OFFICE OFTHEATTORNFY GENERAL OFTEXAS 

AUSTIN 

June 5, 1939 

/ 

WT. !3avfd E. Kuloahy 

county ,'.ttorney 

El %a0 County 

Ll Paso, Teuls 

mar sir1 

Court pay for 

esd under authority or 

6, ar tbo ~Rwflssd Civil 

Q PubUo Building end Imowned Qythe oounty? 

‘!'(b] when said booke arei to be housed 

in the present library Wildin& amed by 

the city 0r El Papaso, or glad otbsr pubU0 

building not owned by Mm Ctwnty~" 
ixticle 3677, !!evised Civil S-stutsm, reads as 

'fal'mu: 

The ccxxilsclonero court or any cnunty 

may estol:liah, n:aintuln, and operate within 

t!if+fF res;r‘eotlVo COLUltfeS, COUntg irec lihrc\rits in th+ mn:Ier and with thn functlcns 

rrttmrlbcd in tiis title. The sold court 

shall also have the power and authority to 

establish in ao-oporatlon wltb aaother oounty 

or oountles a Joint free oouaty library for 

the benefit of tI& oo-operatlve ?ountlerr,w 

Artlole 1679, Retised Clril Statutes, reader 

*After a aout& free library ha6 been 

e,stabllahed, the oca~~lasionera oourt shall 

annually eet aaide from the -al tax fund 

.- or the oounty, a mm suffloiat.for the maIntemnoe of said library, but not to axoeed 

five oents on the hundred dollars valuation 

or all property 2.n auoh oounty Outalde of all 

lnoorporated oitieo and km818 already S~PPOX%- 

in6 a free $Lblia library, ard upon allproparty within all inaorporated oitias and towna 

already supporting a free puUa library, 

and upon all property within aLl fncorpo~ted 

oitiss end towns already supporting a free 

pub110 library whioh have eleotsd ii& become 

a part of such free library ayvttema provided 

in thS.8 title forth0 purpose Or maintaining 

oounty free 1lbrarLaa and for purohasing 

~ropertythorafor~* 

The first legislative act authimlz 

libraries tc be established was passed by the 

lqture, Aotn af 1915, oh, 117, ard found on p 

the General l&Ys of Texae. This wae entitled an;': e- 

"to establish, maf.ntaln, operate, equip and Uise$.abX@& 

oountp free libraries and county oimulating llbrariea. 

ror the us6 of the oitlzens or this state;....", auu 

wbioh aot underwent subsequent revisions w&t@ the last 
revision, iiots of 1919,~ 36th :e&slature, found incorporated under Title 35, Article3 16774690, Revised 

civil Statutes, 1925. It is unnecessary to set forth 

horein all of the above articles under Title 35, per 

talning to the subject. 

Our attention is directed to that provision 

of Artiole 1678, *ioh provideo that the library shall 

-- 

~utoeertaSnterritorl.alllmitsdeflrm¶there~ 

0th.r prodeicals under pit4 s5 are 

glfts and beqneds for the bow 

Artiole 1696 provides that the 

be diMstabllshed at aqtime ujmn a petition ot a 

4ority of the toter6 of 

oounty free library, 

etwlng mm& 

.Th6 :Leglslature bds provided ftk the maintenanoe of suah oounty free library under Artlole 1679, 

aupra, ame to be paid out of the general fund. Youwill 

note that Artiole 1689 providss that all funds rret aside 

for.~Intdnlng auoh oountf free library shall aon&WftJte 

aeeparato fundto beltnownaathe oounty free librsm 

fund and shall not be wed for any other purposes except 

those Or the aouatS free library. iiaving,authorised 

thle method, it appears that the rule of sxpreselo unlW 

eat exolwio alteriua would apply and the county would 

be unauthorized to divert oonsttiutlondl fundB raised by 

taxution, an atihoribd ~@a<.l$mUmited, Article 8, SeOtLon 9 

of the Conetltutlon of Tezoo, and use suoh funUs to @IX'- 

ohase books for and maintain suoh county rree library aa 
authvviztxl in odd statntes. 

*Where legislation points out speciricallg how an aot is to be done, althou& 

without it, the court or officials, under 

their general powers, roulil have been able 

to perTorn the act, pet, es the Le+yislat~~ro 

i&poeeU a epmial llmltation, it must be 

striatly purmle&” Lewis* Sutherland Statutory con0truotian - s00ond Edition, vol. II, 

p. a&9. 

'wher0 a power ia gl3mt.a nnd the m0th0a 

of. it8 exeroi8a I.6 ~reaarihsd, the prttacrlbed 

methodsraludalr e&l othen llrdmtnstbofolama.* = Lewls'f3uthda&3tatutoryGoamtmmtion, Vol. a, para* s9t, 689, 688, 651. 

It is thorafora the opinion of thie dapartmnt 

;h$Gha ocmidwioners' 0tma-t is not authorbad to.ply 

9 

books pumha8oUundmrthe proviufonfi of Artioletrlw9- 96, ill01usi~, R8ma Civil statutra or Texm, 

l9ss, 0utoi~thopubliobuil~andinpfarcrrPsnfefunds; 

Trustingtheabovo -6 your qu0stions, *ld 

~-b 

Your0 ?‘aly truly 

AlTuBrn (JJw!mAL m/m