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. .. . .. . OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AlJSTIN

**GROVER SELLERS**  **Ootobc** Bl-11. 194h

**_ ATTORNLY**  **GENL~AL**

Honorablr E. I.. Hlnson, 

### Jr. County Auditor, Polk County Livingrton, Tsxse

Dear Sir:

and quOt4 tr long4 or personal sutomoused tor oifioisl bualneaa. nlon request of rooent date

at the time the fiioers Zalary Fund nthe Commlbsioner4’ p 0r 4ng 0rrid3i or th4

on the Budgot 14 sst dnd approved **44lonere** Court ror 4aon 0rri04r or nd oaoh otflos 

### has its budgot

it a4 **a** GrandTotal? I m44nby thlr, it 4 oortaln amount ir set aside for deputy hire, o&nho only 4pend that amount 

### tordrputy him or oan ho spend his who14grand tote1 budget just **r0r** doputg hire ii ho rishos?Hon. IE.L. HInson, 

### Jr., pogr 2

“(3) Whorrthe shrrlrr reorlvrr 41 pew ~mIl4for oar0 for oounty bualno88, oan the oounty auditor roquiro hia make l daily mileago rsport on rorm8 iurnlshrd by the auditor showing all personal all44@- and all mileage for county and to **bo** roportod to the auditor l

aoh month boiore &agot8 him pay?*



### oUr 4n8W4r **t0 JOUT**  **cU4Sticn fi030,**  **1~ 18**  **a8 fOiiOW82**  The

### Commis810nerr1 Courthas thq right and authority to rlr 

### tha salarlor of t&o oitlc4r4 namd la ,PootIon 13, Art, 39120, at my emount not 1088 than the total 811111l arn4d a8 componertIon by thr ortlorr in his oiflolrl oapaolty ror the rlsoal par 1935, rnd not more than the maximumamount allowed **8UOh ofiioor**  

### under **hWS 4Xf8tin6**  **On AugUrt**  24, 1935, and *OIA 8uOhsalaries have on04 

### bosntixod 

### bytho.~omml88Ionore~ 

### Court for 84id Offlosr8, they oennot b4 Ohqpd dtU?Ingthat par; howovor, tbr COmniS8IWlOr8' court Jkayohsngr the salarl48 or said OftfOOr8 for the folloalng Joor, provldrd 8uah 8alarIoo are net 1444 then the total sum

### oarnod 88 oomponsation by thr orri04r In his orfl0lel oapaulty for tbo ii4041 year 1935; and not more than the maxImum amount allowed euoh otiloor undo? laws rxlstlng on Au@mt 24, 1935. Anrwrrlng your quoatlon sp4oifioallp, It 8ucb salaries are not now sot **at** the maxim& amcunt allo-Aed euoh otticbr under laws exI8tIng on August 24, 1935, the8 oan be ralssd to 8uoh marimumsmount for the year 1945. For turtber Information O?Ithi8 quostlon, including the text of pertinant **8tstuto8, 844**  attrobed oopi48 of our OQiniOll8, Nos. O-1595, O-4226, andO-5746.

In oonsldrratlon of your Qurstlcn HO.2, w4polnt out the 

### rollowing:

Artlolo 689a-9, Vornon'a Annotated Olvll Batutos, provides, In part, a8r0110wrr

“Tbo County Judge shall 8orv4 a8budg4t orriosr ror the Co~l88Ion4rr' Court In l aoh oounty, end during ths monthoi July ot each year, ho, asslated bythe County Auditor or by thr 

### County Clark, 8ha11 properr a budget to oov4r a11 propO84d 4~4nditU48 ot the oounty gOVorfU84nt tor the 8UOoeeding year. Such budg.6 8ha11

### bo oareiullyHon. E. L. Xlnson, Jr., pagr 3

Itoeiaod 80a8to maks a8 olrar 8 oompariron a8 praotloablo brtreen 

### l xp4ndituro8 Inoludod in th4 prOpolls&budgot and aotual 

### expnbitures for the **84m4** or eisllar purp084r.ror thr preceding yorr. Ths budgot muatalao b4 80 pr4parea as to showa8 d4rinit4ly a8po8- eiblo ssoh of the vwious jmojeotr'tor mhlch appropriations are set upIn the budget 

### and the ostllasted 

### a@ountoimoneyoarrlod in the budgot 

### foreaoh or 8uoh **projeotr.** . , .4 Artlolr 689a-11, Y. **A.** C. S., prdvldrs, in part, a8 rOiiOW8:

*ThoCom.lssloners* Court In eaoh oounty shall l

aoh year provide tor 4pub110

### hoaron **t&r** oounty budgot -- -ahIohhoering rhall takr plaoe on 80114data to br namedby the COmmi88IOi-ior8' Court aubeequent 

