Deaombw 20, 1967

Ronorable Yayland 0. Holt District Attorney Opinion No.‘U-172 Scurry CounW CiWthourr, Snyd or, Tqrr Ma ~Whether a county commleslone~e oourt which desires to purahro oquijmmnt for general USI by the county, requiring ,the expenditure df $2,000.00 br more to. be paid out of yurr rent funds, must advertise by neuepaper publicatioil ( or porting) notice of its lntcntlon to take aompetltlve bids **under** the pro,ylBionrr ‘ of Section 2, Artlalo 2368a, VerDee Mr. Bolt: **aonir** Civil. Sfatufcu, **and** related question..

., In a r#amt lifter, tb thir 6ftlcr you:roquest’bd’ our ” 0 **to** the abovo‘reieronced matterr. we quote

“Tha mambirn,o? tho Commi6rion~rr Court of Bouwf County have objected to tho rouuirement o? advertirlngfw bida in making puraharor of ’ equipment for tho um oi tho ,Countywhore tho purch@ro priao of rruahoquipniont is euch thrt thi trlrlrrg of compotitlv0 bldr ,I8 neceerary. Thoy agroa that whom the price Is $2000.00 or mobo th8 takiag 0s campotitlvo ‘bids Is requlrod but thegr do not agree that whore the equifniont is purahared with ourrent tinds advertising by

‘publlmhing or ,poetin~, as required by Sec. 2 of Art. 2368a, Vornon” jnkuotated Texaa Statutes, 18 nmm5mary, an0 tn k It 18 exempt under tK
‘prooir%onr o? $00. 5 ‘of euch,Articlo 2368a; ;ho County Auditor h&r announced hle intention to rrfu80 to approve any claim agalnet tho,County 

### for l qulmont puFaharod unleea all tho provieloni OS ml? Sec. 2 u’a ocmplied with.I

gon. U~~lan0 0. Bdlt, pa8 2 (W-172).

"I will approalate your maw8H.n8 the folk lowlcrtng quortionsr "1. Where the purchase price of .oQuIpmont **for** $onoral u8e by tho County I8 )2,000.00 **or** mm, th8reby~rrquirln2 the t&king oi competitWe bide, I8 it nece88sry to advertioe **by,** publllhln2 (or posting) giving notice of intention of the taking of ouch bldr?'

. "2. **Whore**thoro I8 a trade-in lnvol~8dr door the term, **fpuraha80** prlco,l.,man the fill prlae quotrd or bid io2i the equipment to br **.purahrrd,** or doss It meansuch full priae lore tha rrraMt ollowod for tho **trbdo-la? ”**  **‘**

**. 3,**  moei portlone or Irtiole 236&, VornonloCivil'Statutos, whlqh are applioablo to your first quortlon re!d U'followei ,'

"8ec. 2. IJoaountg, acti* throu@ it8 **Coaml8rionrr8~Court,**

. , .rhall horo&itOr emko uy 

### qontrbot or.llln( 

### for O* rogulring thr oxq@ltwo ,OP wont ot Two Thourand Dollar 'pt ,:2iO00.00) or norr~out of any fund or finds gf MJ*

. ,dqanty **or** 8ubdlvIrlon of mj muntjr arortln(~erimpbring an obll2atIofi **or** lisbillty ofany

nature

,or **ohawotmr**up on

l uoh county or, anj eubditiirlon of mmh aounty, '.

. .wlthout rim mubmltting m&oh propord~contr~~~t to oompetltlvo bide. Notloo of the tine **and** place whrn bnd rhrro muah **oontrrotr** ohall bo let ehrll **bo** publlrhod li euoh oounty (if oonoemlni a oorinty contract or oontrrotr tar ouoh rubalvl8lor1 OS wch oauntg).

. .onor e weak for two (2) oon8ooutlvo mekr **prior** to the tlmo 8ot ,forletting ou’oh oontrrat, thr date of the fi$rt publlcctlon to bo at’lrrrt fourtom (lb) Idryr, prior to tho **dbtr** mt for letting rrld oontraot; and uld oontrrot rhrll br **lmt** to the lowrrt reaponrlblo**biddrr.** .If thoao lr **no** nrwrpaprr publirhad In euih'oountg, the notlao of tho lettingof euoh oontrrot by ruoh oountg ohall be glvrn by owrlng notlar therrof to bo, ported at the County Court Houw door To? **four** torn (14) **dry8** prior to tho time of letting ,' euoh oontraot, . . , "

. . .Bon. Wayland Q. Holt, pago 3 (M-172)

,. "Any and all such contract8 or~agreements hereafter madeby. any county,.

. .ln this state,

- without **complying** with tho terms of this Section, shall bir void and shall net **be** enforceable. In inny court of this state, and tho performme or samoand the paymo'$tof any moneythereundar may ,be onJoined **by** any property taxpaying citizen of SUChCOulity.

