’ 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

r.. 

County Auditor 

in. Herr18 County ,.t',:r~ %ueton. Texar 

Se ham pour let 

"On Septeaibar 

an exeoutlre orbar, 

floe of Ztzo~aboy Man 

ated the Of6 aotual oreafioa 

9 an ada\lniaOffloo of Clrilian 

l 4 the Oo~smorm o? the 

or8 or Cuor4lmtora of 

n their 8ereral iStates. 

of the legal si$hts and resgona~partsfniag to meh pasltlom.* 'Ihe 

quote4 language le taken from the far% of aommi~slon IssueU by the Governor. 

%Q far l I I am infommd, the Gaveraor has 

not isau~d rpooiric proclamations or other lnstruotfons authorizLng or 4lreobing the Tarlous 

mordinators appointed in Xarria County to adopt 
Honorablr B. L. I%*hburn, cage e 

the plan for olrillan 4afenae whloh hea bomn 

pleoe4 In effoot by a tentative an4 aomwhat 

: . 

looao agmement among the aeveral Coordinators 

appointed In Barr18 County. The County Judge 

an4 the Kayur of tha City of Houston, as the 

appointed Coordinator8 of the two largeat gorernmental units fn Harria County, have entern4 into an egmement with the &a~ors of the other 

munlclpelitlea, by whiah Colonel Tke Aahburn 

wla appoint& Dlreotor of Clrlllan Lmfenae with 

general authority to aoordinate such defense 

aotivltles In Earrla County. Aa I understand 

the present arrangesent, each of tha muniolpalltlea lnvolre4, wlth the exception of the County of Harris an4 the City of Houston, propoaea 

to diraot all of It@ OnB ex~emditures determined by It to be neosacarp in oonueotioa wltb 

ths defense aetivftiea. It ia further Froposed 

hy the County Jud&e and the &:a~or that the County of Harris ac4 the City of Houaton shall eontributn fuund.s for the support, opsmtion, an4 

wintenanoe o? the Qffioe of the Mreotor at 

Cfviliwn IIsfensa and to dafray the expanses 

whlah are sat forth ln~ the bud&et submitteb by 

tha Clreotor of Mvllian Deferuse, a oorg of 

whiah ia attaahed. Ranemlly, the type of expendltum propoaed oon6lata of the esplay~~ent 

of the neoeraary pemonnel, outlays for tslephone llnea, expenditures and, maintenanoe of 

siotor epulpment, and the pumhaae 0r warning 

signal8 to be installed an4 aalntalned by the 

Eireotor. 

*The auggemted method or opsmtlng the Cfrioe er the Diraotor of Civilian Pefenee, and 

the aativtties which will be enrrled on uu4er 

his dfrsot%on and supervision, le by dlmot 

f lnanoial oontributlon, or, eltsmatltel~, by 

the oontribution of equipBent, pemonnel, and 

aupgllea for the operetlon end oalntenonoe of 

the civilian derenae setup. This, therefore, 

immediately miaea ttls question of the authority or County orricera to contrll.uts fund8 r0r 

this purpose, OP the 1BndiWJ Or BmplOyBe8, SUPplies, and equlplaant. Tha proposed oourae or 

aotion pmeenta to lag mind the fo1lowI.W queationa rhlch are reapeotftily 8ubmitte4 to you 

rOr 4ete25htian: 
‘ ..>.I 

Eonorablo R. L. !c‘aahburn, Pago 8 

"(1) Yay the kunty legally oontrlbuto to tha 

support and maL~teaanoo 0r the ofrior 0r tha 

Qfreotor or Civilian Defenao of Harris County 

money from its fisnaml Fund, or its Road and 

Bridge Fund, or both, for the payment of the 

type of oxpenaea outlined in the budget aubmitted by the Dlreetor of Clvlllnn Defense? 

