# -747

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN

Hon. Sam Bein county Attorney Leon county Contervllle, Texas
Deer Mr. Ealnl

**Your regusoti**  **ior an**  **hsrciin &at&**  kaa been **roo**

1. can ttle I&on county UJR se amttobopaidb t county Auditor for per manth, mm& Mlrarrantcr?

a.u **ludit.or** 

### .aa4 Leon Ceuaty appelat

**ty karlllg**  **a populatlen**  **of tklxty**  **000)** hahablknts ar ooer, acMx&- ng Federal Camms, or haviag l far en Zpi~Lioa Dollars ($lS,OOO,S#,OO), to the **last** 

### appiovod **tar+ roll** 

be county auditor, who shall hold Ma oiZioe i'oxtwo (2) p~fa, and who sEaI1 remita ae compsasatioa tar his t3sxvlcss

One %m¶red Twenty-flea Dollars (*US) for qkach

million dollars, or mpejorpotiioc Cber4bof 0n the aanase%d v%h%tiO%, th8 annual salary to be OUaputed grm the last;appravad tar rell; Said lniattal salary frolpcounty funds ahall not ~XWM T-0 Thooi sand six Windred Dollars ($3,800). . ..*Hon. San Baln, Page 92.

**Arti 1640,**  Revieed Civil Statutso, provide8 that: TQhsn the Commleslonsro~ Court of e oounty, not mentioned and rnumeratsd In **the** prsoeding Article ahall detennlne that an auditor la a pub110 neoerslty in the dlspatoh of the oounty business, and ehall enter an ordar Upon the Eiinutea of said Court rully. eetting out **the** reaaona and neoerelty of an audltor, and shell **Oatma** raid **order** to **be** oertlfled to the **Dietriot** Judge8 IVvlng jdrlsdlotlon in the oounty, said Judge8 shall, if suoh reason be oonsldersd good and suffloient, appoint a County Auditor, a8 provided in the 6uOOeeding ArtlOle, who rhall qualify and perform all the dutlee requlrad of County Auditors by the Laws of thlr State! provided, said Judee ehall have the power to dlroontinue the offloe of suoh County Auditor at any time after the rxQlratlon of one year when it Is olearly shown that ruoh auditor 18 not **a** pUbllo neoessltp and hla servioes are not ocnmnensurate with hia salary reoeired; . . .” .Artlole 1646a, **Reviatd** Civil Statutes, reade ae follows: “The Commlssloners~ Court of any oounty under twenty-five thoueand’populatlon~according to the last United States Censur nay make an arraneemsnt or agreenent with one or more other oountles whereby all, Oountiets, parties to the arrangement or agreement, me7 jointly employ and oompeneate a rpeolal auditor or auditors for the purpoees speolfled In ArtlOlen 164S and 1646. The oounty oommiasionere’ court of every oountg affsoted by thie article may have an **audit** made oi all the book@ of the county, or any of them, at any time they may deed& whather suoh arrawemenfe oan be m&r wlth other oountlee or not 1 provided the dlstrlot judge or grand jury 1x09 order said audit lf either BO deelres.w We are informed by the Comptroller’s orfioe that Leon County had a population of 19,tW3 inhabitants according to the la& United States oeneus, and a tax valuation under Fifteen Killion Dollars.

. He bate been unablb to find any statute empowering a oom- , tiS8iOnfJrE court to employ a eltrk to keep all accounts in which the county le intereeted and have en auditor oheck them at regular perlode. Commlsoloners courte are oourts Of limited jurlsdlotlon, in that their authority **extends** only to matters pertaining to the general welfare of their respective counties.-

.



