Apll

Hon. w!mlam A:~Hensley Criiaiinal bistrist Atty. Baar county -- 

### SanAntonio 

### 5,Texae 12, 

### 1949.
Oplnlon ro.~p-808.
Rsr T&i Ugallty OSUWxLng warrants to purchase steel illrug squiplnent for the vaults of the County Clepk.

. Dear xr. Rensl~t

Youhave requested an opinion on the follow-

"The CoimalssIons~S~'Coilrt of Bexar county, Texas, has requested that I submit to you certain questloas regarding the purchase ore steel filing squipment fbr'the vaults oi'the 

### CountyClerkby the issuance o? warrants.
*It la the intent of the county comslst3lonsrs o? Bexar Caujity'to Issize warrants fdr the puvposs~~oi purcflsslng‘612 all-steel roller sheIves and 216 all-steel dooumsfit flles~ which are' tobs amhomtV'b6oumlY to-ths~ Courthouse Ftuur-:umction ana to be madeapart themof sofas to make-these uufts 8tatlonarJ and unmovable and a part of the building,
"The Couaty 

### Commi~aloners haverequested that I submit to pu the following questlonst
Il* Is the proposed expenaitve for a ~. lpermansnt~~lmprove~entl OSthe type oontemplatea 

### b7 the authorlsatlbn of warmnts tar the sole purposs of ~psrmsnent improvements to the 

### courthouss?'

_. -A" 

### 2. Assuming the %ons+uotlon to 

### be a pemansnt isqmveimat, aa eonslae*ing the proposed newlaw applicable to Bexar County whloh restrfbts the Count Commissionos from issuing warpants, (H.B.lO& Acts of the 51st Lag., R.S. 1949, etfeotlve Xaroh IL, 1949),.

eon. ~111inm 8. bnsley, page 2 (~-806)

hen the Co5uisaione~s legally issue previously autho~ised wamsnta for the puPpose of puvchasing and erecting this merit?” (PaPenthssla ours.) pemsanent lmppove-

.. Section 9 of-~ArtXole VIII of the Constltutlox of **Texas** provides ln part **as fO11OWS8** 

**(I** .sitQ no oocmty, olty or town shall levy m&i than twenty-firs (25) oents for alty OPoounty proses, andnot exoeedlng fifteen (15) cents **fop** roads anabridges, and not.exoeedlng fifteen (15) oents to pay japOPS, on the onb huntied dollvs valu&tlon, exoept ioF the paynent of debts IncaPPed p~lor to the-‘adoption of the AmendmentSeptember 1883: and for the ereotlijn of aub1Io bulld25, lnga*i streets, sewers, watemo~ks **and** other
s not to exceed twentyone hundred dollsrs valuation, in **any** one year, and except as 18 In this Constitution othemlae provldsdt provided, however, that the CixumlselonePs Court in any county mayPe-allooate the foPegolng oounty taxes by changing the **Pates** pPovlded for any of the ropegoing purposes by either lnopeaslng OPdsopeaalng the SW, but in no event shall the total Of raid foregoing cotmty tsxes excised eighty (SO) coats on,the’one hundrl)d dollars valuation, ln,any one ye&P; 0 00
Thelnoneys **scorning** from taxes levied and eelleoted 

### SOPeach of the 

### enumerated**purposes** ale Constitutional fuuds. Thelmme&iate puppose of the above quoted provi,slon of the Conat$tutlon la to limit the saounti;f taxes that maybe raised fop the i~ve~al ~uPpoee8. IS also intended to requiae that any and all money8 ralseU by taxes ZOP

### apartioulsr purpose shall be applied to that purpose and to no AuIt 

### veEl11 CO=~& 102 Tex. 335, 116 S.W. 359 8Cappoll v. Will1-1 log TSX, 155, 202 S.Y. 504

It was helil iii ths case of Brownv. Graham; 58 Tex. 254 (1883), i%a case lhvolvlng %lIWor apeala tax for pepairs and additions to a CouFthou%er

"Should the ~omisleslonsrsD court cometo the conoluslon ths~ta larger court house isEon.~Xllllam M..kensley, page 3 (V-808)

needed to meet the demands of the public buslneB8bf th8lP county,'and they agree upon its plan end dlmenslons, and find that they can secure abuilding conforming to themin every respect, either by erecting a newstructure, OPaltering; repalplng and enlarging the old one, andthat the 1atteP modewill be less-expensive by half than-the former, la there any Peason In holding that they o&nlevy the t&x for the more expensive modeof attaining their object, whenthey oould not 

