OFFICE OF THE ATTOdNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Honorabla R. 8b Wrobr 

countr A8aitor~ 

Crags 08unty . . . 

.LoIi&rlow,,TIur 
816 

“notas I&; ~~4er sent oar repair billa to my 

0rr100. Thaaa b ill8 wr a 8pprova~ l nd also warrants 

The bill8 war8 l aoh .ttma ali&ht~ Bore thaa 

~;.‘?ko lest auoh LILT #aa x*jaoted na3 tha varrent 

was not approv.4 br a.. 

ìIa my $ uQa unt thaw is no o a r l xpanae tioldent 

t0 th8’ 0onauot of hi8 duties and h0 ia not drir* 4hy 

oar oxoapt to go to and troiq tho oourthouw to his kma. 

*Question la lie18 X'tho autherlty to rkjeot tha 

bi11# fqr ,ttlir @al: a%&ma88~ 

~*Th.i auditor ‘@ha&l AWe a general oTarai&ht or 

ull the books CA& roooxbs of aU ‘the Mii~oera OS tb 

county. dirtriot or Ztakr who may be auth&lzed or 

mpti$a by lam to noalti or 

funds, ~a88 nor other property 

belon&g. to, tb& tnqntyf and 

;~~tri~oro~oisssrt et ~tae lau 

oolleot ang soamy, 

ror tha MS of, or 

he.rhellu*totha 

5oraanl3 oounty 

. ., 

Art:016 1660 or teid ate&s is .a8 tailawer 

*kill 018in8, billa ma :aooounta against tho 

ootafity aust bo rllod In aaple tinu for the auditor 

to alatie --a a ppro ve l m beron ~the mestQag8 or 

the ooneieaioncra oourt. Wo olalai, bll%or aooount 

shall tm ellow4 or *ai& tmtll it &as boon l xAmln8b 

and ajlprorad by the oounty auditor. T&id eudltor 

shall oxasaino the Sania, @Ad 6-p hi0 epprOV81 

If i.w (Ioew It-neooawwy all l ueh aoz?*biU,or a lelb a&et a b e +erhM by l iflaavit ~ouohiog tha oorreatneba OS the We ‘PbO 

auditor ii hereby auth&zod to admlniator. oaths. 

for the purporea o$ thlr I~w.~~. 
lion*. R. 

thorlty 

9% (thi auditor) shall not audit or approro 

eny .auoh ~oI.ain w&l088 it haa boOn oontxaokd as piv- 

~4486 bf Ian, nor any l ooount for the pwohaa of 

l upplleg or nmtmlala for tha wo 0r 84ia oounty 0~ 

any or i.ta orrloara, ualaaa la addition to ottm 

repulnmanta of liu, the0 faattaobaa thorrto 5 

noaalaltloai algnoa by the otfloor or6orlne ammo 

end abjworoa by tha oounty Judge. said nqulaltio5 must b0 meds out 05a 8iwea aa approve*. in 

triplieak by tho Bald OfflOOrS, the trlplloata 

t0 XWIIIS~~ with t;ia 0rri00r aoa~iag th0 PWO~~M, 

.tLu dupl?ortr to:k illtid'wlth~tho oounty l uditor, 

and the origiaol. to be agmmd to tha party rrom 

whom aala purohuu la to bo made baron any purohtiao 

ahull bo mede. All warrant0 on tho oouDty treasurer, 

l xoopt warranty Sor jury aemlee,.muat be ooimtor, 

u0a by the oo+tr ‘eu~Uqm.n 

It ii ciur ~plnion that the above l tatutei give y&a imto nJeot the m~lr~billa rer8rred to, ii-thef hare not baen 6oitraot~d ea. piovlbd by lay. 

‘ArtSole Z35l of aald-•iatutaa, 

u~aoh ocx4alarlonera 00~1% 

“. . . 

817 

8. yyoha, pa& 

A.rtlola lb61 of *al& l ta t~tola a as iollowa: 

providoa in p er t l ,a :fo llo wa : 

ahaUl 

. 

