PRICEDANIEL ATTORNEYGENEIWI.

Hon. R. S. Wyche op1a10n No. v-101 County Auditor oregg county Re: Authorlt Jrof a County to Longview, Texas make contribution to an incorporated city for the purpose of oonatruct ing an airport end to purchase Dear Sir: fire flght ing equlpmnt

.

Reference is made to your letter of Maroh 

### 3, 1947, In which you request the opinion of this department on the questlous:

‘%as the Commlsslouera 1 Court authority to makea contribution out of the 

### Permanent Improvement Fund to the City of Qladewater, au incorporated city of Greg County, for the purpose of construotiug an flrport near that Cit

.

f? said Airport to be owned and operated y that City?, %aa the Commissioners I Court authority to contribute funds to incorporated cities in Gregg County to purchase fire fighting equipment to bs use& outside the city 1lmi.t87n Seotion 18,‘~rtlcle V of the Constitution of foxas provldes for the dlvlsiou of oounties la ‘cosmlsaloners’ precincts, for the eleotioh of oountiy oomalssiouers, an& limits the powers of Commlssloners~ Courts aa follows :

“The oounty oommlssloners so chosen, with the county judge, as presiding officer, shall compose the County Commissloners~ Court, which shall exercise such powers and jurisdiction over all aounty business, as 1s conferred by this Constitution and the laws of the State, or as maybe hereafter prescribed. ” In Mills vs. Lampasas County, 40 S

. W. 

### 403, 90 Tex. 606, decided in 1897, the Supreme Court had

### uttdtti ooasiderrt&oa powew of Oo~~~issiaasro~ Ooor6s
‘-@lad rldt 0

Ia 1942, Lk, 8aw 

### of Oelvestea tl.‘,and 8. A. w. OO.VI. Uvalde 

## Oouat~,a67 

## 9. W.;c#l305, wasde+ oidod by the Ooart a$ O$vh &po&io ate (klnst,on 46

“’ a 

### writ of 

### error war refuod lR that oue. koly 

### other thittgr the hurt satit



### Beetion **3 of**  Artiolo XI of **@he Ommtltutlon**  **.:..alted by**  tin **Gourt mad8**  a# fJbltrt

**%aorraa ’** **y. 60**  **oefm ,**  **oity er**  **other** 

### nioLgaloerperatloe @h&oredtw boaomm



### olt&fhaatr our4 8ffoblsa 53 of 

## Art1ele III of 

## the 8tdte oscstlta6iottprovia,e that the bgislatum 

### till have ho power to authorlse the payment of any alalm orsated 

### agsinat any county or munwlpallty of this State utulerHon.. 81, 8. Wyche, Page 

### 3, V-101

any agreement or contract made without authority of law”

.

Article 2351 of the Revised Civil Statutes of Texas, 1925, prescribes the powers of Commlsalonera~ Courts and the pertinent provision of that Article 1s in Section 15, which reads:

“Said court shall have all such other powers and jurlsdlctlon, and shall perform all such other duties, as are now or may hereafter be prescribed by law”

. The queatlon of powers’of Commlssloners8 Courts as administrators of the affairs of aountles ia covered in Texas Jurisprudence, Vol. 11, pages 

### 563 to 

### 565, from which we quote:

“Sect ion 

### 36. Powers - Qenerally. - Counties, being component parts of the State, have no powers or duties except those that are olearlg set forth and defined la the Constitution and statutes. The statutes have clearly defined the powers, presorlbed the duties, and imposed the llablllties of the Commissioners1 Courts, the mediumthrough

~~ which the differeat counties act, and from those statutes must come all the authority

‘- vested in the counties.” Wehave not found any provision in the Constltution or any law of this State which attempts to authorize Commlssiouers~ Courts to contribute any couuty money to a olty for the purpose of oonstructlng an Airport to be owned and operated by such city, Our answer to your first question 18 in the negative.

Your second question involves the conatruotlon of ~iiouse Bill No. 262, Acts of the 47th bglslature, Regular Session, now appearing as Article 2351a-1, in Vernon’s Civil Statutes, which reads as fOlloWa:

” * * * The Commissioners* Court of any county of this State shall also have the authority to enter into contracts with any city, town or village within the county and/or a%- joining counties, upon such terms and condltlons as shall be agreed upon between the Commlssloners I Court and the governing body of

