Case Information
*1 ’ OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN County Auditor r.. Herr18 County in. ,.t',:r~ Texar %ueton.
Se ham pour let
"On Septeaibar an exeoutlre orbar, ated the Of- 6 aotual oreafioa floe of Ztzo~aboy Man 9 an ada\lnia- Offloo of Clrilian 4 the Oo~smorm o? or8 or Cuor4lmtora n their 8ereral iStates.
of the legal si$hts and resgon- a~partsfniag to meh pasltlom.* 'Ihe quote4 language le taken from the far% of aom- mi~slon IssueU by the Governor.
%Q far I I am infommd, the Gaveraor has not isau~d rpooiric proclamations or other ln- struotfons authorizLng or 4lreobing Tarlous mordinators appointed in Xarria County to adopt *2 Honorablr B. L. I%*hburn, cage e
the plan for olrillan 4afenae whloh hea bomn
pleoe4 In effoot by a tentative an4 aomwhat
: . looao agmement among the aeveral Coordinators
appointed In Barr18 County. The County Judge
an4 the Kayur of tha City of Houston, as the appointed Coordinator8 of the two largeat gorern- units fn Harria County, have entern4 in- mental to an egmement with the &a~ors of the other munlclpelitlea, by whiah Colonel Tke Aahburn
wla appoint& Dlreotor of Clrlllan Lmfenae with general authority to aoordinate such defense
aotivltles In Earrla County. Aa I understand
the present arrangesent, each of tha muniolpal- ltlea lnvolre4, wlth the exception of the Coun- ty of Harris an4 the City of Houston, propoaea diraot all of It@ OnB ex~emditures deter-
mined by It to be neosacarp in oonueotioa wltb
ths defense aetivftiea. It ia further Froposed hy the County Jud&e and the &:a~or that the Coun- ty of Harris ac4 the City of Houaton shall eon- tributn fuund.s for the support, opsmtion, an4
wintenanoe o? the Qffioe the Mreotor at
Cfviliwn IIsfensa to dafray the expanses whlah are sat forth ln~ the bud&et submitteb by tha Clreotor of Mvllian Deferuse, a oorg of
whiah ia attaahed. Ranemlly, the type of ex-
pendltum propoaed oon6lata of the esplay~~ent of the neoeraary pemonnel, outlays for tsle-
phone llnea, expenditures and, maintenanoe
siotor epulpment, and the pumhaae 0r warning
signal8 to be installed an4 aalntalned by the
Eireotor.
*The auggemted method or opsmtlng the Cf- rioe er the Diraotor of Civilian Pefenee, and
the aativtties which will be enrrled on uu4er
his dfrsot%on and supervision, le dlmot
f lnanoial oontributlon, or, eltsmatltel~, by
the oontribution of equipBent, pemonnel, and
aupgllea for the operetlon end oalntenonoe of
the civilian derenae setup. This, therefore,
immediately miaea ttls question of the author- ity or County orricera to contrll.uts r0r fund8 this purpose, OP the 1BndiWJ Or BmplOyBe8, SUP-
plies, and equlplaant. Tha proposed oourae or aotion pmeenta to lag mind the fo1lowI.W quea- tiona rhlch are reapeotftily 8ubmitte4 to you
rOr 4ete25htian:
‘ ..>.I Eonorablo R. L. !c‘aahburn, Pago 8 "(1) Yay the kunty legally oontrlbuto to tha support and maL~teaanoo 0r the ofrior tha 0r
Qfreotor or Civilian Defenao of Harris County
money from its fisnaml Fund, or its Road and
Bridge Fund, or both, for the payment of the
type of oxpenaea outlined in the budget aub-
mitted by the Dlreetor of Clvlllnn Defense?