### Hal. San Baln,Pago PS

and that thelr ptmen ue only 

### ttoae upready or lmplledlyeonzrssd,uratihem by law,that 

### 18, by the 

### Constitution end ntatuter

. Al80 800 the eaaeaOS sun Vajmr Eleotrlo 

### Ll&ht Co. t8. Deaea, SO SJ. 868; Ulll County 

### t8. Hanllton 293 s.U.* 292; beetle Umber CO. 

### ~8~ Camaie8lonerm Court of 3abLe County, 

### i 2S9 3.W. 668;ComlssionarrCourtTBO Uallaoe,l5 S.V. (26) 535; Sward w3. ?allmCounty,246 S.U. 920. ArtAolel647,Revlso~ Civil Statute8,

read8as r0lhte: 

### *The district

Judgeshaving 

### jurlndlotlon in the oouaty,shallappointthe ownty audltatat a apeolal 

## aeeting

held 

## ror that purpose,a aajorlty 

### ruling1protided, that if a nrajorltf oi.suohJud@8 iall to agree upon the 6eleOtiOrl 

### of sane pes8oaas aUditoX then either

## or aaid judgestihall oertlfysuoh raoito the Governor, 

### who ahallthereupon appointodlrs

other tllatrlot

$xQge 

### to aot and 

### rote with the al’vmaeld judge8in the eeleotlon of suohauditor. 

### The aotlon ahallthen be reoorded 

### in the alnuteaof the dlotrlot court or the 

### countyand 

### the clerktheroot &alleertll'y theeantstotheoonm&aelanere~~urt,wbloh shalloauee the mum to be reoordedin itsminute8togother with an order direotln&

the paynmt of the aud1tor.a aalary.w :

', \

la rlew 0r 

### the 

## rorf3g0bg atatuteu, 

### you are respeotfuUy advised that 

### it 

### la the o&dnlonor thlrr 

### dopartmreat that Iaou
. Cauatymey wloy a oounty-tot underArt10101646,su by O- 

### rith tbs 

### phin rmaaQt0w 

### ~XW~S~OM 0r ati0 

### r - a, 0 

### l647 by reoordiag

la lts.rPlnutea

the oertlfled copy 

### of the mluutes 

### of the Dlstrlat Court appolntlng

the auditor

and enterlag an orderdirect&g the paymentof the auditor*a sUary each mopth as it mamaeat You ue rurtheradoieedthat ii Iaon cbianty appoints

an auditor

under the prcwislonr ot Article1646, that.elther

tha.Distrlot

Judge or the ComlsalonersCourt oannot l'lx

the salaryof euoh auditor, ae the Le&lature has rixed the salaryor oountyauditorsby the plainprovision8 or hrtlole 3.645. In that artiolela found a yardetlok 

### by which-every oounty auditorts 

### 6alnry may be derinitely

determined,

exoept thow Moose aalarles are rlred by numerousbraoketamendcmts thereto,and by otherbrakketstatute8 with whiohwe are not .here 

### conoerned,'beoause they do 

### not apgly to Lecin County. Aa Leoncountyhas a population under twenty--ilYe thoumanil

nhabltanta,

you are further 

### advisedthat the oo;nissloneraoourt or 

### Leoncountynay nifika an arrangement

by agreommt. . .



### Bon. 

### 3nmEaln, page#I



### rith one or mare o&r aountlea whereby 

### all oo\ldt$ea, part&a to 

### the WI%QgWUUlt 

### or ~reement,aay Jointlyenqloyand opsnratoal

peolal audltar or audltOr6~for 

### the purposes apeol

### fled 

### in Artlola 

### 1645md ~rtlolo 

### 1646 or the Cdealonara Court or Zion

xzounty 

### may hate'enaudit 

### aada or all the books 

### or the oounty, 

### or any or them, at 

### any tlma thoy 

### amy dealro, uhether 

### mob ar~onsnta 0~1 be amdowith other oountlea qu not **and** 

### the Cmm.la8loner~* Court 

### may oontraot

### with suoh 

### ape

### old auditar to pay him a reaBonabl0 ree tor hla l e~loea tor 

### mnklng

tho l peoial mdlt.

wo 

### remain Trusting thht the rorf%Oing 

### answers your Imp&Y,


### Your0very truly