"(6) If the Oounty and its orrloers hove. such 

authority, mar the Count9, l o tlug through the 

Waulaalonera~ Qourt, enter Into a joint ooptract with the City o f Ho wa to n, l lthar alone 

or jolntlt tith the various other munlolpalltlea 

in Farrla Count9, to proTide for the o eratlon 

Of the Offloe oi the Director or Clrll f an Defenae, an4 the oontrlbutlon or ruade ror auoh 

purpose out of the Osnwal Pun4 and the Roa6 

an4 Bridge Fun47 

"(3) If the County mey 1 ally l atar 5.nta auoh 

a co&mot as la suggeate 3 la Quertloa (4) abova, 

may the County then pay over Its pro rota sham 

of the fund8 fixed by the oontraot to the Dlreetor ror erpaa4lture, or s.Ust any such aontraot 

provide that expenditures Shall be m4e only In 

aocordanoa with the laws protl4lng for a4rrrtlaeaeat for bids, ptiaoa, audits, and other laws 

regulstlag tha aoaountlng for and expenditure of 

Gouaty funds, auoh as the Depoaltor9 T.aw, et 

cetera? 

“(4) In the event you aimuld be of the opinloa 

that the County my not legally direotlj ooatribute manea from its General ?und, or Its 

Road an4 Bridge Fund, aa aug~eate4 In Queatlon 

(1) above, am 

acting throug K 

it, without violating the law 

the Commlaalonera* Court an4 its 

duly oonstltuteb offloara, auoh as the Sheriff, 

the imeaaor and Colleotor of Taxes, ard other 

ajmllar offloors, oontrlbuto supplies, mohlacry, equipment, and personnel for the purpose 

or operating and ncfintalnlng the offioe of CliIlInn Dotense, suoh operation and malntanaaoe to 

be 6ubjaOt to the direotlon of the appointed 

Qlreotor for Harris Oounty? 

*'ihe obdeot to be aao~mp3lahe4 IS not onI9 

a laudable one, but la undoubtedly a pub110 
Ronoreblo H. L. W48hbum, Page & 

I . matter. It 8eema to me, however, that the authorlty af ths Caunty ottlaars 4ad the Comml.8- 

i3i0llOrEi Court, in abnnrotfon with euoh matter, 

is limitsd. Berrfr County happens to be rituated 

in a partioul4rly vital 4re8, 41~04 it 14 the 

mat and oenter of muah wurk and manutaatum 410 

reatsd tc th4 iapcrt4nt end of a ~8uecrraiul pro88aution of th4 war. It IB, 4s you know, t&r 

oenter of oil aotiritl48 and the, various r4- 

finorles themaelr46 81% at th4 pmsgnt time l4rg4- 

ly 4 aged in the mmufaaturr et tcluck4$&l;ther 

ingr%onts OF baeea ot explorives. 

therewforo, a 4e6%rable objest to ;.be w%ceplli5he4 by the operatlen of th4 Oftioe of Civilian 

w4B80. 

*The Ccmml8rionrra~ Court Is authorlsed by 

tf;4 provlalon8 Of ArtAolr Y, Sectian 18, of the 

Conatitutioa, wbioh provides in part, 48 follaw8: 

mrl’ha county oommlseionore 80 ohomen. with 

the oounty j\?agei as presiding cfilorr, 8-1 

eompo+e4 th4 GotmtJ Ccmaissionere Court, whleh 

8hiLl exercise ruoh pewem and jurivdietion war 

all &aunt? buein484, 48 18 conferred by thl8 

Con8titutlon cm& ths law8 ai tha State, or 50 

may be hamafter prrsaribe& * 

Vho ganecal pawarr of a Ocuml8aion4r8* 

Court are provided In &tlale 2551, Vernon*8 

Annot4t4d T4x48 Statut48. In addition to the 

genrral power8 them awi!mrated there are v8rioun 8 8aial power8 snuam+at*4 In the 8tatute8 

which ia 14 beon p4e8ed from time to time. %%A@, 

ths Forty-Seventh Lsglal4turo pa8wd an 4et 

which Is now a8rri4d a8 W$tolo 835la-1, Varwm*e Annotate4 Tmas Watutrr, whloh authoris411 the County Cmmi805awm’ Court to 'turaleh fire proteotion and fir4 fighting 4gulpment to th4 citisem of 8aah oouaty r48Miry 

