OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

-Gyuo( 

-- 

Xonoreble Kennatb H. Clark 

CountJ Auditor 

V8rd county 

Jksmhans, ruar 

0 quote rron your 

Annotated Texrr Civil Sta08 in the State actl poo t;ve c o m8zsr lo a - 

the o -ty. 

o o uetlmea r 8ly so 

, frlcludimg the 

nocowary bulldilgr nnd other 

ImproYmatll, sn thdr ovn oountler or in my 

other oounty or olty la #ie Batted State@, 

vhero fairs or sxporltiona are being held, 

"See. 2. The Cornlarfomrst Courta at the 

.respectlve oountios or the Com@ssionerst Courts 

of e.evarsl counties aury cooperate vith eaoh 

other and participate vlth local Interest!8 in 

providing for the l reotion of suoh building8 

and other imprmwments aa mar be neceasery to 
Honorable Kenneth J4. Clarlc, Page 2 

aaooatpliah the purpose vntfoned in Seotionl, 

of this Aot and for the l arstiling, oreating, 

and mlntaining of such hortioultural and agrloultural, livestock and nimeral exhl.bLta, and 

the oxpenasa lnaldent thereto. 

"Sec. 3. All inoorporated cities, vater improveamnt districts, and vatar control end improveBent dlatricta mfiy cooperate vith th8 COIlImlsrlonerr~ Courta of rush oountlaa for the purpose8 stated in Saotloa 1, and Section 2 of this 

Aat and appropriate monies in providing for auoh 

exhibits, eatabliahirtg and maintaining much 

muaeuam, and ln the areatlon of such bulldings 

and lmprovsmentr, and the aaaembl+ng, erecting 

and mafntainlng of awh horticultural, agricultural,~liveatock and mineral exhibita. 

“Sec. 4. Rothlng herein oontalned ahall be 

aon8trued as repealing or modifying any of the 

proviiiona ot Chapter 163, 0mera1 hvm, ?tetgular 

Seaalon, Forty-aeuond Legl8laturo (knovn aa Iiouae 

Bill 312), {codified aa Art. 236&, V.A.T.C.S.) 

nor as taking the provlrlona of th.la Aat out of 

limitationa of maid Chapter 163, Acts 1934, 

E it;** 

4th LB., p. 52, ah. 20; Actr 1926, 

3td C.S., 

(S8aOnd iiacketa lp 

. 2103, oh. 507, 1 1. 

our8 

Article 2368a, Soation 2, Yornon’r Annotated Civil 

Statutes, reads in part as follovar 

“No county acting through its ooaaalaaloaera 

oourt,.... ahall hereafter make or enter Into 

any contract or agmemtmt for the construction 

$b-% :::?g%k$%s%:~~g 2 

7 

nditure in excess of Tvo Thousand Dollara 

$2,000.00), crentlng or lmpoaing an obllgation or liability of an;~ nature or oharecter 

upon such comty, or mq subdivision of such 

aounty,..,. without first aubmittlng such pkoposed oontract or agreement to cpmpetitlve bids. 

,...” (Undsrsaoring ours) 

A 
Xoaormbh Keaabth II. Clmrk, ?a&~ ) 

ATtiole 1659, V8rmot1~8 Annotmted lelcam Ciril Stmtutmm, road8 as follovs~ 

"8uppUmm of etmry kiti, romd mnd bridge 

rtarial, or a4 other uterial. for the UH of 

raid aouuty, or uy of its offlomrm, depwtmats, 

or inmtltutlonm must bm purmhmsmd on a~tltlre 

bSdm, the oontnot to bm avardmd to thm party vho, 

IA the jUd@MtAt of the oommlsrionorr court, hum 

muwttod thm lovrmt mud bmmt bid, The oounty 

auditor mhall mdvmrtiso for l por lo d of tvo weeks 

IA at lmmst one Qlly nevmpmper, publlmhmd mnd oiraulmted ir thm oouaty for l umh suppllem mad amtarial aomording to l pmolfimmtias, giving in detail 

vhmt 1s needed, Buoh tiYWtbmAt8 &au date 

VhbN tbo speolfimmtlonmmtobm found,mad mbmll, 

give the t%m md pImoe fos~rooolrlng muoh bldm. 

All muah ooapetitivo bids shall be kept OQ file 

b y the o o untl y udlto~mm mpmrtof thb roaords of 

him offlmm, mnd mhmll b~mubject to iampomtlca by 

my OAO iImm;rhg to mom Quq. Copier of ml1 bids 

reoelrod l hmll bm fur~Imhod wthm oouaty auditor 

totheoouAty udgmubtethmoolEU.immloamrmoourt~ 

mnd vhmn t&m b f dm nooivod erm not l mtimtmatory 

to ths mmld 

P 

dgo oroount 

t 

oesais11ldp~4rs, thm

auditor mhal njmmt uid ldl'mnd m-advo~l8s 

for nev bldm. IA omes of omrgoncy, puWumm8 

not In exommm of wm hundred mad fifty dollars 

may bo aBade UpoA requfsitlo!a ta be appmvod w tbo 

aomimslonmrm oourt, vlthout l dvertimimg for amtltirq bidm.' 

The mame of LWmtonm Oounty vm..Knox, 234 9u 131, 

held that the aounty'm oontraot for purahame of romd ramerj 

ln~olrlng l xpmndlture of ~brm tbm~ ~2,000.00 Vl#OUt reqUiX3ng 

oompetlt%vo bldm vam void. Ito mnolomohmrmvIths oapy of 

o&dAiOA Ho. 0-1839 of this doprrt.S@At vhloh 00~taiA8 a full 

dlmaumslor, of thm LIamstonm Oounty mm80 md 6180 dlmmumsmr 

Artlolsr 23f%m sad 1659, Vmrnon'm Annotated TeixAa Cl~ti 8tmtutor. 

In umwer to your question you are rumpeotfdly adv1m.d mm followmr 
rmble Kenmth II. Clark, Page 4 

1. The aorPlisslonorm" oourt is not l uthorlmed to 

&o or enter into any oontnot or agreement for the oonmtruotion of m8y publla bulldlng ud 6oclpletlon of mmy pub110 vork 

~ulrlag or muthorla 

i"f 

My oxpoAdltun In 0x0.88 of Tuo 

moummmd (42,OOO.OO) Do Iem, onmtlng or bpomiag m,n obllgatioa or llmblllty upon the aouBty, vltbout flrmt submttting 

swh proposed oontraet or agnomont to oompetltlrr bids. 

Dollmrm rust bm purchased by ooqntltlrm bids. 

2. Undar Artlole 1659, auprr, raterlmlm mnd 

fn~olrlng mm expondltur* of more thma Oae 

sup lies 

HuAdnd, mrty P $150.00) 

3. ?hm oo~mmloamrm~ oourt cmmy buy muoh materIm 

l.m l acordmnoe vlth Artlole 1659r'mutmittlng mmam to aaPpetltlve 

bids, andamyhirm day labor to oamstructtho building. It la 

our oplnlo~ that the aoanismloners~ oowt would hmve l uthorlty 

to him much labor vlthout Ntnlttlng the hiring of much labor 

to oompetltlre bldm. 

Xaurmvmrytruly 

ATTORBEYC?ERERALOFTEXAS 

Wm. s. f~nAl.Ag 

Amslatmnt