OFFICE OF THE A?-TQRNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

GROVER SELLERS 

ATronHn GLNER*L 

. 

- 

IIonorable Connally McKay 

County Attornay 

w00a c0mp 

Quitman, Tf2,ms ., 

Opinion~No. O-7206 

r&as, yin part-,..88 

opinion, which 

or .w00a county, : 

county Board or 

St3hool Trus 0viaing immeaithe job forex-serqice 

e U. S. who desire such 

to aontifiue their high 

he prerequis.ites to'organize suoh a . 

at some Fndiv-idual, oorpor8tioq, or other 

e funds for the operation of the school 

'unti+,money was received from the Pederal Government. 

The Board of direotors of the sahool, -&o were appointed 

by the county Board of School Trustees, requested the 
Honorable Cons&Y MgKaY - Page 2' _ 

Commissioners Court to finance the sob001 temporarily 

until said money was received. ,Acting on such request 

* the oommissioners~oourt of this 'county passed the 

lollowing oraer: 

'. 

e1 On motion by B. A. Holbrook, se&nded by 

C. c'. Cianton that Wood County escrow the sum of 

$2,000.00 for the purpose of defraying expenses 

neoassary for the organization of Vocational 

._ Sohool under the 0. I. Bill of Rights as set up 

by the County School Board. It is specifically 

understood that any amount of the above $2,000.00 

that is not used is to be paid into the County 

..Trsasury. . : 

'Please advike .me, 

Whether or not'the oommissione&s. oourt 

ha?&e authority to appropriate monies for the .: ' 

: advanoement or aid-to a Vocational School for 

.the benefit of ex-service men." 

. . . . . 

Oouxity commissio&s~~.oourts have no power or authority, 

except &oh as is oonferred upon them by the Constitution or 

_ statutes of the State; ~B1and.v. Orr, 39,s. W:558 (Tel. Sup; 

ot., 1897); Galveston, H. & S. A. Ry. CO. V. Uvalad County, 

'. 167 6. n; (26) 305 (sag Anto.gio ct. or 01~. App., 1942);~ Howard 

v. Henderson~ County,.ll6 S. W. .(2a) 479 (Dallas~Civ. App., 

1938 

1936 

; Landman v. State, 97 S. W. (2a) 264 (El Paso Clv. App;, 

* Nunn-Warren Pub. 00. v. Hutohinson County,‘45 S. N. 

(?a) 651, +arillo Glv.. App., 1932) writ or er.ror refused. 

The expenditure of publiu runas is jealouslY guarded 

by the Constitution, and oommissioners' courts oannot make : 

any gratuitous grant of funds or use publio oredit or inCUr 

anp indebtedness or liability except for public governmental 

. purposes authorized by law. De%ary v. Jefferson County, 179 

S. PI. (26) 584 (Beaumont ~Civ. App., 1943). 

The',powers,and'auties of oommissioners' courts are 

speoified in Artiole V, Section 18, Constitution of Texas, 

and Title 44,. Revised Civil Statutes of Texas. We find nothing therein which, either expressly or by necessary implioatiou, would authorize a oommissioners' oourt to grant or 
+.. 

: 25 

_ . . 

Honorable Connally MoXay - Page 3 

lend pub110 funds for the purpose stated in your letter; ,‘-’ 

Therefore, we must answer your first question in the negative,' 

._ 

Your second question which reads'& follows: 

u2. Whether the County Clerk and the Distritit 

Clerk may furnish certified oopies, free of charge, 

of discharges, marriage licenses, birth certifioates, death certificates and divorce prooeodlngs 

that might be called for.in oonneotion with the 

'above mentioned sohool.gl : 

is CUISW8$8a by our Opinion No. 0-7208, ti copi of’. which is en- ‘.* 

010sea herawith. : .' 

Yours very'truly