outside the aity llmita of 4ny a%$~, town, or 

village within the county and/Or adjoining OOPPt14e.1 '&la etatute speoitieally authorlt48 

the ColsmSe8iearrs" Court to mk4 oontr4Ot6 with 

*any city, town, or village within the oouutp 

ad/or adjoinIng eountles, upon suoh term8 aad 

oonditioaa aa @!I 411 

Conu4ie8ion4re' 

be 4gr.44 upon brtwesa the 

ourt and the governing body Of 
Ronarabla H. I,. Wmhburn, Page 5 

6UOh Olty, ton%, cm ~111~4, for the~uoe or the 

i . tire truoks and other tire flshting equIpaan$ of 

the ofty, town, or vfllsge.l The 4ot 4OZlO1Ud48 

with 4 provl.60 reading: 

R~~~vIQeQd, however, that any flro eqolpwant purohared by any County ahall be 4~~0 only 

by a majority tote of property owning taxpayorr 

and quelifird vetern of such aouxty at a aountywide eleotion oalled for ruoh p~4~080.~ 

“nl4l-4 are ale0 ~ViSfOn4 In the Pub110 

E4alth St4tUt48, 8U4h 48 &tiOlS 4410f, ‘authork ing the l x p mdftby urth8 e CommIsaI.oners~ 

CotirE at County runa for publio health an4 

sanlt.atIan. Arti 68Eb autharieec the OommIs4Ionerr~ Court rnQ the oounoil of any OIty 

or town to crpprupriata mQ 4xp4nQ non4y for 

the eXp4B8eS Of tmOp8, bSft6ri48, OorPpEniOS, 

SigBal i7U 

T 

8 

aatIv4 x5.1 

hospital 44tP8, S&l6 b8IidS Of th8 

tia of thin m&e locrat44 in moh 

oeunti4s altier, or towns, not to 4rewa the 

sum of $iOO per month ror thr expenr,e ei eny 

on4 organization. ktiale 3891a authorls~8 the 

COIUlty OcPlsli841On4%‘8’ Qourt, oity l uthorftfo8, 

OOSUEUUiti48, End OfViU and MtriQtie Ol’@li:i3~- 

tioas to provida funds, armorI**, l qulment, 

EatsvIal, tranrportetien, or oth4r apppmpriatc, 

s4rvioes or iaoilities, to the Texas EM&MO 

Guard. Them is also ml014 0144 proviaing 

for a ‘Km4 Guard, * Tblpl 14ttar 4t4tuts mm48 

to oentsmplats ths organIsatlon at a gu4rvIlU 

band whIah will bs 4uthorIse4, or the member8 

of which will b;z authorized, to oarry p14tO18 

and ether weapons when *aalled to l otual duty 

by the aharltt.' me %ot provider that ‘ooimties, oit1es, and tnnnr aray through their lewtul gcverning bGQI48 appropri4te trem their pub110 tr44scrIe8, rconeym to rOvI44 arm au4 ammunition for such herd un ii 41 such rrtla 4 M they 

rr4y prsaorIb4, and those reoeivlng arms from the 

county shall x&urn all isunv~ and aau5unltl~n to 

the ouunty 5udg4 when not an duty.' The tfP8 

of expsnditurr authorte8Q by~th4s4 various @tatUt44 18 Very 4imiL4r w th4 type o? 4Xp4UditUr4 

now proposed to be made en4 about whI4h the above 

w*tloaas 

P 

ar4 prOpOunQ*d. ?h4 ia4t that th4 Legslature round It ne44~ury to pass etatUt 
Honorable H. L. Kaahburn, ?a;$. 6 

: * ~peoliloally authorizing the Cwmias1onara* 

Court to make Eaxpendit.wre of the types above 

noted Impala the neoeaeary c~nolu~lon that wlthout suah statutes the Court would have no authority to arake mob expenditurea. 