“lo; Audit and aottlo..all aooounta against tha 

ooudtr and-dtnot thiir payiunt. . 

i&l. 1940 0f,l titutea,~ a g‘whFoh $ d ha8 to do with tu' 

iut1.S of the oounty olerk; la as follower 

‘They Shsll bq Sx-OffiOiO olorka Or the troamlaslonsra. aourt.* ~. 

atlole 2345 or a%,14 StatuteS provldea so rollowa.: 

mTh&aouuty olsrk shall be OX-OffioiO olerk OS 

the oomnlsalonSr8. oourt; an4 ho ahall attadd upon Oeoh 

taris of said oonualseionora oourt). ~preaorvo enb .keap 

‘~ all books, paperh, rooords an& effeota belon&ag thorOwco, 

isSu0 all notlofis, .writs and proooea neoesaary for thy 

propr exeautiaa ot tho powora and dutieo of the ‘cumkli48iOAerb oourt; and perfom all ouoh other duties, &in 

say be greeorlbS4 by law.,* 
‘83-8 

Yen. R. 3. Wyabe, PWS b 

ArtIolo 3932 of aald l tatutoa provldoa that the, oountg 

olork ahall bo Paid S3r oarkin namad l x-orrlolo l orvlaas. ana 

lnoludod~thSnl.ii IS issuing oouut$ UQrrants, 80 it la l vih a tig 

the duty of thy OoMty olo’rk to iaaua OOUntg Wrrant8, Under 

tbeso atatutos 

of tha oanmlar i onoraf 

tha ~oounty olo*, noting us&r tho dimotion 

oourt, la authorlao to laauo oountg 

warrants la pegmu& of o&lma thet ha*0 beon paaaod upon bg 

the oomrdaalonora~ oourt, but ho 18 not 8uthorizad to issue 

ana dollvor a warrant that tha oomlaalonora* oourt I~taelf 

h8a no auth&.ty to 0-r i~ruoQ.. 

ma rat -m@.rwont or the statutes SMoInobovia r0remd 

to Is that all l uoh olalaa, l ugh as those hero uaaor oonaldoratIon, ba tiled in a&o. tlaiao for tha audItor ta oxamino Mb ap 

prow sea pefom the mooting of tho.oonmiaslonora* ooukt. lllra 

further, ~. thst no olala, blU or aooount blmll be allawod .or 

p4.x4.,UP,tll .it .haa be:A l -ma =a appmyed by the oounty 

. 

In the oaste.of~ Atider8o.n 1. iShi~, PO’ 5,. w. 872,. the SUP~SU,~ 

‘court haa w&or oanaIdsratIon aortitlad, quoetlona rraa .$ho. 

court or civil Appala la a suit br tho ahoriii or mrrla couatg 

8galnst the ootmtg auditor to 0-1 him by maWma ta offiolallg .aouatan&n a aauatg vmrrant that had boan~laauaa to. tha 

ahorirr by or&or or th8 oamdaolen*~ra~ ‘dotart for oerteln itome 

of lndobtodnoaa irJaIoh tho oammlaalonora~ oowt had adjudged’ to 

be lmSul snd joot .a& had allwod. ft wab ah&m that the 

olaim for whloh Uld warmat us Iaauad had boon ~pnWPta& ta 

th* oouqty audLtor boforo it woe approved .bg tha oombaiorurr~ 

c o ur t, a nd he mfuaed to l ppro n it o a ~thground 0 the*, in h is 

~u6gmntLA ; oounty was not kjghlly ‘Uabla thorefor. .I0 holdkg thet tti oountg iudltor, when oallad upon to oountoralgn 

tho 'warrent., had tho right to Inquire iDto the ieUditg of 

the olati or l ooount in diaoherg!, of *hIoh it. was laauoa and 

to rofura to oountaralgn It if ha oanaludod thet tho olaim, or 

any part or It, waa.not a propor’dur6o~ against th8 oountg, 

‘end to rafuso to oountoraigo tho WSr~ent booawo ha had not 

therotororo approved the al&a, tho oourt laid lorn tha followL?c: nila of lera 

*lb the aooond and third questiona wo anamer:-- 

that ths oounty oofanlsrlonerb~ wxut had no prar to 

allow the oleim aIt8r,~It had bSSn pmatqtod to, 

ox.adned,. en6 dlaapprorod by *ia@ auditor. T.%o eat' 

of tha rwantg-z$ath Loglslatura (&owe 1905, P. 381, 

Sip 161). authorISSa tho appoIqtmmt of aq audlbor In 

any ooonty in whloh than nag be a city of 23,GOO 

ppuleticn atid pro~vlder au folllowaa '20. 15. All 

clslm.;, bills a r id l ooount8 a&lnot the oountg muet 
HO& d. S., ;Iyohoi~ pago 5 

819. 