### toAugust 15th and prior to the levy Ortax08 bysaid COCLLli83iOIlOr6' Court. Pub110 notloe rha11 be given that on said deto or bearing thr budget aa preperod by **th4** County Judge will be oonaidered by the Comml8alonora* Court. Cald aotlor r&all namethe hour, the datr and the plaoe where tho hrarlng shall b4 oonduotod. Anytaxpaysr of 8UOh0oUnt.yshall hero the right to k present andpertlolpato in said hearing. At the oonoluslon **ot ths**  hsarlng, the budget a8 propared by thr County Judgs 8hail b4 aotrd upon by the Comlsaionars* Court. TheCourt eh411 havr authority to makr8uoh ohrngos in th4 budgot a8in their Judgmnt the lawwarrants andthe Intore& of the taxpayrrs demand. iVhonths budgot haa boon rlnally approved by the Oommla8lonor8' Court, the budgot, a8 approved by th4 Court, ehau bo tllod Nfth tho Clerk oi thr County Court, **and** tare8 levied only in acoordanoo thsrswlth, and no

### l xpondlturo **ot** the fUa8 of the county ah811 theroaiter br -de exoopt in strlot oo?zpllanoo with the budgot as s&opted by thr Court. Exoept that l ar rgenoy **sxp4rditur4f5,** in **0894** 0r **grave** publlo Ki40486ity,tO **moot unusual**  and unfc~reacen oondltlons which could not, by reasonably diligent thought andattention, htvo **btto icclu&4d**  in the original budget, msy iram time to time b4 authorizsd by **th4** Court a8 amendmentsto the orlglnel budget. In all oasas wbero euah amendments to the original budget is zad4, s co;ly of the order of the Ccurt amen&lngthe budgot 8Call bo tiled with the Clerk cl ths %mnty Court, findettaoted to th4 bud&at origlnaliy adopted..,"Bon. E. L. Hlnson, Jr., page 4

Artlole 689a-20, V. A. C. S., prorldea as rollows:

“Nothing oontalned in this Aot shall be construed as preoludlng the Legislature from making ohenges .ln the budget tar State purposes or prevent the County Commissioners’ Court from making ohanges in the budget for oounty purposes or prevent the governing body of any lnoorporated olty or town from making changes in the budget for oltg purposes, or prevent the trueteee or other aohool governing body from makingchanger in the budgeta for school purposes; end the dutlea required byvirtue of this Aot of State, County, City and Sohool Oifloers or Representatives sta11 beparformed for the oompenaation nowprovided by law to bo paid said ofiloers respeotlrelg. p. 339, oh. 206, 8 20a.” Acts 1931, 42ndLeg.,

In the case of southland Ice Co., va. City of Temple, 100 Fed. (2) 825, deolded by the Fifth Clroult Court of Appeals, in which suoh budget lew la involved, the following was aald:

(I

. . . subdlvlslon 20or tha BudRetLaw(Art. 689a-20, V. A. C. S., supra) aUthOri&R ohanhea in the budget, must rerer to ohanges wlthln the objects oorered by the budget, beoause ii newmutters oould be added to the budget, then the emergenoy provision

‘would serve no purpo8e.n (Underscoring andmatter within parenthesis added). In view of the above, our answer to your Question Ro. 2 1s that the County Commissioners’ Court la authorized to make ohanges within the objects covered by the budget rorcoounty purposes. The Oounty OfilOer, ror whose orrloe auohbudget was made, would have no authority to makesuoh ohanges. Wealso point out that the numberof deputies appointed and the amount of their salaries 1s determined by the Commissioners’ Court and not by the oounty orrloer. Artlole 3902, V. A. C. ?., rlxea the maximumsalaries to be ellowed such deputies,

Ye take upfor oonslderatlon your (luestlon No. 3with the assumption that you refer only to oars or automobiles owned bythe sherlrr or hls deputies. In this respect, wepoint outBon. E. L. Hlnson, Jr., page 5

the rollswing: Artlolo 3899 (b), V. ii. C. S., in part, provldrs:

“V5ero the automobile or sutomobllss are owned by the sheriff or his deputies, they shall be allowed four (4) oonts for saoh mile traveled ln the dlsoharge of oiflolal buslnes?, whloh sum sha1l oover all expanses oi the malntenanoe. depreolatlon, and operation of suoh automobile. Cuch mileage shall ba reported andpeld in the same’-- manner presoribad ior other allowable expenses under ths nrovlslons of this seotlon

. . .* (Undersooring ours). The %anner preaoribed for other allowable expenses” to be reported andpaid under the provisions of said Article 3899 (b) la stated therein IS follows:

Viaoh officer, shall, at the olose of eaoh month 0r his tenure or 0rfi08, makean itemized and sworn report ot all approved expenses lnourred

‘byhim end ohargsd to his oounty, aooompanylng suoh report with lnvoloes ooverlng suoh purohases and requisitions issued by himin support oi such report. If such expenses be lnourred in oonneotion with any partloular ease, suoh report shall namesuoh oase. Suohreport, lnvoloes, and requlsitlons shall be eot to the audit of the oounty auditor.. .I) Undersoorlng added) !‘!ebelieve that a atrlot oompllance with the above provisions would oonform substantially with the requirements set out in your Weatlon No. 3, with the exception of that requiring a showing or all mileage 

### l oqulred on “personal business” es distlngulshed from “county buslnese.W Suchrequirement as to “personal mileage” la unauthorized. St should be borne In mindthat the actual expensas Incurred, such as 011 eto., are not to be reported - just the aotual mileage fizkred’on county business, ltemlzed andsworn 

### to.

Trusting the above fully enswers your questions, weare Very truly yours ATTCRN3GXNZRAL OFTk3A”