“So far aa I hare been able to learn then 

18 no statute apsoltloally authorlrlng any ofpendlture in oonneotlon with the ‘Cn?iee of 

Civilian Defa~nae* of any OS its branohar. Our 

Court8 have repeatedly aald in the part that 

the powere of tha Ctmmir8lonera* courts and oitieera of eountior l ra limited to thoee exprearly granted to them by the Coa~tltutlon and mtatutea, and rueh parers as are neoessarily implied 

rrom those axprm~ly granted. 

“h’llla County va. Lamparaa County, 40 6.W. 

5b8, 90 Texar 6OSl 

*Comml8alonerr~ Court of tradlwon Coun8y vm. 

Ballaoe, et al, 15 S. a. (2) 555; 

“Van Rosanber 

7’ 

at l l.va. Xavett, 17s 2.W. 

508 (Error Refund $ 

W3nmisrlonera* Qourt at liarrle Q0Wity W. 

Kaiser, et al., es 5. w. (a) 840 (Error Rafuaml); 

vX.ty ot Brsokmrld~o ~8. Stephem Oeu~~ty, 

~$eimmplon of Appoal8) 180 !WxaI, 2318, 40 S.B. 

~~uan-Xarrea Fubllahi~ %atpanj to. Hutchinsen County, 45 S. iv. (I) 651 (Wrer Rsfuled); 

*Sag& ver Campbell, et al., 4i3 S. y* (g) 

515; and, 

*Len&an ~8. State, 97 8. :‘j. (Z) e64 (Error 

Refured). 

Tit is ganerelly noa@ilzed that the oaomi88ionem~ Court aay abt through @gent8 for oerta$.n purpoaeo, although their eutherity to a0 

aat eoaa~a mmewhab limited by the atatutd8. A* 

t&ale 1580, Ravfred Civil Btatuter, lP%g. The 
Honorable B. L. lmahburn, Faga 7 

Legislature may oC&?&t oouiaty bualneaa to some 

other Lenoy than the Camiaslonera~ Court. 

1 * Austin Moe. ve. Patton, et aL, (domraiaalon o? 

Appeala), 208 S. ‘6:. 168. But appanntly the 

authority of the Ceatmlaslonera~ Court to delegate its authority la very llmltea. Thus It 

haa been held that the duty or the County aaamissioners to audit all elalma againat tha aoanty and to order paid only than found to be 

la judlolal and it8 perfnmanoe oannot be i 

uat, 

de e8 

ated to another. Padgett, at al. va. You~16 

ounty, et al., 204 6. II’. 1046, (Error dlamlaad, 

1u9 S. 6. 459 1. Pnoumablf the aame rule would 

u Oounty Auditor, in the Qiaoharge 

0804 up o n me b l ua h l tatutea aa 

Mtlolea 166 , 1661, and Bu t motion L, PIsetion 

19, of Art1018 39138. 

“Them are numeroim provIaiona OS our Conatitutlon dlaoloaing a gesleral polkg s? 00nrin- 

~m~oaea other than those ror whioh the7 were 

Set Arttola III, Seotfcma 44, 61, %18, 

and 55;*kr?Aele I, Seotiona S and 16; and Art%- 

ele XV3 Saotlon 6. Our Supreme Court ham ala0 

expresaiy aeolareu that fknty t3awairaloaen~ 

Courta have no authority to tranaier mosey frola 

a fund orsate tar one purpose to a ipkQ omated 

ror 5050 other purpose. 08rrol1, at al. vs. V?llllam, 

County Tmaeumr, et al, 109 Texas 158, IxIE S.W. 

504. 

