu66 thetoo& **It ns**  pointed **out 66**  **the** basis for that holding thsfthoss a6nloo6 involrod 6n lxtrao r- dlnsrr skill not D0660860dbr an ordlnarrmrson. The power-of 

### the40omm~66l&er6~ eharaotor intolcrsdInRoper Isthe ease atMarquart ~8.

W quote from the followa: Goart to 166kG Sontraots 0r 6ho

lass of Roper va Rail, oupra, as

aExpre66 authority howwer, 1s glveh to tha ooIsal66lo66r6~oourt over ths anbjeot oi the levying of taxes end requlrfng all property l ltust64 in th6 oounty to b6 proprly as66666d **and** to **kar** its proportion of ths bardon of taxation sorordln& to its value. 860 authorltioe above oftod. Ths gsn6rsl powors 60 glron to th6 oaamlr6loner6~ oourto l r6 o? little preotloikl

value without th6 further authority to use adrquatsmess6 to lnsuro th6Hoaorablo u6yaa Lafovre; Peg* S

Proper, lntalllgant **and** a~fmetlraamr*$*a thereof. The Constitution require8 end pub110 p*lioY demanda that 611 

### taxable property shall oontributa it* ju6tproportiaa to the expen606 of 

### 4sovernm6nt.The PU'pOSa of the oontreot **under** *Ou6ldar6tlOnwaa to aid in SaOWing au& rasalt. **Tha 66rViOO6**  **oontraoted to**  be rendercpd oalled for lntormatlonana 

### l xperienoanot pOSSWJsad by the ordiary p*non. **So** far **as they**  6fiSOt6d the diaoovarp, aa6assnent, and valuathI Or IUXT4UdOroa oil pTOp6Tti46, they OOdd not bsva bean perfornud by the oountya6*eg*Or onl**s he po66a66od extraordinary lnfomtla and azp*ri*nO* along the required **1ineS.** Ha taatiiled In the ease, and under oath dlsOlSitwd 6uoh qualifimstion. Halther oould tlm OQXlUZi66iOll4T6' **OQUl?%, Sitting**  **a6 an**  **6qU6liz6-** tlon 

### board, perform 

### ita funotfons efl*otlraly without auoh expert aid. The 

### oourt so dealarod, in offeet, when it entered into the oontraot. It does not appear thaf Itx*6 tl;eintent or effaot of the aontraot that Plokatt shouldperform the dutiel hpO6ad by law on any of tIte 

### ottloetro

oonoerned. On the oontrarg, it da6 appear that It6 purpose ~6 merely to aid suoh offloers in the effaotl~a ~r?omano* of th*lr Te~~eOti~e dutiO6

. . . . "The nraklngof the aontraot 

### underaonsld- *ration was within the lspli*d power posseesad by the oomml66lon*r6' aoUt O? fi**StOnOEounty, and 6uoh oontraot dfd not eontenrg~atathe parrormsme **by** *aid Piakett of duties imposedby **law Upon**  either the aeaa66or or **the** oormi66ionsr6~
oourt . . . ."

**l?a do**  not have the oontraot in qu*atiOnbefore u6, **therefore, we**  ***an** exproas no opinion as to th* V*lid$tY Qf ths SOnX3. However, the abovementioned Oa*** *rpr***lY hold' that the m6king 

### Of suoh a oontraot for the OOll*otlon *nd 

### ae~embabl~0f Information 

### atmoernlngoil imp*rti** *nQ fbgongor the r*iu** thareoxs1,s within **the power**  **R***e**ed by**  ths ooaml*6loner*' OOUSt.

Under the faOt6 Stated in POW l*tt*r, it b aPparent thet when ths bu3gat fm the OOUW w6* Pr*R*rd

### HanorabloWayneLafevre,Page 

### 4

thebud&i oonteined'noproridlon for erpendlture~ciuoh
auare here larolrwI.

Artlole 089a-11 provides In 2srtr

he Oouaty Court, and taxsa leviad only in aooordanoe therewith, and no oxponditura or the rlulas0: the oounty shall thereafter be me80 

## exceptin &riot oomplle~oe

### with thebudgetaa adopted 

### by the Court, 6xoapt that l mergenoy expenditures, In oaaa of grave publio noeessity, to meet wiuaual and unioreoeen oonditlon# rhioh oould not, by reasonablydiligent thought and attention,have been inolutWi in the original buQ@t, my frwn tim to tini@be authoriswd **by** tha **Courlr BP** mnem&aents to tha original buflg8t. In ~11 oaaea Wh8rt! euoh CBUWidmeat to the originalbudge0 ismado, a oopy Of 

### theardorof the 

### Court l mWIing tha budget shall be **tiled** nith tha Cllerkof the CouutyUourt, aad attaohea to the buQot 0rigiinally aaopted.~

Aa 00 erpenditua'oa of the fund8 Of the County Bhau k made woept In strlot ooqplimea with the bu&& as adopted by the Oolat and as the budget eontafnr no~grovlsion with 

### rbfbrenoo

### to expenditurbr, ourh a@ 

### are iswolvsd, it ia our opinion that the county oannot expend its finds for auoh purpoaa,withoutharb oomplle& with the budget la%

TruotLnp that the rorogolng fully

## amera fout inqulrr,we are