"(6) If the Oounty and its orrloers hove. such
authority, mar the Count9, l otlu g through
Waulaalonera~ Qourt, enter Into a joint oop-
tract with City of Howaton, l lthar alone
or jolntlt tith various other munlolpalltlea
in Farrla Count9, proTide for the o eratlon
Of the Offloe oi the Director or Clrll f an De-
fenae, an4 the oontrlbutlon or ruade ror auoh
purpose out of the Osnwal Pun4 and the Roa6
an4 Bridge Fun47
"(3) If the County mey 1 ally atar 5.nta auoh
a co&mot as la suggeate la Quertloa (4) abova,
may the County then pay over Its pro rota sham
of the fund8 fixed by the oontraot to the Dlree-
tor ror erpaa4lture, or s.Ust any such aontraot
provide that expenditures Shall be m4e only In
aocordanoa with the laws protl4lng for a4rrrtlae-
aeat for bids, ptiaoa, audits, and other laws
regulstlag tha aoaountlng for and expenditure of
Gouaty funds, auoh as the Depoaltor9 T.aw, et
cetera? In the event you aimuld be of the opinloa
“(4)
that the County my not legally direotlj ooa-
tribute manea from its General ?und, or Its
Road an4 Bridge Fund, aa aug~eate4 In Queatlon
(1) above, am it, without violating the Commlaalonera* Court an4 its the law K
acting throug
duly oonstltuteb offloara, auoh as the Sheriff, imeaaor Colleotor Taxes, ard other
ajmllar offloors, oontrlbuto supplies, mohla-
cry, equipment, and personnel for the purpose operating and ncfintalnlng the offioe of CliIl-
Inn Dotense, suoh operation and malntanaaoe to
be 6ubjaOt to the direotlon of the appointed
Qlreotor for Harris Oounty?
*'ihe obdeot to be aao~mp3lahe4 IS not onI9
a laudable one, but la undoubtedly a pub110
Ronoreblo H. L. W48hbum, Page & I . matter. It 8eema to me, however, that the au-
thorlty af ths Caunty ottlaars 4ad the Comml.8- i3i0llOrEi Court, in abnnrotfon with euoh matter, is limitsd. Berrfr County happens to be rituated in a partioul4rly vital 4re8, 41~04 it 14 the mat and oenter of muah wurk and manutaatum 410 reatsd tc th4 iapcrt4nt end of a ~8uecrraiul pro- IB, 4s you know, t&r 88aution th4 war. It of oil aotiritl48 and oenter the, various r4- finorles themaelr46 81% at th4 pmsgnt time l4rg4- ly 4 aged in the mmufaaturr et tcluck4$&l;ther ingr%onts OF baeea ot explorives.
therewforo, a 4e6%rable objest to ;.be w%ceplli5h- e4 by the operatlen of th4 Oftioe of Civilian w4B80. *The Ccmml8rionrra~ Court Is authorlsed by tf;4 provlalon8 Of ArtAolr Y, Sectian 18, of the Conatitutioa, wbioh provides in part, follaw8: mrl’ha county oommlseionore 80 ohomen. with the oounty j\?agei as presiding cfilorr, 8-1 eompo+e4 th4 GotmtJ Ccmaissionere Court, whleh ruoh pewem jurivdietion war 8hiLl exercise thl8 all &aunt? buein484, 48 18 conferred cm& ths law8 ai tha State, or 50 Con8titutlon may be hamafter prrsaribe& *
Vho ganecal pawarr a Ocuml8aion4r8* Court are provided In &tlale 2551, Vernon*8 Annot4t4d T4x48 Statut48. In addition to the genrral power8 them awi!mrated there are v8r- ioun 8 8aial power8 snuam+at*4 In the 8tatute8 which ia 14 beon p4e8ed from time to time. %%A@, ths Forty-Seventh Lsglal4turo pa8wd an 4et which Is now a8rri4d a8 W$tolo 835la-1, Var- whloh author- wm*e Annotate4 Tmas Watutrr, is411 County Cmmi805awm’ Court 'tur- aleh fire proteotion and fir4 4gulp- fighting ment to th4 citisem of 8aah oouaty r48Miry the aity llmita of 4ny a%$~, town, or outside village within the county and/Or adjoining OOPP- t14e.1 '&la etatute speoitieally authorlt48 the ColsmSe8iearrs" Court to mk4 oontr4Ot6 with town, village within the oouutp *any city, ad/or adjoinIng eountles, upon suoh term8 aad oonditioaa aa be 4gr.44 upon brtwesa the @!I ourt and the governing body Of Conu4ie8ion4re' *5 Ronarabla H. I,. Wmhburn, Page 5