=I do not underHand that the @overnor, In 

hi8 derignation of the County Judge, hu in any 

eense undertaken to authorire the erpendlture of 

any funds iOr any purpose. %e EEOverncw la, of 

eourae, given aomrwhat broad authority by the erpreaa provlaiona of Saotlen 7, Artlole IV, of 

the Constitution, whiah reader 

“life shall be Ccsunander-in-Chlof of tha 

milltar toraea of the State, eroept don they 

;yat;;lled into the 8etua.l serviom of the United 

Be ahall hare powet to aall IIerth tho 

mll.t& to aeoote the law8 of the StatO* to 

auppreaa inaurreotlone, repel in~aalene and 

protaot thefrontier iron! hoetile knLnoura~on% by 

Indian or other predatory bands. * 
Honorable E. L. Washbuxa, Pago 8 

_I 

wAn7 expenditure8 which mkht be undertaken 

I . la aonneotlon with the above eeatlon of the Constitution, or any other aeatlon of the Conatltutlon authorizing the Governor to aat, would not, 

ao tar 88 f am lntomed, give the Governor any 

authority to euthoriee oounty oftlaara to spend 

money tram aounty fund8 in the turtheranoe of 

the and8 a8 authorlrea. It aaaae to ma that l uoh 

l otlvltles on the part a? the Govomor mumt neul aaarlly be tfnanoed rrcai approp~latlona made 

by the Leglalature or under acaie l et of the Legjalature apaoltloailp l uthorialng the Cm8laalonera* Court, or other oounty ofrioera, to spend 

money In aid of aatIvltlea undertaken by the 

Governor under sonatltutlonel author1 ty. 

“It aeema turther apparant to ma froai thm 

executive order proaxlpated by the Frealdent 

oroating the Otllae o? ~irlllan Dokionre that 

It wee eonteaiplated that the Federal Government 

would defray the l otual oxgenaea laoident to 

thq sotup of that organization. The order aeema 

to aontenplate the 2tataa am unite In the CivilIan ueronae authority,, Of ooutiae, oouatlea are 

declared by ou1 Constitution to be legal aubdlvIalona ai the State. Artlole 23, Saotlan 1, 

I understand the rule to ba that Cuimlsalonera’ 

Courts ma without an7 legislative powers what- 

‘-4. (1. 

aoever, and, am th+ governing bodies ot au+ 

Y 

i$lona ai the Etate, muat rely upon the Legdature for authority to emend ?unda. I have 

bean unable to find any authority for the oxpendltura propoaod In thfa l~,tanoe, either in 

the fern? ot a direct authorization by #a Laglelature, or in the. tom of en lmplloati~ in 

exlatlng statute*. I hero enumerated oort8ln 

atetutea above tmm whioh it might be @ai4 that 

certain wera oould be inferred, but I: do not 

believe e hat they are broad enough to authorlte 

expenditUm8 o? the tme here proposed. 

9, thsrefom, rWFeOt?dlly 8Ubnit ?Or YOUr 

detsmlnetlon the queatlcna above ‘OmsmateQ, 

and hare appended the oltat~on ai 8UthhoritiM 

and dlaouaalon in the hope that they Nile., be Of 

some aeslctsnae fn properly Qeterminl~, the questlona submitted. 

i 
BanoFablo H. L. Wa8hbuFn. Page Q 

“A lvoent opinion OS your d8p8rtmnt whloh 

88-e to m to hera fbome bearing upon one 

, . of the queatlon presented is pour Opinion I! 

ham 

-4483, 

date& Xaroh 16, 194& addressed to Ronorablo 

Burl Brittain, County Auditor, San Fatrio County, Xnton, Texan, In regard to the 

exponaes of the County Judge inourre i 

aynent of 

as Coerdlnator or Civilian Defoorrr.~ 

Ma thank you tar the excellently rrittan opinion 

oontainrd in your letter. Sin84 you aoourataly 8tat8 th8 

law BP w8 umlerrtand It, we adopt the vlcrs 01 

f 

x-48846 by 

you a8 the oplnlon of thi8 Dapartmaat. It fol 018 that 

your rlrat and fourth qu48tionm are answered in the negative, 

ana your esoond and third qu8stlon8 do not rsqulr8 an an8w.F. 

Your4 very truly 

ATTORIfEYOMlCRALQ,rTZXAS