OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Honorable Fred lorrlr 

County Auditor 

pow county 

LiMlrgston, Texa8 

Dar 8lr: 

Toot totter req 

nent on the abovo rtated 

e a r0a 8horrina aate, 

rpo8e of trip, rpe8dometor 

at t&o end or thla trip. 

in thfi maimer, and asj 

n they OaB be (Ledu&ted. 

County auditor, the authority to 

efore apprming hi13 rcoount f43r traOr ha8 th8 C8Emi88ion8r’r oourt 

this authority before thrr d&w tbi8 aooO~Bt 

ior trarel 0xpoi1888? or should the CORd88iOBOr'8 

COUrt be 8MBti8rid with hi8 aOQOUBt, dU8t 8hOWina; apaedoretsr'readings, anO allor the aeewnt, 

woud I hare the aatherity to dunand more tbka lk 
Honorable Fred Korrlr, Fags 8 

OWOFB 8tZAtWlellt, 8tatiBe thatthe8e Pi148 

were traveled In line or duty, 8-e briay 

neoe88ary) eta. 

"Plea8e give me a rullpg, or advise 88 

to the proper 8tep8 to take In thl8 mtter.’ 

Polk County has a p0 ul.atlon of ltO,w5 l@labitantr 

aooordlag to the 1940 Federul % 8a8u8, and tha county orrioial8 

or 8aid county are 00mpineat0a on an mmual salary ba8i8. 

Seetloo b or Article 8fJ90, Vernon’8 Annotated Civil 

stututaal, rsab8 ln part IX8 follont 

r(b) Skoh orrleer named in thi8 A&,, 

Where he reaeire8 a 8abw a8 ormpenrptlon 

tar hf8 0emlae8, 8hall be emporered and p*rmitted to pUroha8e und bats ohurged to hi8 

county all rmsdimble expenee8 moemu 

the proper and t&W eon&dot of M8 of ffi" 00

premlw on OffiOitk18w bonds, praium 0B rL8, 

burglary, thsrt, robbe,, lneuranoe protertla(( 

public rw8 and lnelod 2, the coat OS Iraretr 

bond6 for hi13 DepUtfe8, ruoh eXpon8e8 .bo be 

pas8ecl on, pmt-determiod and allewd’ in kidl 

and mouBt8, a8 nearly a8 pooslrible, by the 

cQmBi88i@BeP8* Court enoe earl8 !zl@ath for. th 

enduing math upon the appfioatlon w eaoh 

OffiOir, 8dBe the kind 

expenaltare an4 the nsoe88i-,y r0r the s*pea*r 

, jkobable amoant~or 

or hi0 ottfoe ror 6uoh ensuing month, whloh 

applloation *hell, befor presentation to raid 

oo~rt, rlrst be sndor8eQ by bhr County .AuUltor, 

ir any, otherwl8o the County Trearuror,.only 

a8 to whether igo& ara available for payment 

or such expenmel. . , . 

“ 

"Suoh puroba8es 8htiA be made by eaoh 8rrfoer,,when allewed, only br reuul8l8ion in manner provlbed by the County Auditor, If eny,' 

otherwise by the ~OilUaiO8iofiW8* Cotlrt., &Oh 

orrieer ehall, at ths,oloiie 0r each aohth 0r~ 

hllr tenure or orrloe, ‘&eke an ltd!wQ an& rworn 

a3 

r ort oi all ap rwad expeMo8 igpurred b? hla 

ohergea to h P a ooun8y, aoeompanpbg mob 

report wish hv0i008 eW6Pin& such pUrGh68e8 

and reQti8itiOn8 iaeUe$ br hia %n 8UppOSt Of 
Eonorable Fred lKorrl8, Ppge S 

8uoh report. xr 8uOh espwl8.8 be lnourred 

in oonneetion with any partioular oalle, 8uOh 

report shall name 8UOh oa8e. Such report, 

ifIVOiOe8 and requisitions 8hall be eubjeat 

to tihe audit 0r the county Auditor, ii any, 

otherwise by the Comlssloners* Court, and 

ii it appear8 that any lten wa8 not lnourred 

by suoh Officer, or that such item was not 

a neOa8EIacf or lo& expeare or suoh errloe, 

or puroha8ed upon proper ref&8itloa, auoh 

ltani shall be by said County Auditor or 

Court rejeoted, in whioh OECI~I the payment 

of 8uch item may be adjudloated in any court 

0r oompetant furl8diotlon. All lrwh approved o h io u a n8 l a o Qunt8 8hall be &aid rrom 

the Orrlaer8~ Wary Fund wiles8 othsnlse 

provided herein. 

” . . l 

There the automobile or automobile8 are 

ORBWI by the Shedif or his Deputies, thq 

shall be allowed rour (y! cents ror rob 

mile trarsled in the Qisoharge 0r 0rri0tii 

bu8iaes8, which 8oI shall Oover all expemee 

or the malntenmoe, depreelatioa l nQ opeatlon 

Cl 8UOh automobllc. 8ueh mileage 8hau ba 

reported ant¶ paid in the 8rme manner pre8erlbe4 for other allowabl$~ expeMe8 under 

the provi8lOn8 Oi,thi8 8ell.biOlI. NO autosloblle 

ahall be allowed for any.~@dputy sherlif exoept those regularly emplOyad in outaide work, 

It 8hd3. be the duty or the COUMiy Audltoti ii 

any, otherwi8e the Cuaalo~~lo&r~* Conrt, to 

aheek the epeedoaeter reaQla(: of each oi 8ald 

aUt0mObile8, ovaed by the Ooonty onOe saoh 

month aad to keep a pub110 rseord thereof; no 

automobile Owed bg th4 OoU.nty shall be u8Ml 

ror any private purpo88.” 

