Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
-Gyuo( --
Xonoreble Kennatb H. Clark
CountJ Auditor
V8rd county
Jksmhans, ruar
0 quote rron your Annotated Texrr Civil Sta- 08 in the State act- l p o ot;ve c om8zsrloa- th e o-ty.
o ouetler may 8lso , frlcludimg the nocowary bulldilgr nnd other ImproYmatll, sn thdr ovn oountler or in my other oounty or olty la #ie Batted State@, vhero fairs sxporltiona are being held,
"See. 2. The Cornlarfomrst Courta at the oountios the Com@ssionerst Courts .respectlve of e.evarsl counties aury cooperate vith eaoh
other and participate vlth local Interest!8 in providing th e l reotion of suoh building8
and other imprmwments aa mar be neceasery to *2 Honorable Kenneth J4. Clarlc, Page 2
aaooatpliah the purpose vntfoned in Seotionl,
of this Aot and for the arstiling, oreating,
and mlntaining of such hortioultural and agrl-
oultural, livestock and nimeral exhl.bLta, and
the oxpenasa lnaldent thereto.
"Sec. All inoorporated cities, vater im- proveamnt districts, and vatar control end im-
proveBent dlatricta mfiy cooperate vith th8 COIlI- mlsrlonerr~ Courta of rush oountlaa for the pur- pose8 stated in Saotloa 1, and Section 2 of this Aat and appropriate monies in providing for auoh exhibits, eatabliahirtg and maintaining much muaeuam, and ln the areatlon of such bulldings
and lmprovsmentr, and the aaaembl+ng, erecting
and mafntainlng of awh horticultural, agricul-
tural,~liveatock and mineral exhibita.
“Sec. 4. Rothlng herein oontalned ahall be
aon8trued as repealing or modifying any of the ot Chapter 163, 0mera1 hvm, ?tetgular proviiiona Seaalon, Forty-aeuond Legl8laturo Bill 312), (knovn aa Iiouae
{codified aa Art. 236&, V.A.T.C.S.) nor as taking the provlrlona of th.la Aat out of of maid Chapter 163, Acts 1934, limitationa
4th LB., p. ah. 20; Actr E it;** 3td C.S., . 2103, oh. 507, 1 1.
(S8aOnd iiacketa our8 lp
Article 2368a, Soation 2, Yornon’r Annotated Civil reads in part as follovar Statutes,
“No county acting through its ooaaalaaloaera ahall hereafter make enter Into oourt,....
any contract or agmemtmt for the construction
$b-% :::?g%k$%s%:~~g 2
nditure in excess of Tvo Thousand Dollara $2,000.00), crentlng lmpoaing an obllga-
7 tion or liability of an;~ nature or oharecter
upon such comty, or mq subdivision of such
aounty,..,. without first aubmittlng such pko-
posed oontract or agreement to cpmpetitlve bids.
,...” (Undsrsaoring ours)
A *3 Xoaormbh Keaabth II. Clmrk, ?a&~ )
ATtiole 1659, V8rmot1~8 Annotmted lelcam Ciril Stm- tutmm, road8 as follovs~
"8uppUmm of etmry kiti, romd mnd bridge a4 other uterial. for the UH of rtarial, raid aouuty, or uy of its offlomrm, depwtmats, inmtltutlonm must bm purmhmsmd on a~tltlre bSdm, the oontnot to bm avardmd to thm party vho, IA jUd@MtAt of the oommlsrionorr court, hum muwttod thm lovrmt mud bmmt bid, The oounty auditor mhall mdvmrtiso for l p o rlod of tvo weeks IA at lmmst one Qlly nevmpmper, publlmhmd mnd oir- aulmted ir thm oouaty for l umh suppllem mad amtar- ial aomording to l pmolfimmtias, giving in detail vhmt 1s needed, Buoh tiYWtbmAt8 &au date VhbN tbo speolfimmtlonmmtobm found,mad mbmll, give the t%m md pImoe fos~rooolrlng muoh bldm.
All muah ooapetitivo bids shall be kept OQ file by th e o ounty l udlto~mm mpmrtof thb roaords of him offlmm, mnd mhmll b~mubject to iampomtlca by my OAO iImm;rhg mom Quq. Copier of ml1 bids reoelrod l hmll bm fur~Imhod wthm oouaty auditor udgmubtethmoolEU.immloamrmoourt~ totheoouAty mnd vhmn t&m b f dm nooivod erm not mtimtmatory ths mmld dgo oroount oesais11ldp~4rs, thm auditor mhal njmmt uid ldl'mnd m-advo~l8s P t
for nev bldm. IA omes of omrgoncy, puWumm8 not In exommm of wm hundred mad fifty dollars may bo aBade UpoA requfsitlo!a ta be appmvod w tbo aomimslonmrm oourt, vlthout dvertimimg for am- tltirq bidm.'
The mame of LWmtonm Oounty vm..Knox, 234 9u held that the aounty'm oontraot purahame romd ramerj ln~olrlng xpmndlture of ~brm tbm~ ~2,000.00 Vl#OUt reqUiX3ng oompetlt%vo bldm vam void. Ito mnolomohmrmvIths oapy of o&dAiOA Ho. 0-1839 of this doprrt.S@At vhloh 00~taiA8 a full dlmaumslor, of thm LIamstonm Oounty mm80 md 6180 dlmmumsmr Artlolsr 23f%m sad 1659, Vmrnon'm Annotated TeixAa Cl~ti 8tm- tutor.
In umwer to your question you are rumpeotfdly ad- v1m.d mm followmr
rmble Kenmth II. Clark, Page 4 1. The aorPlisslonorm" oourt is not uthorlmed to into any oontnot or agreement the oonmtruo- &o or enter tion of m8y publla bulldlng ud 6oclpletlon mmy pub110 vork ~ulrlag muthorla My oxpoAdltun In 0x0.88 of Tuo moummmd (42,OOO.OO) Do Iem, onmtlng or bpomiag m,n obllga- i"f
tioa or llmblllty upon the aouBty, vltbout flrmt submttting swh proposed oontraet agnomont to oompetltlrr bids. 2. Undar Artlole auprr, raterlmlm mnd sup lies HuAdnd, mrty P $150.00) fn~olrlng mm expondltur* of more thma Oae
Dollmrm rust bm purchased by ooqntltlrm bids. ?hm oo~mmloamrm~ oourt cmmy buy muoh materIm l.m acordmnoe vlth Artlole 1659r'mutmittlng mmam to aaPpetltlve bids, andamyhirm day labor oamstructtho building. It la our oplnlo~ that aoanismloners~ oowt would hmve uthorlty to him much labor vlthout Ntnlttlng the hiring of much labor oompetltlre bldm.
Xaurmvmrytruly ATTORBEYC?ERERALOFTEXAS Wm. s. f~nAl.Ag Amslatmnt