OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN

April 28, 1939

Hon. PorresterHancock Criminal Distriat Attorney. Wexahachie, Texas
Dear Sir:

lQS9, in wbioh you 

### ask

for the erao-

. Among other is a etetesllla county, Texas $7!KLoo 4tl%riuel

tion of $750.00,rhlch library a&L whiah Boar& of Trustees are not under the supertision,6011-~ trol, or jurisdiction of the looti Comzuisaioner@. court." ?r$Hon. ForresterHancock,April 28, 1939, Page 2

Your attentionis directed to aertainprovisions of the Constltu$ion of Texas which appear to have a bearing upon this question. follows

: Article 16, Section 6, reads aa
"No appropriation

for privateor dndivldual purposesshallbe made. A regular etetement, tindew

oeth;end en eooopnt or the reoelpta and exptmdlturea of all publlomoney shell be publfahed

**annually,** in suoh mmner es shell be presaribed br.

law.* Artiole 5, Seotion 50 o? the Con6tltiktlon **road8** es tollowsr

The Legis3aturash~lhavo no.pmw to-.' ,' &lve or to lend, or to authorise'%h~.gIvIa&~ ~: .;: or landLug,a? the oredit of'the~stateln &i(L _ or; 

### or to any parson, esaooietlti~ or oorpora~ .~.~ tloa, wheth-ar

manlolpelor other, or to ple&a the.,oredlt

of the State in any manner khattmever, ror the payment bf the U.ab3.lttia8, propent or ~pospe&ive; of any lndlvlduel.. M

.a aoge- ... tion ot Lii



### e.fiduela,

munloipelor'othar oow poretion' :

tsodvt3r

l Artiole S, Seotion 51 oi'the 4aonetitutioa reed8 ee followzt, .

9fhe' Legisietureshall have no.power to zuike any grant 'oreittborlze the making of any grant qC pub&lo money to any iadirtdnal,associatkonor lndivldnals, mtmiolpalore

other oorporationa

wbat80ever....w Artic$S, Seotlon 52 of the Cdnsti&ion reed81 as follows:

*The Legislatureshall have no power to authorizeany ccmnty, oltp, tom or other polit&~cel

oorporatlon

or sabdiviaioaOZ the State to lend its oredit or to grant pub110Hon. Forrester Hancock, April 28, 1939, Page 3

money or thing of v&LLue in aid of, or to any individual, association or corporation whatsoever, or to become a stookholder In such c?rporation, essocletion or ooa?pany;

...." Article 11, Section 4 of the Constitution reeds as follow%:

*No oountp,city, or other smnloIp&l corporation

shell hereafter'beoomo a subSerIberto the oepltal o? any private uorporatlonor assoolatlon, or make any epproprietion'or

donettontqthe same, or in anytiles

loan Its &edIt$ **‘ but**  t&s shall **not** be oonstrue&to.in any way e??eot any obligation heretoiore

undertakenpursuant to law.* Artiole 8, S&,Ion S of the C&tItutlon4rsads e ~~ipo18?

Vaxes~ehsll be levied and oolleoted tiy general lairs

and ?or publta purposes on4. **St** The Commissioners* Court Is meeted by the Constltutlon.and

1s.a body exeroIsIngdelegated powers. It hda no authorityexoept that oongorrod upon It by the aonatltutionand laws of th5.s steto. (Blandvs. Orr, 89 sll 558;lU.l~ C0untJr~~.L8mpe8es00~1ty, 40 SW401;Beldrln va. Travis County, 88 SW 484 and Art. 5, Sec..18 o?.the Gonstitutlonor the State o? Texas).

The questiones to ubat extent oan publio **f ’** **unds** be used by governmental bodies for charitablepnZIQose5 has aaused aonsidsrable coniliatin the deoisloni3 o? the dirrerentcourts,and the courts have made the ?urthsr distinotionas to the authorityo? the partfcular body to esjtpend

public mone~&¶ as to the purpose tar whhicrh the money was appropri&ed ?or e public purpose.

