aommissionaraf 8' Court of Lmmr Couat~, the City of Paris, Texaa, ~aa5.etanoe given id oity .LO property looeted amwer to the ilrat question Is yea, ounty Auditor of Lwaar County author- afd $100 per monthi RSIU if no, out of ould he be authorized to pay aam6?” Article 234la-1, Vernon's Annotated Clvll Statutes, provldee: in all oountles of

“The acmmisaloners* this State ah811 be authorized to iurnieh fire PZ’O- teotlon and flre f&hting equipment to the aitizwns of such county residing outside limit@ of town, or village within the aounty and/or any city, ad join :ni: oount ies. The commissioners’ aourt shall have the authority to purohaee truoks end other fire-fl@ting s?uipmant by rlrst advertialng and re- *2 Hon. John T. Hutohiaon, rage 2

aeiving bide thbraon as provided by law. The wmmiesloners’ oourt or any county or this State shall also have the authority to enter into oontraotr with a oity, town, or village within the oouuty and 7 or adjoining ocuat$er, upon such terns and aondltlom as ahall be agreed upon between the ocmmissloners~ oourt~ nnd the governing body of suoh oitp, town, or village, for the use of the firs truoks and other flehtlng equipment of the ~oity, town, It la speolfiaally provldod,that or ~vlllage.

eats of any pemon or parsons while fighting ,iirer, .* traveling to Or from flre5, or 14 aog aanner fur- of ‘a nishing fire proteotlon to the aitlsenr county outride limita of sap oity ,, town, or village, shall @a oonsidered au. the aotr o?

agents of the county In all reape6te, hotti~thrlwd- ing suoh person or persona may be regular eap~ojlwa or rlreaen of the olty, town, or villa 8. x0 olty, tom, or rillaga u3thi.n the oounty ,and or adjoin- ing wxmtles, shall be held 1Iable eat8 of any of itat employeea while imgaged in figbtlng firer the oity lisrita’yursuant to My oontraotthhsrrtoforr entered into b6tween thr oQPL- alselone~tx wurt oi ths wunty end the got-Ally body of the city, town, or village. Provldrd,howwer, that any Sirs equipment purohared by any county shall be don6 only by a major.ity tote of property owing taxpayara and qualified votes of rueh oo\mtg at a oountycwido elaotlon for such puzpow. m oalled

Generally sgssking, of’ the commissioners aourt as the governing body of,the oounty m&o eontracts In its behalf ie striotly llmitsd~ to that oonferrsd sither exprees- ly or by fair or neoesrsry lmpltoation by the oonstitutlon and statutes or this State. (Terrent County vi). Rogers, 125 S. x. Baldwin vs. Travis County, 86 S. K. &SO). The authority to oontraot on behalf of the county 18 vested alone in aom!isslonersl in the absenoe of m statute authorizing soma other agenay to oontraot;.,. and if an agrsaaraat la not

716 tfizoiri:h 0:' sariol;ioned by auoh aganoy, it binds neither county nor the individual. (8parka vs. Ksutman County, 194 c, 'ii. 605; ii?lWicaIl DiSlKIteOtin~ COmpaIly VS. Freestone COiUlty, .;. 440; Term Jurisprudence, Vol. 11, page 630.) The 193 s. of law for Its oon- comml~1si0ner.e~ court must have authority tr3St8, and, if haa been given, a reasonable oonstruotion (Commissioners1 Cot&t vs. Zallao8, ot it will be given attest purpors. its 15 S. ii+'. 26, 525).

Artiole 2351e-1, supra, epealtloally aathorizas OOmalaaloners' COUXt Of E5J OOUllty Oi thi8 &lt8 t0 8nt8r kit,0 contracts with any city, town, or villa&s wlthln the oountr and/or ad!oinlng oountiea upon ruoh terms an4 oondltiona aa shall be agreed upon batween the cOmmisaioa8r~~ aourt and ths govarning body of ths oity, toun, or villags r0r the ua8 of trucks snd oth8r fire tlghtlng Oqaipm8nt of the eitr, town or village. Thsreforr, you aZ8 rsspeotiully stZrla84 that it is the OpFniOn Of this d8paxtlaent that th8 0WIhiseioll8rs' Court ot Lamar County iS authorizad undac the law to l nt8r into a aontraot with the City Of Paris to provide ior tire- to proteot property heated tl~,htlng facilities ot the city limits 0t Paris, 3peclfloally answering your first qars- tion, you aae advised that tha CoarPiSsiOn8Fa' Court Ot Lamar County is authorissd to oontraot with the City of Paris to provide tire-tigbting fso~llt~ra and pap tha eittJ blOO.00 p8r month tar suoh anoh aXp8nditPr8s ar8 reXViaee, pXOVidSe in conpllanos with ths county budget law &pplloa- ble to the county budgst.

In answer to your rroond question, you are advisrd thst it ia our opt?ion, in view of our andwar to your iirst quastlon, the oountg auditor lr authoriesd to apprwc olalma for the sum ot @OO.OO par,month for tha above raentlcned s8r- provldeil that a oontraet has b88n made by and betwsan vices, the oounty snd olty for such abrtlOSs, and that such payments All countl must be mad8 out of the gen8ral fund of the county. eXpenUituras lawtullg authorized to be mad8 by $ county must be th8r8 iS -me 1aW paid out or the oounty'r g8taersl fund , U518SS which makss them a oharge against the sp8ciel ruzad. (vlllllams VS. Cerroll, 182 s. w. Berar Oouaty, st sl, 11. Mann, '?f, 26, 134). S. Tours tory ~tru3.y

A7,TORNr.T CI!WTML OF T!%xj d /a.kak- Ares11 ‘dilllisms Assirtant