### hon. R. 5. Wyohe, Page 4, V-101

suah city, towa,or village, for the use of the fire truoks 

### and other fire ?l&htlng tqzir@ of the olty, town, or village.
The Uoassissiotwrs ) **Oaurt** king give0 

### authority by law to enter into suoh oontraota, rash l

### uthorlty must 

### be liberally aonstrued tb lve effooti to tm 

### purpose. Conmis~ioners~’ Court 

### 0. Ua1 

### coo, f 13 8. lf. t2a8) 525. 4

opinion 

### lVe. O-6160, **of thir**  ***partmat wa**  **, ”**  

### mitten lo anawe@to qusstlms **rutim-lt.ted by**  **Hoamable**


### ‘JohaT. Butohinioa,. **County**Atlmrtit 

### of hrar, ,obcmhy, as- follows i

:,; ! :‘!lf .your ant&or.: 

### 66 tih ilret 

### ~quer~i0tt ~lr’~‘ jes;. 

### then la tha Oounty Auditor of Lulrr, ‘, ., 

### ~~Qounty

’authorlred to pay ia;d’ $100 pas awmb’ ,and If so, 

### out o? 

### ulpt fund 

### would ,h6be m&h- *riced to ,pay 

## same? .~
‘We quote, frq8 

## ,tltrtopltilo~ 9 +lourt “’ %rtlole ,2)5la-1, ‘aupra, 

### q4sltlball~, ,,~ : i$iith&itelp

the **~o~mairrionorr ?**  **aourt or**  **0ag ,** **’ ‘** 

**. I,** **,~ ’**  

### e~out~t,y~ oi’thls ‘State fo enteb lato OoQtmM, ,,’” kith:~aay 

### pity; ~toua,/oti village w$t&Witho., ‘al bounty a@or adjolsiag c,ow~~ss “upon ’rtttd’ ‘,:” teras sad dondit lam as ehall k amued: :upoo “bstreeit the commlrslotters~ 

## mart and tbm overning body Of

## the**oity,** 

### tova 

### or tll~ f, **or** 

### the use of fire trwks 

### 8txI **ohor** 

### flro tightin 8 equlpmnt, of the olty,. tom 

## or,~11:

)wrefore t%i that it ls

’the opfuloa of. bhlr dofmrb 

### mu are mspe0tfPlly atlP 

### nt that the Oou&lssioners * adurt of &alum ounty is authorl6ed under 

### the law ,to.enter Late a aoatraot with the Oity of Parla to k rovlde for 

### fire-fighting 

### fmoilitiM t0 

### proect property located. 

### outalde of the 

### city. -

Hon. 8. 9. mhe, Page,~5, Q-101

,’lludts of Paris, Specif lcally acmverlng our E first question, you are advlaed that the omlasloaers~ Court of Lamar County is authorl&ed to coutract with the City of Paris to 

### protriadfor fire-fl*ting facilltles 

### anaw the Gt x $109.00 per moath for suoh aervI*ea, p8wvide au& bxpahdlt urea are m40 in aamplimce Pith tbra otmity 

### bnd@tt rad t&mlaw ~applicable to the aouutJ b-t.

“IQ m8vor to ‘pour wooad queattom, you 

### alrcl *bprisea

thet it is our optiiocl, tn vimi of our anmer to your 

### rmt queatioa, the amtf *editor is authorized to approve claimu for tha mam

or 1)100.00 per month for the above 

### Yntbt~d w~tleea, PCov.lbed that a &Bat#Wt ha8 ‘Iyy1puldr, b7 and between the ooslPtr *aa CitJ iOr SUOb*otiiCeS, actd that et& rGtu r*da out of the 

### gamecalfund aIp” ywQtxJ 

### the aill oouut orrUed’to k laatke3:expenditures Mwf’ullf authy (I oountP must be ~14 out of trh04Qwty’l IMP*1 rua4, mlew thaar, 18 wem lry vhiah smaial f

### =a. thea 

### a ohwge agaiaot tb 08. 

### W-roll, 1182

J. U. 29 &ae~ Cotutty, et al, 

### vs. II&an, 157 S.W. 2d, 14, D * Weare of tha opinloa that the Coma~isslonem &NH of &egg County is authoriEed to contribute Suads to lacorporate4 cities In Oragg County to purahase filn 

### r*t~4tqulp1813t to ba used far Llre 

### pPol;vctioPiQ f3rcrgg 00bwyt2wa30 **0r** 

### SW~,0ity umt5, it 8wh emtr1buW.m is masonable, 

### and ii prde tn 

### aoooMaace uith ‘(rhscounty by&et and otimr applicable statutobr

1. The Ommissloriars ( Court **0r** OFS@ County 

### does not have authority to make 

### a oo?ktributlon to the City of Oladelsate* out of the Permaneut mmprovercnt 

### ha 0r that cou6tf 

### rm the purpoaa of constructln$ aa 

### l irpmt to ba ovnad and operated bj that city.

The Commissioners I Court or BEem Counti’haa the authority to ceatriBu&e lpMJ

# ,801~.

R.9, Wyche, 

### Page 6, V-101