### A~JSTIN 11. Tmas PRICEDANIEL ATTORNEY GENERAL Fdu’um’y 21, 1952

Hon. S, Taylor Brlt8 Opinion Ro. V-1412 County Attorney Atascoea Couatf Ret Authority of the CommleJourdanton, 'has slonera o Court to buy improved real estate from Jourdantan Indepencient School Dlstrlct to provide adclltlonal pubDear Sir: lit office epace,

Your reqwrt fa* an opinion of this of

### fice reads in part as follows:

"The Ccaualsslon8~a* Court of Atasco

### sa County, Te%ati, vhlch sits at Jourtlanton, Texas, th8 County Seat, has entered Into an agreement and contract vith the Jourdanton I&ds@endent School Mstrict Wh8r8bg the said school district agrees to sell and the CommisslonersP Court agrees to buyz:certaln real estate and Improvements situated at Jourdanton, Texas, for a consideration of $70,000,00, (For full details 

### under contract dated January 14, 1952, se8 true cop marked 8Exhlblt 

### A 4. attached hereto and

*The purpoee 

### for which these bulldlngs are to be used Is set out In the mlnUtes of'th8 said CO~lsslOn8rS' COUPt Under date of May 14, 

### 1951,. to wltl
*Wherpeas th8 Ataecosa County Cot&- house has becam lnadeqllate and additional space la 

### needed for public offices; and
aWhev8a8, 

### the Commlssioner8 8 Court ha8 mt8f-e determined th8 advlaabllity and aamkj of providing additional public?**OfiiC8B;** Q m o '

nTh8 conslderatlon Of $70,000*00 to be paid by the Commissioners1 Court 

### for

### Eon.3. TaylorBrits,page 2 (V-1412)

saidrekl.

48kts ~1s to be 

### paid Zn cr8h aims 

### the unlncumbe~d~balaaca, in the CountyPOrmRneat

Improwwnt **Funds** as **:** 

### or Januwy~l, 1952,~~U $76,368,41*ZIG 1951 btulgetof Atascosa Ccnmty hem a pee 

### vieionfor pamt 41 $15 025.00,v0* **C4IlEtFUCtiOS Of**  **buildIngsi 6na**  the 

### 1952 budget trreltute8 a **proper** provIsion f0r 

### paymn6 of $55,000*00 for c4Mtrutt1on **of bu%m,**  

### a January14; 1952,thaCaumlmlayIII*Co-t oi 

### Atascosa County, **Toxao, 8nm4a**  

### the PoUovlag orderan thsm%autrtI

of the Courti
lPQDPQs,

the Cwmi8sba8reí

c ourt OiSta;rsa4w

County 

### l,a

c oat~Iati4n

of **6b4 COWtIWCtiOn**  **OP pUrCh484**  **Of buiiaing8**  to be used ior county 0filcee;proviaed 

### in the CountyBudgetofAugust,1951, rm th4 gp4mitm8 oi 415 025.00f~00i the Pernanent

Iqrovmment &uU, In 1951. "'A#!3 -S, 6wh~~pdWitwe wa$
**net am4**  **in 1951**  a0 **~4dnwat4a, it**  sow **b4c ’** **m4s an**  

### aergoaay, by reama of rrausual aad unmremoa a%swImetanrm wbtchaould loti by reasonably

cUlLgent

thought

**have**



### *'cm, tba 1952bu@!t of Atascoea County Is hmeby aaiuled to aqthorloo 

### tihs

oxpontUture

'of)15,025.00 from the Ps-nt XqwotemW Fund for the 

### coaot~tlon d purah484 ai btildin&ts 

### in theycrar

of 1952 la addition to the ~55r000*oo

sot 

### uy **f0.F that**  **pUPpOE in**  

### o~Qina1budg.t.
*wtsbthe above 

### emracDsat to the I952bwlget,

a totalof 470,025.00 la authorind fos l&e aon8tructlmOF pt~chatlo 

### of bullW#ao" /, **@mm46 upon**  **th6 abowe**  **cit4a n44a4**  and psp#es 

### for which t0 be **U84d Sad**  **fh4** 

### timuteaIS fbsruiag aamo~18 sucha u.gchaseby the +aaarissicmreGOWt 14ga f 'i)

### Hon. J. Taylor Brlte.,pago 3 (V-1412)

Thi3records in the office of the Central Education Agency refleot that the Stat8 Board of Education ha8 approved th8 e,ahooldlstrlct's appllCation for th8 sale of.thd land ln question, a8 re* **qufred** by Article 2773, Y.C.S. t

Subclhviston 7 of **ArkLcle** 2351 V.G.S., authorlses th4 cI)OBPLIaslorwra'~court o 8prorlQ4 ana :
keep In r8palr copt hOuses, jai18 and,a11 necessary public build,+!, COparifJS1On@I'8 **Ua ’** **lor** 

### krticle**2370, V.$.S.,**  

### the

aourt may, *n aeceasary, PrOVia buildings, **rooms,** or apartpvlste at the county seat, other than tbs **courthowe** ior holding the eeesiona of the 64wity Court8,'Msdrl~t Courts, and for 