Qensrclly speaking, the general dUtie8 of the Auditor are to keep an overlight or all tha OriiO6P8,Or the oount~, 

di8trlOt or 8tate, who POJ be authorixrd 0~ required to Seoel.re or colleot money for the use of or-bslonging to th6 Oounty, 
Xcimmibla Brad lWrl8, Pega 4 

and to 8ea to the mtriot enfareamant of the lawa govarni~ 

county finnnoar. kf0~4 ap4dmall7, it 18 hi.8 duty t0 4tia 

acaount8 and raporb, OOMt OII8h, pra8orlba form8 and ml.8 

to be u8ad in the eolleotion of county ravemaa, and raoeiva 

bids formatarial8 and rupp&le8. Xe 18 required to keap =I..- 

orated a0wunt8, naka quarterly and mnu81 finan0i.l r4port,8 

to the C.~la.ionar8' Court, and to parSorm vllriou8 other 

,dutio. impoeed upon him by law. 

Artiola l&4$ Vernon’8 Annotated Civil 6t.tUt.8, 

referring to the County Auditor, provldwt 

?I% shall ra8Oriba an4 prepare the fora 

to bo wad by a ,P~ 1 p.raon8 in collaotion of county 

ravenU8Q, fund., fees and all other monay8, and 

the mode and mariir of ke.pln$ .nd 8ktill#J their 

WQOWt8, end oh. time, mod. and wnnar of m8klag their report8 to the auditor, a186 th. node 

and mmnar of making their 4nnu.l report 41 

sffioa f.48 oollaotad and disbursed, end the 

aENWlit l'efWdt9d to the COWit) in aXCa.8 Of tho8. 

allowed under the g.ntr.1.P.. bill law. X4 

8h.11 have power to edopt and'enforce suah 

r.@.atiwa not i.OoIl8iSt.llt with the oonstitutloa and 1.~4, 88 he nay 8.~ eaeential ts th. 

speedy and gro2.r aollacti.on, oheoking and aooounti~ of the lWVMtl.8 4nd other funffa and 

fees belongI% to the oounty.” 

It will bt, noted that Artlola W?@, 8qra, only .uthorice and impoea8 the duty upon tba County Auditor it any, 

otharri8a the Co~eusl.o&ar.* Uouxt, to aheoJs the spaa&matar 

reading of a.oh of aaid automobilee, owned by the ceunty, on.. 

l aah m0at.h and to k4.p a public raoord thereof. Thir artlole 

furth.r provide8 that *no autrmnobtla owned by the .ouaty 8b.11 

be used for any private p0rp.84.~ Where the autonmbila @I 

4utomob11.4 used br the shsrlff or hia depiltiar,ara owed br 

the couaty and ape not wad for any private yurpoao, the 

amount of mllaaga traveled oan be determined by . opsadoaatar 

reading of teach of mid autcxnobil.8 ueed ln the t3.Wuaotlon 

Sf Offiaial bu.in.88. ?&waver, where suoh autaa.bila or autoaobiias are owned by th. aharlrf or hia doputlar and are wad 

for private purpose8 a8 wall a8 On offfaial bu8inarr tha propar milaa a~ trrvelad on offiaial bU8iSA.88 oMnOt ba d@tmiaad 

b]r 4 read & g of the 8pe4dOIS4tOr of suah .ut.mobila 4r ,aUtolaObll.8. 
Bonolrbla Fred Worrl8, Page S 

88 think that it 18 clear that the I,egl8latura oontempletad paying the 8herfff or hi8 daputia4 four cent4 for 

eaoh mile traveled in the discharge of offiolal bU8iUa48 when 

the sheriff or his deputies uaed their own autoraobila8, and 

thet there Wa8 no intention whatsoever that the shakfff or 

his deputy Phould be paid four cant8 a mile ror Ch&tise or 

their automobile8 when traveling for any purpoea other than 

the dlaoharge of official bUSi.4488. 

In view of the foregoirrg 8tatuta8, it 18 our o 

ion that the CountyAuditor ha4 the la& authorltr and r P ght 

into pra84rib8 and prepare Ion18 to be used by the ehariff or 

hi4 daputiee whioh will show the oorraot number of mile8 

traveled in the discharge of OffiOial buskra88. Ciaarly, 

the shamiri or hi8 daputles oamot ba legally mid any 

amount for the u4a of their autoloobi.188 other th4n tha statutory amount when 8UOh automobil are u8ad la the di80krga 

~ 

of official bU8in.88. In other words, no nrilaaga 8hould be 

allowed to the 8hariff or his dapuuti48 when thay uaad their 

automobile or automobile8 for any prlvata purpose or any purpose other than the dkObar84 Of official bUllitI488, and a8 

above stated, the Auditor CM pra8oribs 4nd prep&r4 the forma 

to be u8.d in determining the aorraot numbsr of mile8 travalsd by euch officiala in the Ulrcharga of thalr official burlna84, provided 8uoh forpr and ragul4tionr ia OonPsotion tharawith an not lncoo8l8t4nt wlth the Comtitution and lmm of 

thi8 State. 

By &&&!&;,i.L -~- 

ArdoU Willla1~8 

A88i8t4nt 

AW:OO