**QFFICE OF**  **THE AVORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  **TEXAS AUSTIN**  **-**

**GROVER SELLERS**  **ATTORNEY GLNERAL** 

?imorublo T. f:.;:ll&arroa

. 

### County Cudltor !lillaboro,

Toxo~ **I**

**Oourt meets..** **at rcguier**  tlln orders~

khiotaam 

### n4 **then reoordad**  

### ‘la tM. lnutos as 8 phnanont'y~~

naoeraary or ikandatory**for** ctnor&r **aa,by** the Cqndstalonara 

### Coat to **be (I**  **couaty ;ludgr**  **aad t&o**  **cam 1aa¶oaars**  UtttIt

**'rOr** 86id **OWhr t0**  b0~**VQl$d** anif

.

.Artiole 834E, 

### Verionta Aa-.otebsd' Civfl~Stututss, pwIlllsut ,Honorable T. K. ~llklneon - pago'2

**Art.** 5 of the State Constitution;oontalns language elxllar **to** the **Soregoing statute.)** 
Art1014 2549,V&non*a Annotated Civil Statutes, read; a8 foollowe:

Vhe.oou,rt ahall require the oounty olerk to **keep** suitable booka in whioh shall be moorded the prboeedingsof eaoh term of the court; whioh reoord shall be read aad.8ign44 after eaoh term by tho oounty :A@ n e -orthe member prssidlng aad.attestedby the The olerk ahall:also.reoordall authorized .pbooeidlngsof the oourf between **teems;** landauoh 'r800rdsshall be.reaq acrdsigned on the flret dey ~of t@ next term 

### after suoh prooeedings ooourred.* Artiole 224S, Vernon*nAnnotated Civil'Statutes, i13 88 r0ii09w:

570: "The county olerk shall be 4x oiiiolo dl'erk~ bi tha CoPnaissionere' Cd&; and he shell~attend upon eaoh term of sc.id~ Commirslon8,rar~Court;preserve and keep all **baoka,,papsre,** r40ords and et- .feots'belonging

thereto, laerie

all notloee wrltti and prooees neo+#eary for the **proper** 4r4ou~lon oi tpepower8 and ~dutiee‘ot'fhe Con&asioners* Court and perform all euoh’other **duties as**  **niaay** b4 preBciribed.by

law.* +I0 atatad In Texas Jurl4prud~n08;Vol. 'al;page

.hhe Comzalesionerd* &urt is required to reoord upon aultablo books the prooeedinas of eaoh tern or oourti end the **minutes** are required to be read over and'signedby the OoUnty judgeor-the member preeid-. ing and attested .bythe olerk. All cruthorityexeroisedby tho oourt must be evidenoed in that *finer.: 

### 37

Honorabla T. K. :Vllkineon- page 3

It ia not neoeasary,that a single book shall oontain the reoord of the oourt'sprooecdinge; various books may be kept in whioh prooaedlnge relating to partioularmattera may ba properly recorded. Each book kept and us.e&for this purpose is, v;ithinthe meaning of the law, a minute book, and the entries thereinmade are minutes. WCo-m&3f!ion8ra~

Court8 are oourts of reoord and theymust authentioate all offioial aota, if suoh authentiaation ls,required,by a seal presorlbed by atatute. "The requlrezuentathat every offloial aot of the 0omnlasion8re1 Court shall be evldenoed 

### by an order entered upon theminutes of the oourt haa been aodlfled to the extent that where an order la ehod to have been actuallymade by the court, and hae been acted upon, the omfasion of the olerk to record the order,will not render it or the aota done inpurauanoe therOOf void. Although an order of the Comr.lseloneral Court h.aa

never been entered upon the oo~urt's

minutea, Itmay neverthelaea be proved by parole evidenoe and given effect. The rule is neoeaaarily dlfferentwhere an order is required by the terma of a special statute to be. entered of reoord, or where a.general atatute de- -. olarea that euoh order ehall be **void** unless reoorded. It Is held that the evldsnoe to establleb B oontraot must be contained in the written prooeedlnge Of th8 court. IIowcver, if the oourt fails toplaoe an Order upon the minutea at the time r.henit ismade, as required b!rlaw, the'order may be entered upon thaminutes et B eubsequent regular or 8PaOial s4ssfon.W Generally speakFag, the Commiesionera~ Court is a -.:..oourt of general juriediotion in this etate, and as we have seen, is a court OS reoord. It is a oourt of tremendous 

### importance, eince it has jurledlotionover the county affairs.I 

### 38

Honorable T. F. ;filklnaon- pace 4

of the oounty. The pub110 has a deep oonoernwith the offlclal aots of suoh oourt, and itsprooeedings therefore are of suoh importenoe as that an aoourate reoord should be kept for the q,eneralInformationof the public aonoerned. ?.!oreovcr,

while It sometimes happens that the failure to make a minute of oertaln prooeedlngs isnot fatal to the validity of the same (see Landa v. State, 131 S. Vi.(2) 321), and thet the validity of an order properlypeesed 1s susceptible ot proof, and.the order may be proved by oral testimony (Bourn v. Ford, 252 S. ?i.491).nevertheless, the atatutory requirement for duly recordedminutes, attested by the proper otiloere, la the sarer way, and matters of such importanceshouldnot be left to the dlffloult and sometimea uncertainmethod or proof dahors the record. We knov: or no statute requlrlne the County Comrcissloners to sign the orders of the Co.mmlssioners* Court. I!owever,aa above stated, the Comxlssloners~ Court shall require the county clerk to keep suitablebook8 In whloh shall be reaorded. the proaeedings of each tern of the court; whioh reoord shall be read and signed arter each termby the oounty judge, or the member presiding and attested by the clerk.

Yours very truly A%“l’O:JKY (;G:hWL W T,zX,;Y

Ardell Willieme Assistant
A'Y:zd