### carOn such other public bwlneas~~a may be auBOa'bp th8 CardeElon8rE'COIJrt. Jg; I.83S,W,2d 1s (Toxr 

### Clv.Ap WaB 

### h8ia that t&4 te$m 'pub11 a8 used in ArtlC18 2351 means a building used primarily for public or govsrmwata1 purposee8 t$t 18, to house public 4l'ge*SrolaOntal ag8Wi88.
was further held that "tb paver to provide includes the poWOr to pUlrChlllOs* xt i6 Cldar, th8r8tO2'8, that the C'XQQi8Si4&4X'8 ' court ha8 the authority to purchase addltiom41 iwcrsaary public buildinga, Although you do n& state lB your Cequ88t vhlch public OffiCO8 vi.11be hOW8a in the building, the resolution8 

### 0r the co~.a810nerss court recite that the additiona **spat8** IS {tobe acquired for "public offlceu,"and for "county offla48.4 Ye assume that the buGUl,ng Is to **be** WSa Only **for** authorlaed purpOee81, Since the cawiaeratbn for the contemplated 

### p~??~h&s~

i8 to b4 paid In cash from funds now on hand Zn th4 Permanent frpprovement Pund, the authority of the commis81onelre court to finance the pur

### ChaE8 thl''Y h the laeuSn48 of'bond8 or tlm8 Warrants is not lnvo V8a. Accordingly, the holdings inAtt'g Sen. Op. v-1278' (1951) and O-7036 (1946)p mentioned in your brief, are not relevant here.

**Under** Article VIII, Section 9; Constltutlon **of** T8xa8, andArticle 2352, V&&5,,, taxes levlsd for the Permanent Improvement Fund mi%ybe

-used for the "erection" of public buildings. In keeping r&h the holdlags In Dancy V* Davidson, su ra and Brown ?*-Graham, 58 Tex. 254 (lW5) -+- the opinion that the term 'er8CtlOn" in~1"u~8P~~- 

### C&W8 and that the c,ostof the building is prOp8Ply payable out of the Permanent Improvement Fund. 

# i!Boa, Jr Taylor Brlte, pagrr

### 4 (V-l&X2)

ers ’ The $kncy case held that the cmniss~~nCOU??torder there InvelVad ~8s iwairlofent to 

### drwt an $menChnsnt 

### 0r the countg budget tumtp the provisions of Artlc,le w-11, V,,G.S+,reading:

* * meJo #w budget has been 

### rimi; &va'ovrd 

### by the colmJ3sloneT~' Cawt, the but&et, an approved by tha Court sWL.3 be riUQ tith the Qlsrk af ,theCow&y &xwrt, and Uxes levkad &may ia acsurdtise therewith, a&d no expend&- twe ef the fund8 of the coutrty shall tlmwafter be wide, exeepd in btd.ct eem#Uancs ~5th the bwl&# a8 adopted 

### by the Court; Bxcepe that emmgeimy expanditures, in 088,sor grave publia I)*Cbs8ity, 

### to meet 

### umuw~l and anfolreseem conditions .vNch oould not, by **reasonably** tIYlt@nt %Wmght aad attention, have bee11inclkn%eQ in t&&sarigina?. budget, may Fmm t’lnmto time be authorbmd by ths GtW’t ,a8aaue&‘Wents to the o~lginal budget. In abl cases where such amendst6mt.s to the origkaal budget
are made, a capy ai the ardsr oi the Court iaiwW&q the bu24et shall be.filed with the CZsrk of the ounty Court, and atWok to the budget originally adopted. ”

The apinion 

### pointed out that the order d&d not con- :;~~a rinding that emergency 

### conditions did in fact

. @t In its holdlarg the cot@t mcognlzed the power of the eomail,bs$mm?s~ court to amend the budget so as to prortds for Qba purchase of additional baild&ngs 

### if emergemcp 

### ~efflditions do 

### In ract exist and if 

### woper procedure is followed.

While the 

### ordbp rulepteaby the bommleslonersv court of Atescosa Oounty FM January IBM, 1952, doss SW% follow the sua* statutory language. or aet out in detail t& facts ciaatinga grave public 

### neeeasity fop ameadabn~ of th@ budget, we are of themopin

## i~ thattbsWUOT

i8 f3tiri~iwt to meet 

## the0 tia+nea8 to form z.nthe ctsei .Y

## ecHowever, d ,,

the PdcessaPy iW$s justify% amezment 

### or the budget existed at She tiaM the expenditme waa tmmrred, the 

### C~S~%ORW~ 8 murt may later ammd the order so a8 to raileM &Ir 

### aemlttiam which misted at that time.Hon. J. Taylor Brlte, page 5 (V-3412)

Morr,lson Y, K&ler, 207 s,WLWg51 '(Tex,Clvp App* 

### 7 public

### error ref. n.r.e,). What constitutes grave

necessity” depends upon the ~raats In each~~ case and is a question fbr the primary detemlnatlon of the cosW.ssloue~‘s~ court in~the exercise Att’J’C+ehr bps. O-1022’. It is 

### not within 

### ths province of tbli office to pass on fact questions and we are not expressing an opinion as to the sxls~encs of facts warraa,$&ng an amendment of the budget In thls
case.

SaeaAKp

Where the county courthouse has becae inadequate and additional space is needed to house county 

### officersor agents, the commlssioneraf court is authorized to purchase buildings for this purposer The court may amend the county budget so as to provide for the purchase of such buildings if the conditions Andyrequirements of Article 68qa-11 V.C.S., are met.’ Davidson, 183 S.Y.28 195 (Texr 1944, error 

### rer.).

APPROVRDs

J. C, Davis; Jr. County *Affairs Dlvislon Yours 

### very truly,

PRICR DARIRL Attorney General

Mary IL rrall Reviewing Assistant

Charles D, lkathews First Assistant .Asslstant

BAtmh