OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF IEXA8 AUSTIN

Rcnorable Jemo8 A. Ouest County Attorney amp couBty Fittrburg, es4kesr



## aat0 30 6ro in feocip and puoto ~POBIyour

Y, it has booomo Imporepayment in aash for rator 008, 

## iiatsaa of aoooptfng a8 horoto

## u0a agalmt th0 ocr~eralmna of tho IIrla of the inability of the this obllptlon logally, threui# a ~alntaiwa tborobJ, tho County * Court pP880a an odor at It8 regular Of thin yOW, PW$UfriB(spmOBt in 048h Out Or th0 @oIlOralftlad,for watOr **and** 8Oworom 8OrThO8, ana also, 8alary of the Wurtheu80 J8rdbor. of fSO.00 $WP menth, netwitlmtendl.n& that than 18 an OUt8tiknah.g a8fi0lt agaln8t tho 8aid &moral 

## ma.
'Wov, tho aotlon of tho Od881onOM' Court, uider tbo eari of tho wrltbs, woo borrodPM? the

## 747

Fionorable

James A. Guest, pae,e&

ocnviotionsof that body that It Is lawful to pay the eotucl operating oxpensee of the aounty, in oo8h,

## rm5 the

## proper fma, regardless of any dafioite, or reglatertrd sorip that might be outatending,especially, in oonsideratlonof the preSsing neoessity to meet thi8 

### emergenoy;however, the County Tron6uror doe8 not rO8poad to the order of the COmd8SioBere’ Court, and In oon8equanoe thereof, I, aa County Attorney, advirred the Treasurer that,under the provisions of Article 1709, It was ag oplaion that he would be aoting within the law In oomplyingwith tho orders duly passed by the 

### Commisslonersg Court in this ease. My advicewes submitted to the Treasurer inwriting, but having

## railed to retain a copy 

## 0r same, I am unable to &ive you the bcneilt of the wmdlng of my opinion in it6 entirety but ItWe8 substantiallyas outlined above In this paragraph. liyadvice to the Treasurer, 18 also disregardOd, as In the case or the order of the CommlesIoner8* Court.
"It oocurs to me that the throat and detePmInation of the City to aiaoontinue the water ana 8-r 8ervioe8 to the County Courthouao, oonetltutoe

### an omergenoywhloh duly jastitieethe aourao we bavo taken, sincehundreda of pcraona, including jurio8 and prisoner8 in Jail, all oourts and regular dounty offioiale,together tith people 

### froma dlstsnuo, patronize tke orrices of the Courthousedaily.
Tour edvfoe on the 

### followingquestionswill be fully appreciated:
"No.1. under Article 1709, 1s it the duty of the CountyTrestsurorto aomply with the ardor passed by the Cosaairsfoners~ Court, as herein above outlined?
w0.e. 

### If the 

### oraerof the CoDZkissiOnOP8' Court as above outllned, should be fully compliedwith by the County Traasarer, and such order Should be routi to bs 

## inwia, roula the Treasurerbo llabls on his bond, or in any mtmnerwhatSoeVw?

## 748

Honorable James k..Cueat, page #3



### "NO.3. fr an order is pamed by the Comissiocera'

### Court,in ,qood faith, and 8am4 becoxes affeotlva,and later such order is found to be invulla, ii 

### fUna or the oounty havo been expended thereundar, and no fraud is shown,rho is liable and,what the 

### penalty? *NO.4. Ia a County 

### Commlaelon6rs* Court inany mmner subservient to the directions of the County TreaSur4r, in authorizing the dlsbur8erent or county

## runas ror operetlhg pwposo 0r the county?
"MO. 5. In the abaenoe of fraud or flagrantvia

### lstionof State law8, 1s a County Tw8uror fied in dieregarding ordOr8 duly paasodby a

### jueitlComml4elon4rS~CoSt'ln good faith, for the purpooae of promoting th4 welfare oi the oounty. wherein such orbs8 requlrs the aervloeeand oooyeratlon of the County TrOaaur8r?w

We feel that here is the power of

_ the rlrat important question im0lv0a

the COllml2S81OnOr8' Court to sat aolaa a portion of the rev4nu4 of the oounty as a fund for the paymont in oaah for wetef, ssrerage and janitorssrvloea for the County Courthouse,to be paid in prOfer4noe over othecrreglrtared indebtedcase4f the oounty.



### 479, 16 the ease of Honard VS. Henderson County, 116 9. W. Chier Sust!.ce

Bond said: "The county treaaurer,,by atatuto. 18 the 4ustodlan of county funds; andthe statute,Artiolo 

### 1025,I-L.

s.,direate that: 'Eech oounty treaeurar shall keep a well-bound book in which he ehall re@ster all alaims against his county in the ordaf of presentation,and~lf more than one 18 presentedat the same tine be shall register then in the order OS thafr date. H4 shall pay no suoh claim or any part ther0or, 

### nor shall the Oarno, 

### or any part tharaof, be raaalvod by any officer in

## 749

Honorable &uses A. Guest,page 

### #4

psyuxnt of any Indebtednessto the county,until It hns been duly regfstered in nacordame with the rrcvlsions of this title. 131 cleims in eech class shall be p6L-3in the order inwhich they ore registered!:bnd, Article 1713, that: 'The county treesurer shall not pay any zimey out of the county treasury eroept In pursuance of a certiflaate.orrarrsnt from some oftlaer euthorlzedby low tv issus the s6nie* * **. "The langmge of the stetute8 Is plain, the authority $a exclusive and prese&s no 

### ground for construatlon. The 

### aountytreasurer is not authorizedto pay claimso&nat 

### theaounty, exaept onwarrants drawn by sonxe offlaer authorized by law to lsfsue @ame; snd the coxmlseionera' court Iswithout powerto bLna the aounty by contract or otharwlse to pay 

### alaimsin cash, without providing somemeans for such payments, thereby giving

### preiereacein payment over other registered indebtednearof the oounty."

The coae of Wlllcinsea ~8. Frenklln county,et al., 94 5. W. (2d) 1190, holCs.lo substnnoe that Article 1625 clearly provides the order in which clnlsts 

### drawnagaIn& the Oounty Treasurek are to be paid, and amnmt@ to an appropriation o? the funds of the CountyTreesury.to the payment of all. alalma legally drawmagsinst the eeveral olassss of fundsln the order of their reglstratlor.

Therefore, under this deofeion, the order of the Commlaeioners*Court of Camp County requiringpaysent in oa8h out of the General Fund for water, sewerage

### and janitor services, is oiolntlve of Article 1625, Revised Clvll atatutea, and is therefore void.

In view 

## br the above ruling, we reel that it is unnecessary to enswar further the questions submittedby you.