**OFFICE OF**  **THE A~TORNN**  **GENERAL 0~**  TEXAS **AUSTIN GROVER**  **SELLERS ~IIOINSY** 

**GcWRAL ALi-**  **1/- N$y**  **LIIs&ma &k-v!**  **-33-y c+f.**  **d-%7??*_,**

**.** 

### Honorable, 3. I?. Heraa, Jr. 4+/~twX -+A? County Aud.itor 

### %%411er countg Hsmpetoad, Mxas Deer sirs



### rbloh you propound 

### the **iollow**



### AmI, aaA&di

lrad to elthor 

### ill, by overt 

### aot, a8 and **awthoda**

### of

e mato submit oleiina (or &which I have disapproved t **bean** 

### aoted on by th$s .

approqe remain on file in my 0rsi0e ior 

### public ~reoord, be turned over to 

### the Coatdsslo&eret Court, 

### oriiled with the,, : County Clerk4"

_ . . - .

.

### : 238

;ionorable

N. P. Iierne; Jr., Pw.P 2
Article 1660, flevisd Clvll Stetutoa of Texae, provider 88 followet

“All cl&as, bills end aooountsa@lnst the county mst bo filed in a~qAo tine for the auditor to exonine and approve sws before the - meetings of tho ooiu~ls3ioncrs court. Ko olalzi, bill or aooount ahall be allowed or paid until' it hoe been exaraimd oud opprovodby the county auditor. The auditor shall emnina the 83~~ and stamp his approval thereon. If he doo>tlo it x190- eeeary, 311 such aooounte, bill,or olainsmust ' bo verified by affidavit touching tiie oorreotnsse ot the 3me. The auditor 1s hereby sluthorizodto administer oathe for the purpose3of this law." Article 1661, 3. 0. S., ~provldae as.follows: YIe (the auditor) ohail not audit or approve any ouch olaim unless it has bean contracted a3 provided by law, nor any aooount for the purohaee of suppILe or materials for the uso of mid oounty or any of it3 oflloors, unle3s, in oddftlon to other requirement3 of law, there 13 attaohad thereto a requisition 3i~;led by the officer OrdorinE 33.m and approvodby the oounty judge. aid requisitionmot bo mde out 

### end sl@ed and approved in triplloateby the said officera, the triplioote to remainwith the officer dcelring the purahasa, the duplioate to be filed r-vlth

tho oounty auditor,md the .orif$nal to be delivered to tho party fromwhom ooi'dgurchase is to be rcadobefore any purohaso shall be made. Afl Wal%mt3 on the.countytroaaurer, exceptWarrant3 for jury servfoe,au& be oounter; eimned by the oounty audItor.* The oounty audltor*e oxnminetionand approval of all olalms oontomplatod by said next heroinbeforequoted artiolea 13 a aondition preoedent to the, oxeroiso of jurisdiction over such olalmr,by the oommi3310nar31 oourt. See Xyatt ;;etaland BoilerXorke va. Lipaoomb, c7 S.. W. (26) 331; Andereon 90. Aahe, 

### 99 T. 4.47,90 8. iv.874) and Yanti? 178. bIOntagu%Gounty, 50 0. A. 403, ll0 S. We .162. * I ,XonorableN, P. Harms, poee 3

Dome typce of olaims, hOviGVOr, noed not,bo prosonted to, tho oounty auditor for apgoval boforc they osn bo approvedand pold by the oonmiasloncrs* court. See IIsoogdooheoCounty ~3. ‘ riinder, 140 S. \I.(26)972; fiaoo&doohee countyvs. Jinklns, 140 S. W. (26) 901, errorrefuoad; Coina County va, itill,25 S. W. (2d)

### 197; southern Surety co.VS. LioOulre,275 s. W. 845.

IV0assuniethat the olnlns about which you in euoha3 are within the oonteaplatlon oiArtlolea 168uim are 0 and 

### 1661, supra, The plainwording of said Article 1660, supra, in regard to a olaim, bill or aocount 5.athat tho%udltor oh311 exanino the 3ane and stamp hia approval thoreon.” This lo, 

### of oourso, when he ~DT~?OVO~ s0n". There is no prooaduro deoorihed in said article a3 to themethods used by the auditorwhen he dlsanbrovoo a olnim, bill or aooount. :‘le believe, in the abscnoo of an exprese etatutory

### dirootlve thnt the noet reaeonabla and pmotloal nethod of showi.n& the auditor’3 disapproval of suah claimwould 3UfflOe. whether it be stamping hi3 dieapproval theroon,writin& it theroon,returnincjthe alelm to it3 owner or verbally infoIXin& euoh owner of the dloapproval of such alaim. ‘iie ,a130believe the nplgaon-holin@of a 01&n, i. 8.. the failure of the auditor to take any ponitiveaotlon at all in regard 

### to auoh olaim would, in 6omalnetanoes, oonetttute 

### a dleapproval of 

### Bsme. Webellevm the fore&oing fully answers 

### your firat. two questfone.

Vie 

### anawer your question@ Noa. 3 end 4 oetegorloally a8 follows Hoe. 

### 3 and 4: NO, 

### ~for ‘thereoeon that the co~i3i.3- alonera9 oourt &in no juriadiotlon over auoh olalm.3 as are not approvedby the auditor. .IAregnrd to your guoetionNo. 5,we point out that we find no etatutorg authorization for any further aotion to be taken by you in respeot to a oertain claimwhen onao you have dleapprovod etune. .. The.rtnal diep0441 or euoh ‘\;

,

,Iionorable xi. P. Xerzis, pa1384 dloapprovedolalni is mrcl.y e proceduralnetter that 1s loft to the good judrpent of the offloerswidth whom sake wae riled.

In addition to the foregblng questions,you furtheree;c

ua a Ccnerol queetioa (1s to the legal otntus of a cartnln ordur passed by your oomzlsolont;ro~ court ln whioh .suohoourt orders and directs you, ns county auditor,

. to approve or rejoot certain claimsmentioned thoroln, "to&otherwith all Oth6r 

### oltilmproperly :llod with him (you)whloh have not been aotod on by this oourt,

### and to Endlatoly oubnlt same to this court for their 

### OOE5idcnYI~ ." (word ln parenthesis addod for olerlty.) We believe the next above described order to be In thenature or a writ or aandonuo. Tex. Jur., $01. 28, order iseulng f p. 515 defines the writ of nandaldus"~8 a oo%cnd or



### rom a OOUrt Of OOapet0nt juriadiotionroquiria som orfloor, lnforlor court, or corporation to porforn aone duty enjoin& by law.= The Constltutlon of Texas (Art. 

### 5,ao. 16)provldos that the flcouuty court or juQe thoraof" shallhave povlerto issuewrits of inandanus, and Art. 

### 1957,IL c. 8. T., 

### also provides ior the loouanoeot somo by the oounty judge, but after e delicunt seeroh of the statutoo and the Constitution;we 

### fall to findwhere the oommioeloners~ oourt la ~lvon this authority. It is well settled that ooi3;3isslonero* oouSs oan only exorcise powers oonrerred by tha Constitution and lQW11. see kioore~8. ~~ormnen co., 

### 2750. W. 

### 478. This bein& 80, we feel it unneoessary to discuss suoh ordar' further es the 

### oomalarrlonera~ oourt olearlp had no authortty to lcteue

mae,~ Wo truct the ioragoh $uUg answersyour quootlons, Youre very 

### truly, * ' : AT'i!OlU&Y CMT&AL Oi?TiXX3

.;.~ - .,