\ OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN 43-c.- enmnmY- .il: r
. - \ 1; 3 ~~ HonorableR.L. Waebburn CountyAuditor q ,p. E '.-

Houaton,Texaa t ; i

Dear Slur

Your requelBt P carefullyconsidered by requestas fOllov81 Px-eolnot 1 ia tent~0f3

or mtlag about 20, vernm4nt proae1,vhMlyeuw%.llobted by the C0lsal881oMF, tour&y of~laialm,l r4 any'pmtof the doaussion or the author. 6 th4 dosltlllent Slid d0 BOt Mnd tutsa a mpcwt required by IAV to

"I have carerullgemmIned the atetutesand find no leeel requi PemeBt for P4ptwta of thlr netwe from a oounty aomalrrloner to the publ%e, to the oourt.,

or to any p4r4on. I do not find that a commfssl.oner ia authoAted to pxwpen, a bud&et or to lay down the prooedwe therefor,but the budget in thin Cquaty 14 plowed bp tbn

### 452

gonorableR.L. Washburn,Pege 2

Auditor and adopted by the Comlssiomrsl Court. I do not find thnt the Cosmlssloners~ Court itself is suthorlaedto prepare reports OS this nature, and no relatfon Is seen befxeea this document and the malntename and oonstruction of public roads. I believe that the Coml.saloners~ Court itselfhas authority to incur any expense reasonablylnaldent to th4 maintenancesnd oonstructionOS County roads, but it does not appear that th.ls

4xp4me is neoessary thereto or even reasonablylnoidentto anything conmoted vlth the msintemno4 or constmctloa of roads. "Offielalmporta are required of certain officers,

but none of this type are r4qulredof a 

## County

uomsias1on4r



## or rm the 

## Oo3laLissioaers~ Co&L Certala offleershave th4 r&at to preswibe the system of aaeounts,budgets, and procedure,but 8uc.h

authority 1~ not vested in the Coasi8slanerst

Court. "h'ithout

'@:dlsouaslcm

or the multitude of authoritleeon the subject, It 18 xwasonably ssf4 to 4ay that the law In this stat4 18 that ot3smdssloxaers1

oourt~,vhlle uourts of gaasmil jurisbiotlon

vlthln the sph4m oi their autivlti48, hsve only 4uuh authority

### as la givesi by the Constltutfon

snd statutes at the State, or such as may b4 reasonably incident to earryina; out mexprsss authosity. Therefore, lt isnot to be lmplled that 

### a uounty o~ssioner or the acn5h~ioners~ eoxwt itself has the authority to issue at public expense docrtlllsnts of the type helvlto atta4hed.
"It any crounty

offleer is germitt4dto vrlte, print, and distributedo4um4ntsof this type, a preoedentwould be establish4dfor perrnlttfng

the **Assessor and**  **Collsoto~ af** **’** Tax48 **to** write 5 volume on the question of taxation,the CountyEngineer to wpite on4 upon questionsof engfneerfng

and road building, the County Health Officer to vrits one upon public health, aLnd, in **fast,** the barn vould be let down by impllaation,

### 453

HonorablsH.L. Washburn, Page **3**

lncurrlng a great deal of expense from publla funds vhloh obvlomly does not represent**a** public purpose end does not flov frum any **statutory** authorltyor requlrenumt.
"Am I, as County Audltor, under the requlreaunts of the County Auditom' Law, authorlsedto pay olalms so lmurrcsdand **approve** varmnts therefor from public Punds'o
"I have duly submittedthe question to the Mstrict **Attorney** and to Hr. Em4st **lhlpp,** an attorney of Hruston, and requestedtheir vl4vs. **As** a matter of lnformatiou,I attaah copies of the oplnlon4given me."
We have also oarefullyexaminedand oonsldend the enolosedpamphletand enolosed copies of opinionsrendmad **you by**  Ronarable#Marshall **t. Anderson,**  **A8slstant ZXstriat**  **Attar** ney ol Bsrris County, Taxas, and by RoaorsbleErnest A. Knlpp attomwy of Houston,Texas, upon the questian, vhleh hold that the oommlssloners* oourt has no authorityto lnaur the propoaed expenditure

and that you, as county auditor, shouldnot approve th4 warrants th4r4for.

We quote from 11 Texas Jurlsprudenoe, pages **563-h-5, as**  r0iiav88 "Qmnt14*, being colqpollent parts 0s the state, have no powers or duties except those vhlch ar4 alsaz%y set forth and defined in the Constltutlon

and statutes. The statuteshave alearly defined ths powers, preserlbedthe duties, and Imposed the llebllltlesof the eommlsalnn4n~ marts, the medium through tiah the different countiesact, snd from those statutesmust oome all the authorityvested in the oountles.... It

.. ..Comslsslcmers~ uourt8 am **fiourts of**  Us&ted jurlsdlotlon, in that their authority axtends only to mstters pwtalning to th4 geneti welfare of their aountlesand that their povers are only thorn4

expressly or iarplledly **conferred** upon them by lav, that~ln~bg th4 Canstltutlon and statutesof the state....

### 454

honorableH.L. UeJiburn, Page 4

me courts of Texas have repeatedly held that oounty cossnlssloners~ courts lpsy

exercise only such authority a8 state. l;h~i'~~~ by the Constltutlon snd statutesof this bundant authoritiesto this effect. We 41te the follovlng: **Article** 5, Seotion 18, Texas Constltutlon~ Artlole 2351. R4ViSOd Cl~ll Statutesof Texas1 **11 Texas**  %&spmdenoe, pag4s 563-566;~ Bland v. OIV, 39 SW (26) 558; Ikann-Warre&Publishlng Co. v. **Hutohlnson County,**  45 **SW** (26) **651~** HIS& v; Campimil,48 SW 26 515; ! ! Landman v. State, 9-f SW 26 264; ~1 Paso County V. EIL~IS, 106 SW 3931 Hnvard v. BendersonCounty, 116 SIJ(26) 791; kbson v. ylsrrshall, 118 SW (W) 621; Ml114 Crounty

v. Lswgasas County, 40 SW 404.
APtor a most car&al searchve have been unable to find any irtatutory **authority,** express or *lied, whloh vould authorlsethe proposed expenditure.

We thinkthatthe opinion and masonlng expressed by you In your raqusst,quoted above, is lo&oSl SIkd #otmd. We think that ths 4on4luslonrsachedby you and ths attornej8 above named, holdlng the propored **expenditure to**  **be** unauthorlsed, 18 4minontlyaomat.

Your qubetlan is thsreeiore ansvered ln the negative.

very truly yours ATTOHEEY CXUEHAL OF TEXAS