6UOh Olty, ton%, cm ~111~4, for the~uoe or the tire truoks and other tire flshting equIpaan$ of i . the ofty, town, or vfllsge.l The 4ot 4OZlO1Ud48
with 4 provl.60 reading: R~~~vIQeQd, however, that any flro eqolp- want purohared by any County ahall be 4~~0 only a majority tote of property owning taxpayorr and quelifird vetern of such aouxty at a aounty- wide eleotion oalled for ruoh p~4~080.~ are ale0 ~ViSfOn4 In the Pub110 “nl4l-4 E4alth St4tUt48, 8U4h 48 &tiOlS 4410f, ‘author- king th e l xpmdfture by th8 CommIsaI.oners~ CotirE at County runa for publio health an4 sanlt.atIan. Arti 68Eb autharieec the Oom- mIs4Ionerr~ Court rnQ the oounoil of any OIty or town to crpprupriata mQ 4xp4nQ non4y for the eXp4B8eS Of tmOp8, bSft6ri48, OorPpEniOS, SigBal aatIv4 x5.1 i7U T tia of thin m&e hospital 44tP8, S&l6 b8IidS Of th8 locrat44 in moh oeunti4s altier, or towns, not to 4rewa the sum of $iOO per month ror thr expenr,e ei eny on4 organization. ktiale 3891a authorls~8 Qourt, oity l uthorftfo8, COIUlty OcPlsli841On4%‘8’ End OfViU and MtriQtie Ol’@li:i3~- OOSUEUUiti48, to provida funds, armorI**, qulment, tioas EatsvIal, oth4r apppmpriatc, tranrportetien, to the Texas EM&MO s4rvioes or iaoilities, Guard. Them is also ml014 0144 proviaing for a ‘Km4 Guard, [*] Tblpl 14ttar to oentsmplats ths organIsatlon at a gu4rvIlU 4t4tuts mm48 band whIah will bs 4uthorIse4, or the member8 to oarry p14tO18 of which will b;z authorized, ether weapons when *aalled to otual duty me %ot provider ‘ooim- by the aharltt.' ties, oit1es, and tnnnr aray through their lew- tul gcverning bGQI48 appropri4te trem their pub- 110 tr44scrIe8, rconeym to rOvI44 arm au4 am- munition for such herd un 41 such rrtla 4 M ii they and those reoeivlng arms from the rr4y prsaorIb4, county shall x&urn all isunv~ and aau5unltl~n to the ouunty 5udg4 when not an duty.' The tfP8 of expsnditurr authorte8Q by~th4s4 various @tat- Ut44 18 Very 4imiL4r w th4 type o? 4Xp4UditUr4 be made en4 about whI4h the above now proposed ?h4 ia4t that th4 Leg- w*tloaas ar4 prOpOunQ*d. slature round It ne44~ury to pass etatUt P *6 Honorable H. L. Kaahburn, ?a;$.
: * ~peoliloally authorizing the Cwmias1onara* the types above Court to make Eaxpendit.wre
noted Impala the neoeaeary c~nolu~lon that wlth- out suah statutes the Court would have no au- thority to arake mob expenditurea.
“So far aa I hare been able to learn then 18 no statute apsoltloally authorlrlng any of- pendlture in oonneotlon with the ‘Cn?iee of
Civilian Defa~nae* of any OS its branohar. Our Court8 have repeatedly aald in the part powere of tha Ctmmir8lonera* courts and oi- tieera of eountior ra limited to thoee exprear- ly granted them Coa~tltutlon and mtat- rueh parers as are neoessarily implied utea, rrom those axprm~ly granted.
“h’llla County va. Lamparaa County, 40 6.W.
5b8, 90 Texar 6OSl
*Comml8alonerr~ Court of tradlwon Coun8y vm.
Ballaoe, et al, 15 S. a. (2) 555;
“Van Rosanber at l.va. Xavett, 17s 2.W. (Error Refund 7’ $ W3nmisrlonera* Qourt at liarrle Q0Wity W. Kaiser, et al., es 5. w. (a) 840 (Error Rafuaml); ~8. Stephem Oeu~~ty, vX.ty ot Brsokmrld~o ~$eimmplon of Appoal8) 180 !WxaI, 2318, 40 S.B.