. 

*TLls 4Aak ma xf::60C k-y t::cr auditor Zor.tho 

rd88cn tLat tko mtezlal bad not been lnriully aoquima. ma pie0 ,xia baa never bt?e~ scbdttob to 

!:ir;: terz.*c it v&b !z*t cml a;:.rt*sC b; tA0 805- 

.v!ia813nk?rs~ oourt; thnt the bid wa6 iiot tho &.QWost 

aA& test bid; th&t tiAbl-6 ii&d bbbA AC 28toritl~ at qu 

drliFeI%G BiaOe ,tL;c blb’nsa mb4;. that the+‘@ hid 

Sever breri tk> ~~~ulsittioo for a&y of tho Itatorlal 

nlsuwl b,- SAY comlssl3aer or approved by the gowatT 

juac:r br tiji~rov~i by chc county ctubitor, ana for the4 - 

rurthur retfiso~ tact, l.2 :bt?i, j;lbj.wnt ana disorction~ 

iii the liattm, thr altia should not be a~~rovci. Kota1thrt.w~ the auditor*; refusal to.e~g20~0 the 

clah, th oounty jcxual.sslonera* wirt bhxoved the 

stista a&d ordsrcd td oo*ucty ruditor to lracc d&i 

i&mast-be%,rin& .wblWlAt ilL&itt:aa;sAt af ft. '*he 

auditor havine refunef, to ‘oqprc+ thu Oi8lZ eA to 

:mma tha narrsctj Giis atit '~88 brm&t in th0 
Hand 3. 3. wyoho, po&O 

dlotriot oourt or 

t Bollor Work8 to 

BaAAh OOlw~ &A? 

6 

ram&% ownty by thd Wyatt Metal 

~&uWO #LO 00&y aUditOr Or 

sequin hi8 approval of tho ol& 

iura to rrqulm him ta oouatorriyl thn wrrront in 

poyobsnt or ruoh olah 

“on the h00rln& boron th4 .oourt juagmnnt wad 

catend daring the Watt xotal & Boilor \i,ork# tho 

mu0f pnyba r0r, to wah juahput 0da 0-w 

bxwptd’ an6 mu a- pr0~0ulua ita appeal to thi8 

court by writ or error. 

“20 htIV0 OOAOb%3a thet #b. t&x OOUSt OAkFba 

t&b ytotaF jUd&#At ia thib OOU. Xi8 OOlUA.iO8 he** 

a oowty auditor, a0 in thlo oaoo. 813. olalno sgalnot 

t&o coutrty of the olaoo her6 ~voivs.b are roqtind ,$O 

be riled .wlth th4 auditor as&d approved by M+ bef~ro . 

th a l OMJ nay br all0~6 by tb oowalaoionaroC Court 

Of thb oolinty, a&d 'ii the aooouat lb not approrod by 

th0 04WIt~ aUditOr $&LO, 04iWhoiOnO~bq 00Urt ha8 AD 

juri#diotlon- to don ‘tb ol8i.m. &demon ve A&, 

99 rbx. l&b?, 90 a. ~W. 6721 mu0 county v.* aomlnin 

{Tax. cto. App,) 269.8. w. 6901 ?wit10 v* i&qta&w 

CourAty, 50..Tcr. dv. JiQQI 403,. llo 3, y. .&r 

Sirrod tha aomio8ioioi~* oourt 20 &hout authorfty to 

allowouiih claim over the dloapprovQ ot tho oounty auditor, it 

in our opinlcu~~that ~tho oounty olerk doe8 not hve aothority to 

elbow aaa dbllvor 0 rarraiit ,whioh ha0 not bson rqroveQ by. tb 

oounty auditor ma00 tb r a o to l t4t0a. I 

wo bond you herowit oopfrs ct..~ur 

aad O-6220. 

YOU'8 VWY tm, 

ATTCHWT GLW2AL 09 l%XAS