**OFFICE OF**  **THE ATTORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  **TEXAS AUSTIN**  GROVER SELLERS ATTORNEY

GEHLRAL

.

Eonorsble John T. &tot&son County AtWwney, Lamer County Paris, Texas

Dear air: aommissionaraf

8' Court ofLmmr Couat~, the City ofParis, Texaa, and~aa5.etanoegiven to the id oity .LO

property looeted

amwer to the ilrat question Is yea, ounty Auditor of Lwaar County authorafd $100 per monthi RSIU if no, out of ould he be authorized to pay aam6?”

Article 234la-1, Vernon's Annotated Clvll Statutes, provldee:

“The acmmisaloners* court in all oountles of this State ah811 be authorized to iurnieh fire PZ’Oteotlon and flre f&hting equipment to the aitizwns of such county residing outside the city limit@ of any city, town, or village within the aounty and/or adjoin :ni: oounties. The commissioners’ aourt shall have the authority to purohaee fire truoks end other fire-fl@ting s?uipmant by rlrst advertialng and re-Hon. John T. Hutohiaon, rage 2

aeiving bide thbraon as provided by law. The wmmiesloners’ oourt or any county or this State shall also have the authority to enter into oontraotr with a oity, town, or village within the oouuty and7or adjoining ocuat$er, upon such terns and aondltlom as ahall **be** agreed upon between the ocmmissloners~ oourt~ nndthe governing body of suoh oitp, town, or village, for the use of the firs truoks and other fire flehtlng equipment of the ~oity, town,

or~vlllage. It la speolfiaally provldod,that the eats of any pemon or parsons whilefighting ,iirer, .* traveling to Orfrom flre5, or 14 aog aanner furnishing fire proteotlon to the aitlsenr of ‘a county outride the city limita of sap oity ,,town,


### or village, shall @aoonsidered au.the aotr o? agents of the county In all reape6te, hotti~thrlwding suoh person 

### or persona may be regular eap~ojlwa

or rlreaen of the olty, town, or villa 8. 7 x0 olty, tom, or rillaga u3thi.n the oounty ,and or adjoining wxmtles, shall be held 1Iable for the eat8 of any of itat employeea while imgaged in figbtlng firer outride the oity lisrita’yursuant to My oontraotthhsrrtoforr entered into b6tween thr oQPLalselone~tx wurt oi ths wunty end the got-Ally body of the city, town, or village. Provldrd,howwer, thatanySirsequipmentpuroharedby any county shall be don6 onlybyamajor.ity tote ofpropertyowing taxpayaraand qualified votes of rueh oo\mtg at a oountycwido elaotlon oalled for such puzpow. m

Generally sgssking, the authority of’the commissioners I aourt as the governing body of,the oounty to m&o eontracts In its behalf ie striotly **llmitsd~** to that oonferrsd sither expreesly 

### or by fair or neoesrsry lmpltoation by the oonstitutlon and statutes or this State. (Terrent County vi). Rogers, 125 S. x. **592;** Baldwin vs. Travis County, 86 S. K. &SO). The authority to oontraot onbehalf of the county 18 vested alone in the aom!isslonersl court in the absenoe of mstatute authorizing

soma other agenay to oontraot;.,. and if an agrsaaraatlanot mad8

### 716

tfizoiri:h 0:' sariol;ioned by auoh aganoy, it binds neither the county nor the individual. (8parka vs. Ksutman County, 194 c, 'ii. 605; ii?lWicaIl DiSlKIteOtin~ COmpaIlyVS. Freestone COiUlty, 193 s. .;. 440; Term Jurisprudence, Vol. 11, page 630.) The comml~1si0ner.e~ court must have authority of law for Itsoontr3St8, and, if the authority haa been given, a reasonable oonstruotion ot it will be given to attest its purpors. (Commissioners1 Cot&t vs. Zallao8, 15 S. ii+'.26, 525).

Artiole 2351e-1, supra,epealtloally aathorizasthe OOmalaaloners' COUXtOfE5JOOUllty Oithi8<8 t0 8nt8rkit,0 contracts with any city, town, or villa&s wlthln the oountr and/or ad!oinlng oountiea upon ruoh terms an4 oondltiona aa shall be agreed upon batween the cOmmisaioa8r~~ aourt and ths govarning body of ths oity, toun, or villags r0r the ua8 of fire trucks snd oth8r fire tlghtlng Oqaipm8nt of the eitr, town or village. Thsreforr, you aZ8 rsspeotiully stZrla84that it is the OpFniOnOfthis d8paxtlaent that th8 0WIhiseioll8rs' Court ot Lamar County iS authorizad undac the law to l nt8r into a aontraot with the City OfParis to provide ior tiretl~,htlng facilities to proteot property heated outride ot the citylimits 0t Paris, 3peclfloally answering your first qarstion, youaaeadvisedthat tha CoarPiSsiOn8Fa' Court Ot Lamar County is authorissd to oontraot with the City of Paris to provide for tire-tigbting fso~llt~ra and pap tha eittJ blOO.00 p8r month tar suoh reXViaee, pXOVidSe anoh aXp8nditPr8s ar8

mad8 in conpllanos with ths county budget andthe law &pplloable to the county budgst.

In answer to your rroond question, you are advisrd thst it ia our opt?ion, in view of our andwar to your iirst quastlon, the oountgauditorlrauthoriesdtoapprwc olalma for the sumot @OO.OOpar,month for tha above raentlcned s8r**vices,** provldeil

thata oontraet has b88n madeby andbetwsan the oounty snd olty for such **abrtlOSs,** and that such payments must be mad8 out of the gen8ral fund of the county. All countl eXpenUituras lawtullg authorized to be mad8 by $ county must be paid out or the oounty'r g8taersl fund

**, U518SS**  th8r8 iS -me 1aW which makss them a oharge against the sp8ciel ruzad. (vlllllams VS. Cerroll, 182s.w. 29; BerarOouaty,st sl,11.Mann, 157 S. '?f,26, 134).

I Tours tory ~tru3.y
A7,TORNr.TCI!WTML

OFT!%xj

**.** 

### d/a.kakAres11 ‘dilllisms Assirtant