. . ,ic

. . B

‘bee. 5. The noflc8 required in Seetion'i **2..** ,8hall not. be appllcable,to expendlture.8 **payable** out of durrentnfunds **or bond**  **funds, as**  above deaaribod,

. . . Section **2 of**  Article 2368a **provlde~** that **in** certain 8Ili8r~enOy~ 8itU&tiOll8 **,thc** COWlli88iOn8l’8 COUl’t does~ not have to " tioatplywith tho provlsIonr of the rootion. :. “,,

S&?t$On**2,** Artlo~le 2368a, has bien am'ended8evel?al .timo6 ulnae Its orlglnaleriaatmant in 1931. m,oifeot of there aBend~ntS,in8Of& IS it iS.SOliVa& to thr:zq~eStiOn hero, 1nvolviJd **is,,,$h@t,** 48 ori@ally onaotod,,,tho section applied only to ~contradt~s?or th& c,ottstructlon of public buildinga or .tho probecutlop apd,c?mpletlon of any public 'work requlrl~g ane?ipendl,ture ihl XOO#S **‘ bi**  **42,000.00.** Wh8r0a8, tho **provision8** of~the~soction now apply to; all 

### l

xpendlturos of county funds **,in** an amount of **$2,000,O0** Or m&o." 'rhat portion of Section 5 of Artlclo 2368a,~~uoted above, has not beon amended, in 8ny important respect since its driginal snactm8nt'in 1931 and was in fiat ra-enactad along w1t.h certain amendmanta to Soctlon 5 and Section 6 of Art$clo 2368a, which are not pertinent to tho instant quostlon **by** Senate Bill, lp5, Ads 52nd Leglrlature,~~Regular Serrl~n,~ 1951, Ch. 164, SEC. 1. Sectlbn 3 Pi shbt8 Bill ios,rObd~8 &S rOllOWB:

%o* 3. m

The faot that the Attorney CMneral of Texas har held that Ssbtlonr 3 and 6 ot 8ald **Chapter** 163 we~o impll8dly ropralod br Chaptn 173, pagO **238, hot8**  of thr 30th,kglSlature, 1947, Atidq\uStiOnS **hbV0** aX'l8en a8 to tho **Validity** Of contraeta and.warrantr oi aountl48 **and** oItle8 thereunder, oreaten an emargonoy and an lmporatlve pubtia nro~88ity that the Constitutional Rule **reqUi;rlng bill8**  **t0** bo **read** .on (rhrO0 **SWeral** dqV8 **in** 

### l **& ROUSo**  t0 **bo 8U8~~68d;**  **Sn& S&&d** Rule 18 hqrbbp SUspMdedr **and** thI8 Act Shall becomo Of? foot.Ive

lmmodIately from **and aftor**  Its pa88ag0, and it 18 so 

### l

naotad.î

-826-eon. Wayland (I. Halt, page 4(M’-172) ”

Chapter 17

3 , pegs,238 (aotuslly page 283), Acts of the 50th Leglelature, 19 7, referred to In the,above quotation from Senate Bill 105, was the first amend,ment’ o Section’ 2. of

’ Article 2368a. Those portlone of Seotion 2, which aFe relevant to this’queetion, and which have been”prevlouely quoted herein, have not been materlally altered sin&e the passage of Senate,Bill 105, referred to above. Section 3 of Senate Blll,l05.expreeses the clear legislative lntect that Section 5 of Article 2366a should be operative subsequent to the enactment of Senatd Bill ‘105, even though ,aectlon ‘5’, Article 2368a, was lmplledly repealed by the 1947 amendment to Section 2, Article 2368a. It le thus clear that the provlalone of Section 2 of Article 236h which require the giving of notice of Intention to take competitive bide by newspaper ~dvertlsement (or,postlng) are not applicable to county expenditures for the purchase of e’qulpment for general we by the county payable out of current funds, .even if the expenditure Is $2,000.00 or more.

In anrwir to your second question, it 1s our opinion that when a county denirea to makea contract under the.competltlve biddlng requlremente of Section 2 of Article 2368a the’blds must
‘

. be atat*d in temar of the grourr**,price** of the equipment to be purchaeed W$thout conrlderiag any “trade-in”. This Is no,t to say that a coreniarlonerr oour.t in the exercise **of,** Its. qund, .dlscretlon

‘

.c&at require In the ,bid speciflcatlon~, t’hat ti~~detis’muet.submit, as a ,paPt off tk)elr, bid ,the eum’ OSmoney.whlch,ithey will, al&or the bounty **for** a deri&nated ‘tzade-in” as credit on, the “bid amount 0, We **do not**  believe that it can **be** eald aa a matter ‘of. law that a oanmls6~oners coiart, bar abused lte discretion if It Includes such a ~peclfloatlon in a bid proporal,’ and took the response of the

‘bidders to thir, rpeo$fioatlon Into irccount in,determlning which **bidder** W&Ithe “lomrt oeeponsible bidder V SUMMARY The provisions of Seotion 2 oi Article 23680, which require the giving of notice of intention to take oompetitive ,bide by newepaper advertlrement (or **porting),** are not applionble to county 

### l xpendlturrr

ior. the ‘purchase of equlpment~for general me by the **county** whlchlue payable out oi current fundr, even if the 

### l

pendlture 11 $2,000.00 or more. Whena county desires t,o make a contractr under the competltlve bidding requirements of **Siotion 2**  **of Article**  2368a, the bid8 mu& be

-827-. :

I. **Ron. Vayland**  **0.** Walt, p8ge **5 (M-172)** 

**.** l t8ted in term of the, grore **price** ol the .equipment to be **purohrud** rlth6ut oonaldertng any
“tr8de -In”

. Beuever, in the **exerciw** of It8 8cnmddiecretlim, a ooaiuimieners court may i 

### l gmoify In itr bid p~oporrl thbt bidder8 ehll include In their bid the cumof money which thav will allow for a “trnde-in” na **c+edle on**  **the** bid amount, Gd a conr8li~lOn4ril Court may ognrlder the **rerrponae** of bidder8 to this l@iah bidder is mphfficntlon **in** determlnlng un the ‘love& reeponelble sdder

. Y&Se very truly,

**Prepared** by Leuir ,B. mmy, !fr

. Asslotant Attorney Generrl APPROVED: O?rnon cm=. ,.

.