### fortheother, though the structure whioh is the result Is ppeolsely the samein every particular?
"The **object** of the fopsgoing pPovlslona of out constitution and statutes w&sto enable th8 blffeP8nt countlss to provide suitable public edifices, leaving it to the judgment **of** the proper authorities whether this should be done-~bybulldlng newhouses OPby repalplng and adding to old ones, whenthey oould thus be rendeP8d suitable to the **pUPpOSSB**of the county. Thewopd sepect,g contained in all the foregoing priWislons, was the most comprehensive term that could be used to embrace all such lmp~ov8menta.
"To hold that a~couhty whose couPt house, with proper repairs and additions, could be rendered commodious anduseful in every mapect, must pull it downandbuild an entirely
newone, would be to ohargs out law-givers with an intent to encourage anunnecessary expenditure of the public money. Such a consideration would not, in Itself authorlse us to infer a power.whennot expressly given or neoessarlly Implied. Yet whenthe language-used la capable of Including authority to do an act not mentl6ned in terms, suah construction of it la ,gPeatly aided by considerations of public advantage which it would omtalnly produge."

(Tea In the case of Adamsv. #oGl11, 146 S.W.2de’332 Clv. App- 1940, s~ror Pef.J~9the court held that Article 2372d, V8rnonts~~Clvll Statutes (expPes%ly autharlslq the oonstruotlon and 1 Pavement of a livestock and horticulture exhibit building implledly authorized the '7 county to lseue time w&Prants payable over aperiod ofHon. Ullll&m A. Hensley, page 4 (V-808)

years for ImpPovemmts on such bulldlng. Wequote the following from the opinion of the oonrt:

I)

. h County Subject te the SxpPiiSS P8StPIc~ii;ns imPOS8dby the Constltutlon aad g6aeFal lnws, h&sth8 power to issue time warrants in payment fop lmpPovements it is expressly authorlsed to construct, pPevlded that the applicable Pegulatlons relating to the issuance of such warmnte b8 ObsePved.'
Additional &UthOriti8S on the sasie oint: L&eater v. Louez, 110 Tex. 179 217 S,U. 373 71919) and Foremsn v. oooch 184 Saw.26 461 (Tsx. Clv. App. 1944,
emor 

### ref.w.0.m:).

Following the holding lmthe bboie mentioned case this Off1a8 held in Attorney General Opinloh Ho. v-779, "where tim1ESiOn8Ps t COUP--la exp~8ssly aitthoslxed to const~~b abuilding, It has ~the ImpXled ~authmlty to lasue luterest bearing tltie warrants to pay id', such oonstPuotlon."

.. _

Article 2351 gPsntia the authority to eseh CommiSaiOu8Ps' CoUPtf.Bthis Stat8 t0 **pPoVf&** andkeep in repair coUPthoPs88 andjails. ThePefoPe,~.if the puPchase and lnstallatlon of the filing equipment 8mounts to b pWm&netitleovement of the opurthouse, than time w&rPants maylegally be issued thepefor, Unless the samehss b8Com8prohibited undeP"the tePms of HouseBllT KO. 106, Acts 51st LegislatuM, apoint iihlch wewill later dlsOUS8. If the purchbse and installation of auoh filing equipment does not- amonntto a permanent improvement, then, of couPso, payment thePsfoP mustbe m&defrom the county general fund, for that fund la bhurgeable with the payment of supplies and equipment as auah.

Thetest applicable to SOUPfirst question is aaaounced in Hutbhlns v, Masterson, 46 Tex. 551 (1887) wherein it 1%stated on page 534:

" -anther

true oPlterlon far determining WheihiP'a chattel has become &nImmovable flxttule, consists in the **UEit8d** application ..of the folloliing teStSt
"1st.~ E&atheP8 been a Peal or OOnStPUOtiV8 anhexatlon of the &PtfOl8 in question to the realty?HOP;William I. mneley, page 5 (v-808)

"24. Wasthere &fltaess or adnptatlon of suoh article to the uses or purposes of the realty with vhloh it Is connected?

“3d. Whether or not it iI&sthe intention of'the party makingthe annexation that the chattel should become a p8rm&nentaccession to the freehold? - this lnteatloa~belng InTerable fl'Omth8--lJatU'e Of tb8.~aZ'tiOl8, the Z'elatiOn and Sltu&tlon of the parties interested, the policy of the,liziw in rsspeot thereto, the mode of aiinexatlon, andpurpose or uae.for which the annexation Is made.
"Andbf tiese three tests, pre-emlnenoe IS to ba given to--the qU8stloii of intention to
**make** the article n **permanent** socession to the ire&hold, whlle“the others sxe chiefly of value as evidence as to this lntentlon.A Filing ogblnets tid shelves would ordlnsrlly be olaseifl8d ns equipment and payable out of the gen-'-
**era1** fund of the obunty. fan'drtlole would not become a flXtur8simply becaiise it 1%.~anohoredd6wn'to the bulldlhg. For example, a chnlr, a desk, or ail adding m&chine m&ybe neoessstry in oounty offloes, but auohorlng on8 of themto the building for convenience would not mskeit a fiXtIll'8. The seoond andthird tests would not be met.

