Case Information
*1 ‘I OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS ‘i AUSTIN
Honorable 6. P. Rorma, Jr.
county Auditor
wnllnrr County
H~patud, Tom8
IMar Slrr
Ioor letter OS roquutln~ thr oplnlnn of thll, departmint on the tad thrreln, lm in part, aa followm~ medim ragsrd-
nlstratll~ offleer au the mherlff 18 ourtodian of thr Court
Houao than @oars rou&ly outllna tha r~*anlu of the wma ICurtodian* aa u8ed in th8 8tatuta8 ooreclry partloalurly followlag polntw
1. Ths sppointmuk, and general auportlalon of the work, of jmltor.
2. T h e l asl~nt of of?ios spnoe to the w4rloua aounty orrices.
1. Th8 allooatlon of offioa equipment to the rarlour 0rri0eh
4. The responrlbllity for minor rspairr to be mada to bulldings.
“If the above numbered Item are tho Sheriff’s rosponalbillty wlthln ths~llrPlts of his dutlea ., item8 Number OUStOdiM Of tb6 COllI’t xOU86, than in 1 and 4 where an rxpandltura is nros66.ary to full- fill suoh 8ervloe--end slnoa the Co.mlseionsr*s Court bar crole authority to make suoh expondlturas-- thsn in effeot, doaa thin not preoluds snj admlnls- rasponslblllty of the sherlrf ror whlah ax- tratlvs psndltura of funds 18 n606saery.- 5, S60. 18, of the State Conntltution, provld68, in part, as r0iior8:
“The county oosmlseloners 80 choam, with the oounty judpe a8 pre8ld OrriO6r, ahall OOUipOS6 9 the Oounty Coamlssloner~ Court, whloh ahall axarolss suoh powara and jurIsdlotlon ov6r all oounty bualnees, as 1s oonfarred by thl8 Constitution 8nd the 18~8 of this State, or aa may be hareaftar prsaorlbsd."
In the oan6 of Anderson, 6t al, vs. Wood, 152 S. . : 26 1081, the 8uprama Court, rrlth rsrsrrnoe to the foregoing
provision of the Conatltution, a~ldr
While under the above oonatltutlonal provlalon, the jurisdiction 0r the Coamlsslon6r8~ Court ovsr oounty buoln688, 10 not general and all-lnolurlr6,but 18 ll!nltad to such as i8 8p6olfloally conrsrrad.by th6 Constitution and 8tatute8. (Ml118 Oount V8. L6mp.6888 County, 90 TaSa8, 603, 40 9. :f. 403 T , yet tha Coamlesloner8* ,Court is the aotlng governing body . . .It is the grn6ral bu8Insas and thf 00unv. oontraoting agnoy of the oounty, and it alon ha8 authority to omka oontraota blndlng on tha oounty, unlaoa oth6rwlae 8p6olfloally provided by statute.... iYh6rQ a right 18 oonierred, or obllgatlon ImpO88d On said Couft, it ha8 ImplIed authority to 6X6rOl60 a broad diaerstlon to aooompllah tha p~~po66s Int6ti6d.. . . . On the other hand, a rharlff ham no authority to make oontraots that are binding on the OounW, 6IOept where ha is spaoifloally 80 authorized to do by etatuts....-
‘irt.. 0-7 ‘, V.A.C.S.. providea: *Sherlffe cli?ll have o!inrco qnd control of the wurthouac of their rcrpcotlvc countlsa,oubjcot to rh regulations ae ths Commlscloncral Court may praulbe; and ths official bmd ah*11 axtcnd to qod k~oludo the fs1ltfiful psrformcnoa of their dutlcc unaa this artlole."
Art. 2352, V. ..C.S., imposes on the CommlsslGn6rc* Court thcduty to "provide and keep in rcpcir oourth0u848, jclla and all rcsccary pub110 buildtigs.' Referring to in the oCc6 of kndcrsa,ct 2351, al, la st.atd;
vs. :io9d,supra, lt
“The dutlcs thus imposed arc not limitsd to thctirnlchln~ of a bare bulldlag and kecpIng it in rep&r. It oontcmplatsa an inhabitable OOurthOUSe; onsthat 18 USCfUi hr the pUrpO86s intend66. ai8 wOd# iDClUd6 the furnishlog Of heat, SlcVctOr scr- Tiffnhcrc OCedSd, as rsll aa jsnitor ssrrioc to kaglt clean and USCf& it 1s under Since dug 0r providing there oonr6nl6no88, COdSSlOa- erg Court has at lcaet the implied power 8nd author- ityt0 COotraOt th6rSiOrr~ Godson ~8. Marshall, Tea Civil hppsals 118 S. a. 2d 621. ijc think, thacforc, the Co. CSiOR6iS’ ml.i COUrt he* th6 authority aleot ( oontrnot with, and dicohsrgc the abolr me&oncd courthouse 4ap10yc48.a
Coastruing Art. 6672, V.i.C.S., it 1s at&ted in the oase bdcr8on, et al, vm. Wood, aupra,:
-The abovs statute placoc the sheriff in ohargs mdoontrol or the courthouse neucly for the purpose of$cepinr. order snd prssarrine the property. Thscs sr~mInlsterla1 dutlas that are ln kecplne with the dUacs of a psaos offlocr. It lc not intended to r& the sheriff with dlcarctlonary power to oontraot forc3n hehalr of th6 county with Smp1OyS.S t0 k66p tbr~bulldlng in a useful aondltlon. Thcac arc duties tM aall for the es6rolcc Of dlsarstlon in the uce or th&oontraoting power of the ooUnty, auob nn rested tithe Co~celonsrc~ Court."
In view of the forq-olnc authorltlea, Y’JU are respeotfully advised that it Is the opinion of this da- partmant thnt It 1s thr duty of the Commlasloners' Court to appoint a janitor qnd supsrv'lse his *;ork. It is our further orlnion that ths amalgnment of office spaca to various oounty offloars, allooatlon of orfioe equip- ment to rarlous otflosrs and the renponaiblllty for minor repairs to bs aads to publio bull@ln@ arc all duties of the Commlssloncral Court. Tharc no duty or responsi- bility lmpossd upon ths sharlff Fortslnin& the ques- tlons under con4lQrretlon.
Yours vary truly ATR,T;'::;Y G?KFRAL. OF T!:XAS &-@%Wd!
Ardsll allllama Assistant