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OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

Al JSTIN 

GROVER SELLERS Ootobc Bl- 11. _ 194h 

ATTORNLY GENL~AL 

Honora blr 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 

n the 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 Grand Total? I m44n by thlr, it 4 

oortaln amount ir set aside for deputy hire, 

o&n ho only 4pend that amount tor drputy him 

or oan ho spend his who14 grand tote1 budget 

just r0r doputg hire ii ho rishos? 
Hon. IE. L. HInson, Jr., pogr 2 

“(3) Whorr the shrrlrr reorlvrr 41 pew 

~mIl4 for oar0 for oounty bualno88, oan the 

oounty auditor roquiro hia make l da ily 

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 &a got8 

him pay?* 

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

The Commis810nerr1 Court has 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 811111 l arn4d a8 

componertIon by thr ortlorr in his oiflolrl oapaolty ror the 

rlsoal par 1935, rnd not more than the maximum amount allowed 

8UOh ofiioor under hWS 4Xf8tin6 On AugUrt 24, 1935, and *OIA 

8uOh salaries have on04 bosn tixod by tho.~omml88Ionore~ Court 

for 84id Offlosr8, they oennot b4 Ohqpd dtU?Ing that par; 

howovor, tbr COmniS8IWlOr8' court Jkay ohsngr 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 marimum smount for the year 

1945. 

For turtber Information O?I thi8 quostlon, including 

the text of pertinant 8tstuto8, 844 attrobed oopi48 of our 

OQiniOll8, Nos. O-1595, O-4226, and O-5746. 

In oonsldrratlon of your Qurstlcn HO. 2, w4 polnt 

out the rollowing: 

Artlolo 689a-9, Vornon'a Annotated Olvll Batutos, 

provides, In part, a8 r0110wrr 

“Tbo County Judge shall 8orv4 a8 budg4t 

orriosr ror the Co~l88Ion4rr' Court In l aoh 

oounty, end during ths month oi July ot each year, 

ho, asslated by the 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 oareiully 
Hon. E. L. Xlnson, Jr., pagr 3 

Itoeiaod 80 a8 to 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 muat alao b4 

80 pr4parea as to show a8 d4rinit4ly a8 po8- 

eiblo ssoh of the vwious jmojeotr'tor mhlch 

appropriations are set up In the budget and 

the ostllasted a@ount oi money oarrlod in the 

budgot for eaoh or 8uoh projeotr. . , .4 

Artlolr 689a-11, Y. A. C. S., prdvldrs, in part, 

a8 rOiiOW8: 

*Tho Com.lssloners* Court In eaoh oounty 

shall l aoh year provide tor 4 pub110 hoaron t&r oounty budgot -- -ahIoh hoering rhall takr 

plaoe on 80114 data to br named by the COmmi88IOi-ior8' Court aubeequent to August 15th and prior to 

the levy Or tax08 by said 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 name the hour, the datr 

and the plaoe where tho hrarlng shall b4 oonduotod. 

Any taxpaysr of 8UOh 0oUnt.y shall hero the right 

to k present and pertlolpato 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. The Court eh411 havr 

authority to makr 8uoh ohrngos in th4 budgot a8 in 

their Judgmnt the law warrants and the Intore& 

of the taxpayrrs demand. iVhon ths 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 a r r geno y 

sxp4rditur4f5, in 0894 0r grave publlo Ki40486ity,tO 

moot unusual and unfc~reacen oondltlons which could 

not, by reasonably diligent thought and attention, 

htvo btto icclu&4d in the original budget, msy 

iram time to time b4 authorizsd by th4 Court a8 

amendments to 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&lng the 

budgot 8Call bo tiled with the Clerk cl ths %mnty 

Court, find ettaoted 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 making changer in 

the budgeta for school purposes; end the dutlea required by virtue of this Aot of State, County, City 

and Sohool Oifloers or Representatives sta 11 be parformed for the oompenaation now provided by law to bo 

paid said ofiloers respeotlrelg. 

p. 339, oh. 206, 8 20a.” 

Acts 1931, 42nd Leg., 

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 20 or tha BudRet Law (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 new mutters oould 

be added to the budget, then the emergenoy provision 

‘would serve no purpo8e.n (Underscoring and matter 

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 auoh budget was 

made, would have no authority to make suoh ohanges. We also 

point out that the number of 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 maximum salaries to be ellowed such deputies, 

Ye take up for oonslderatlon your (luestlon No. 3 with 

the assumption that you refer only to oars or automobiles owned 

by the sherlrr or hls deputies. In this respect, we point out 
Bon. 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 and peld 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 and paid 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, make an itemized 

and sworn report ot all approved expenses lnourred 

‘by him end ohargsd to his oounty, aooompanylng 

suoh report with lnvoloes ooverlng suoh purohases 

and requisitions issued by him in support oi such 

report. If such expenses be lnourred in oonneotion with any partloular ease, suoh report shall 

name suoh oase. Suoh report, lnvoloes, and requlsitlons shall be eot to the audit of the 

oounty auditor.. .I) Undersoorlng added) 

!‘!e believe 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 Such requirement as to “personal mileage” la unauthorized. St should 

be borne In mind that the actual expensas Incurred, such as 

011 eto., are not to be reported - just the aotual mileage 

fizkred’on county business, ltemlzed and sworn to. 

Trusting the above fully enswers your questions, we are 

Very truly yours 

ATTCRN3 GXNZRAL OF Tk3A”