Yet, iibulldliig @ouId b8 oonstruoted withPilllhg space 8nd Oabin8tS be a p&~t thereof. Sllohbulldlngs have-been built; Thewalls of th8 bulldlng~ are the walls of the flllmg oabliiet, eta. In such n situation thbre o&abe no doubt that the filing cabinets &re a persaenent part of the building.

Wea0 not h&v0eufflole~t facts to **answer** your ijuestlon odtegorlcally, for such &n&nswe~woMd~lnvolv8
a determlnatibn o? faotd ,Pel&tive ~to'the installation whloh la yet to t&k8place. Wecan snswer yoUr question only by Sayl~.lf the filing equipment is Lnstalled ln suoh amannoFwhloh would sbtlsfy the tests laid dowr.by the 6ouPt Iii the Rut&la% case and thereupon beoomes a perm&nent part of the oourthouae structure, the 

### same could be paid out of the county permanent lmprovemi$nt fund, andtime w~iant.8 could be issued therefor, asaumlag, of course, that they are issued in 

### accordsme with law.Eon. William 1. Bensley, psge 6 (V-606)

The 51et Legislature h&sllmltdd the power of the fhImissionera~ Court in certain inetsnaes to iSSU8 time w&r.rantsby the provisions of HouseBill lo. 106, Ch. 36, which provides, in p&H, ns follows;

'Section 1, In all oountles having a ptipulatlon In excess of @~i#e hundred thousdnd (300,000) inhabitants acoordldg to the last preceding OPany TutWe Federal l%nsus, the Commlesloners Court shalI hisveno anthopIty or power to lssue~tlms warpants until Sndunless the samehave been authorlsed **by** a majopitjl i?ots of the quallfled eleotoi% whoovlltaxable property-in the obuhty and have duly Wind8psd the s&m8for taxation voting at an eleotlon theMfor, such elbctloil to be held under the authority of Wd in accordance with the provlslo~ of Chapter 1 of Titlo 22 of the Revised Civil Statutes **of** Texas~oi 1925,~~Provided, that in case of public Cal&silty o&usedby itie, flood, sotrm, or to protect tbs-'public health, OFin cash of unforeaeea d&mageto public property, machinery; or equipment, the ComMlsalonere Court %iayIssue such time wamants la the aggregnte~~amount of not exoeedlng Fifty-~Thousand DOllSrs ($50,000) during any on6 calend&ryear **as** 

### &Feneoess&ry to provide for the fSSIWdicit8

repair, preservation OPprotection of public property, andthe lives andhealth of th8 oltisens of the county without the sew oesslty of such electlen.

. **Aa “** **sec. 2.**  Thla Aiztshall not be construed to apply-Y0 time warrants of such.oountlee lssued or authorized to be Issued prior to the efreotlve date of this At " 0 0 IEm

phasis oqs.)



### - In 

### answertij oiir request SoF addltlonbl lnformatloa,'your office has savieed us that in J&nuary of this yeap, the warrants PefePred to in your request were a.uthorized to be i88t88de-~**As** Rouse Bill Ro. **106 did**  not bei5omeeffective until March 11, 1949, then under the plain prov~s~~ndmrs of Section 2tM:~Abt wrll not apply to the tlr 

### wlirranta iiudtir consideration, saWming, of oourBe, that the wsrrants were issued in acoordano~ with law andthe 6xpenditures prop8Ny comewithin the,authdlred purpose thereof.Ron. tilllfsm 11.Rensley, page 7 

## (v-m)

Thepurchase and installation of oertaln flllng equipment in'-thd a?urthWse can be aooompllShed ln such **a~m@ria+r**that the same **be** oom8s e fixture 

### and’s&irt of the courthoue8 building. If ths itame**bgtomes** a fixture, then payment therefor maybe &&deby Bexar Countj by the lssuanoe of tlms warrants payable,out of the couiity permansiit laprovem8at fund, said warrants having been authorlsed prior to the effective date i3f~Roue8Bill go. 106, Acts of the 51et Lsglslat~e. Very truly yours, ATTObEY@HERAL**OF**TEXAS

JRzbh Assistant -,.

FIRSTASSISTART
**ATTORIiEY** OELWUL