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In connection r;it.h the above for:. on6 uit.1, your 

psrmloelon~ we restate your ~ueatloni 

"Is the County Aucitor within his suthorfty to 

denand the above form be use4 ln requests for 

probable supplies in Limounts less than $XiO.OO, 

hlch may be neaded for tbe future, by a Co:+ 

missioner and be allowed by the Ccrznls810rers1 

Court subject to the ap?roral of the County 

hudltor2* 

In the light of your letter aettin~. forth the above, 

the tolloulng statutes as pertalnlng to the dutls8 of a County 

Auditor, which we think are plain and unambiguous with rerelc 

ence to aootrollla~ sny uneuthorlzed expenditure of County 

rtw3, ere as followsr 

Artlale 1659 or relevant ponlon thereof re6dst 

*In ascee of oanergefmy, pureha8ee not In uee88 

or One Hundred ad Fffty DO118X'S may be made 

upOn requisition to b& 8ppIWed by the con5i88iOllOl'8' hWt, WittIOQt 8dYUti8ily for S 

o~petltlve bid.- 

Artiale 1060 ~8681 

-All d&48, bin8 ard 800oWlt8 6(3slilIlt tie 

eoonty must be ru06 In ucple time for t&o 

auditor to exasiw 8136 approve 8850 befor 

thomeetlneaof the oamalulonen wart. Ho 

claba, blll or aocQuat a?wU b8 8lkowkor 

paMuntil it ha8 booaexmdaduulapprova6 

by the ooanty mi4ltor. TJm ator mhall 

uulnethe 8smeand 8tsaphi88pprenl 

tfluron* Xf he dem lt neoenary, 8ll 8oeh 

4%WOO&8, bln8, or al8lm8 ruut be verlfld 

by aiifd8Ylt toueh~ the OOmUtfIO88 Of the 

The auditor 1s b8reby 8UthOZ’iSd to 

$%ktOr Oath8 far the puTpo8e8 of fh18 

1cI1.a 

Artlole 1661 rode: 

-HO 8hall not 8Udit Or WplVrCr My 8Uoh Ohb 

tie88 it ha8 beari eOntraCtOd 88 pm~ided by 

law, nor any 8ccount ror the purohe8e or 

8Upplie0 or material8 ror the tue of said 

aOMty Or My Or 1tS OffiOUS, Ul1e8S, ill 

addltlon to other requlrcdnenta 0r law, there 
1s ottochoC t!!erelo a requloltlon sl,~ned 

by the ofrlcor ordarln(- ear:e and ap;!rovad by 

tbo county jud/?e. 310 requlsltlon must be 

rind0 out and sl~xu? and approred ln trlpllcate bl the 0~12 orrlcers, the trlpllcate to 

rem&n alth the ofricer doslrlrq the >urcbaae, 

the dupllcute to be filed wlth the county 

nudltor and tha orlc>nal to be dellvared to 

the pnrtg fror. whrU said >urchnse la to be 

9;ade before my purchnse shall be mde. All 

warrants3 on the county treasurer. excent 

warrants for jury aerhce, muat 65 souiitersluned by the county auditor." 

YIo would be unable to cay, s8 a metter of rlcbt, 

that the uee of cuch o fom OS set out nbove would be zandatory 40 the JXArt Or B County ~ZlEii88lO~tW IIdeS pOSS%b~ 

the Comml8slo5aro~ Court adopea 8wh printed request r0m. 

The otatutee do nOt set rorth or rqqdre any particular for&? 

of request and we would 3ot ea8uTe that this rorm Is to be 

used in tripliootc and take the plaoe of a requlsltion 09 provia8d by ,statute. The above form certainly, ln our view, 1s 

not prohlbltetl, bat uhetber approved by the Comnlsalonere* 

Court or othsxnlsa w do rat belleve that the iallure on the 

part of a11 offioer to we said form could, in ltaelf, defut 

the approval and aUwence of puroh8a8 Pade otberwlse, in 

m.mor.~n,nd under the provlslon8 eat forth in tbe above etatut’s. 

&Ii agent. .dtiy WthOriZed by the &Xid88iOner8’ COUrti t0 PUSchase onppllerr under Article lY301 whether he be on0 of ths 

~oid~810n~8 w not, ;S not ~elirt0d OS tbs ~qu~050~tt3 0r 

&tittl8 2660, 8UQlW Thla Article has boon held mnd8tWy ss 

requlrlng thwappro+el or the Count Auditor, a oon$ltlon prooedent to the uerclee of jurlsdlct f on over such al&w. Antler

aon t. hshe, 99 Texas 447, 90 S. L 874. 

Xn referenoe to the opinion ?o llr. Joe J. Alsup, 

Ilselatant Attorney Oeneral, dated February 25th 1937, retiomd 

to Yr. Borqx-4 Anborson, County Attorney, A.%srllio, T-88, it 

appears from a close readlnc or the opinion, that the aufhorc 

Ity of the Coctnlsoloners* Court under Artloles 2X30 and 2659, 

Iievlaed Clvll Statutes lQZ5, ws dealt with 8olelg, and the 

oplnlon did not attezgt to co into the manner required by law 

for makiq 8uob purcbnoo8. tie 8rb unab~conntrue 8Sia 

opition ae holdlae that the provl8lona of Article 1661,supra. 

are to be dlsregsrded with referefiae to au02 purchases by 

agents or where in cases of emer~cnoy it la desired to make 

purahsae6 not in excem of $150,00, that such requlsltlon to 

be approved lr, a different requioltlon than t':at provided for 

in Article 1661 eet forth. 
. 

lb. Fred !<orrlo, Karoh 20, 1939, I'nce 4 

As pointed out above, the duties of the County 

Auditor eat forth in the above quoted Artlolea ore, ln our 

opinion, plain and unaiabl&uous and our ototutae should be 

in all caaea relied upon for the aerclos of authority where 

they are ao worded. 

It la, thererors, the opinion of this Departnent 

that the use by a ooonty oMlcia1, or any particular written 

ions of request for probable county oupplleo to be purchasti 

ln the rutum. where not proolded for in the etntutos, connot 

be aold to be rmndatory. 

Your0 very truly 

k'K;bbb