In Rulfng Case Law, MO. 7, page 936, we rind the. stltutsd

### 0KI~\ers,~an4, generally,

to manage all the'business

affairsof the oounty;:' Xa general, the pow& to inour obligetSoons, ita& ' to lcmy **taxes** onthe peaplo of the ~wmnt~.and on their property,is given ts poun~ie~ br ~. s$etutq but this Is a power that must be ,' exerolsed onlJ.111 the rtu-theranoe of OOwty or pub110 purpo~." '~ Hon. Forrester Hancock, April 28, 1939, Page 4

following statement:

"Counties being created for purposes of government, and authorized to exeroise to a **limited** extent a portion of the power of the state gooverument, have always been held to aot strictly within the powers granted by the legislative aot establishing them. hccordlngly, the statute is to them their fundamental law, and their power is only coextensive with the power thsreby expresslygranted,or ne~essarllyor reasanably Implied tram Its grantedpowers. Al2 the powssswith whiah the sountr Is intrustsd.:
. are the pswsksa? the state, a@ all tho dutIes,wIth

whIoh they are ohargod sro the duties o? the state, and honoo these pmsrs,. and pririleges

ma7, In general,be ohan@," I Bodi$ied or taken away. Perauent to mxoh, ~1 gsnerelpurposdaa? govorapmt a rc.oovAatf ia+ :,:,. 

### powerto reoslresad hold 

### prope~,'~?&iaour ' debts and lIebIlifie8 wIthid statutoryUmits, tq **make** sontractsthrough its lew?ully oonThe publId purpoee.?or whiuh money may be **reined** oomes up in a vsrlety of ways; and will be bristly rotiewad. Uesury w. City af Laredo, 66 Tes. 406, the City a? Laredo passsd an ordinsnoegiting exolusire 0cmtroL otdr sohoolswIthIn its limits. ~ssury signed a contreofwith the trustees that were appointed **by** the County Judge, and on request for psyment'aadrefusalbrought 8uIt for amis. The Supreme Court deslsd his claim and held that the.method by whloh publia schools are oreated was not followed, and thatthe public sohool ?uad aouldbe used only for the publio sohools of Texas.Hon. Forrester Eancock, April 28,

Attorney Genersl Looney an opinion to the county judge o? 1939, Page 3

on Map 19, 1913, gave Shelby County, Texas, that an appropriationby the Commissioners' Court to aid a county fair or to make an exhibit at the State yai.r was unauthorized in Texas.

In Bennett vs. City of Lafmange, 112 S? 482, the Supreme Court of Georgiaheld that au appropriation **of $75.00**  **per** month to the Salvation**Army to**  **be ased**  **in** the public oharltyof the oity and. eooounted ?cs mcmth4 wss a vIolatIonof the Constitutional provision that *no money shall ever be **taken** from the publI% *eastmy, **direatly** or Indlreotly, In the aid of any charah,seat or denomination

or my s%otarisnInstitution. The osse of St, Yary*8 Soh001 vs. Brora et al, **45 Md.**  **?ilO, was**  **e ault**  **by a**  **tayp&yeir to**  **res~rbt the**  **mey%r and**  oItycounsslo?~t~%fiosagr~tibgappropsiatlonsto serre~ohsrltsble Institutions. Then oou?t‘ said: .~

" *It Is oertsin,we suppose, that the' oity~oounsel

shmld bate %o power to mske eppreprIetions

to these institutioassimply es suoh, not baoausememAy of the very humane end leudlbleobj%ots and purposes 

### for which they are or%at%d**by** .th%Ir founders and propoters;it is **beoausg** of the a&v31 serrloeas benofI.8render the olty that any alaim oould.beurged ior their support from the city treasury.' And If this be so, what guaranteehas tha'eitythat **s~errices** are benefitswill aoarue, aosmensorate dth the appPo$rIations that sre g!id%? The same principalthat n%uld sustain appropriations of every private ah3001and -ohsrity In the ci);Y** Taking oognizance

of the prohibitions Of o~3T Constitution,

aad recognizingthe raot that the C%xaissionem* Court has only suoh~powers as the statutespe?'uIt, It is our opinion that the CoamIssioners~ Court is withoutHon. Forrester Hancock, April 26, 1939, Page 6

authority to make appropriations of publia money to any library controlled end operated by private individuals however worthy the cause might be. **Very** truly pours ATTQENXY GENISRAI,

OF TEXAS
BY ,@&&‘=



## )~ ~W. P. watts Assiistant