~~uan-Xarrea Fubllahi~ %atpanj to. Hutch- insen County, 45 S. iv. (I) 651 (Wrer Rsfuled);
*Sag& ver Campbell, et al., 4i3 S. y* (g) 515; and,
*Len&an ~8. State, 97 8. :‘j. (Z) e64 (Error Refured). that oao-
Tit is ganerelly noa@ilzed mi88ionem~ Court aay abt through @gent8 for oer- ta$.n purpoaeo, although their eutherity to a0 aat eoaa~a mmewhab limited by the atatutd8. A* t&ale 1580, Ravfred Civil Btatuter, lP%g. The *7 Honorable B. L. lmahburn, Faga 7
Legislature may oC&?&t oouiaty bualneaa to some other Lenoy than the Camiaslonera~ Court.
1 * Austin Moe. ve. Patton, et aL, (domraiaalon o?
Appeala), 208 S. ‘6:. 168. But appanntly authority of the Ceatmlaslonera~ Court to dele- its authority la very gate llmltea. Thus It
haa been held that the duty or the County aaa- all elalma againat missioners tha aoan- to audit ty and order paid only than found to be uat, la judlolal and it8 perfnmanoe oannot be de e- i ated to another. Padgett, at al. va. You~16
8 ounty, et al., 204 6. II’. 1046, (Error dlamlaad, the aame rule would 1u9 S. 6. 459 1. Pnoumablf u Oounty Auditor, in the Qiaoharge 0804 up on me b l uah l tatutea aa Mtlolea , 1661, and Bu motion L, PIsetion t
19, of Art1018 39138.
“Them are numeroim provIaiona OS our Con- a gesleral polkg s? 00nrin- dlaoloaing atitutlon other than those ror whioh the7 were ~m~oaea Set Arttola III, Seotfcma 44, 61, %18, 55;*kr?Aele I, Seotiona S and 16; and Art%- ele XV3 Saotlon 6. Our Supreme Court ham ala0 expresaiy aeolareu that fknty t3awairaloaen~
Courta have no authority to tranaier mosey frola a fund orsate tar one purpose to a ipkQ omated ror other purpose. 08rrol1, at al. vs. V?llllam, County Tmaeumr, et al, 109 Texas 158, IxIE S.W.
504.
=I do not underHand the @overnor, In hi8 derignation of the County Judge, hu in any eense undertaken to authorire the erpendlture iOr any purpose. %e EEOverncw la, of
any funds eourae, given aomrwhat broad authority by the er- preaa provlaiona of Saotlen 7, Artlole IV, of the Constitution, whiah reader
“life shall be Ccsunander-in-Chlof of tha the State, eroept don they milltar toraea ;yat;;lled into 8etua.l serviom of United Be ahall hare powet to aall IIerth tho mll.t& to aeoote law8 of the StatO* to
auppreaa inaurreotlone, repel in~aalene and
protaot thefrontier iron! hoetile knLnoura~on% by Indian or other predatory bands. *
Honorable E. L. Washbuxa, Pago 8
_I wAn7 expenditure8 which mkht be undertaken I . la aonneotlon with the above eeatlon of the Con- any other aeatlon of the Conatltu-
stitution, tlon authorizing the Governor to aat, would not, ao tar f am lntomed, give the Governor any to spend authority to euthoriee oounty oftlaara money tram aounty fund8 in the turtheranoe and8 a8 authorlrea. It aaaae to ma that l uoh
l otlvltles on the part a? the Govomor mumt neu- l aaarlly be tfnanoed rrcai approp~latlona made or under acaie l et of the Leg- the Leglalature jalature apaoltloailp uthorialng Cm8laalon- era* Court, or other oounty ofrioera, to spend money In aid of aatIvltlea undertaken by the
Governor under sonatltutlonel author1 ty.
“It aeema turther apparant to ma froai thm executive by the Frealdent order proaxlpated oroating the Otllae o? ~irlllan Dokionre that
It wee eonteaiplated that the Federal Government would defray otual oxgenaea laoident to
thq sotup of that organization. The order aeema to aontenplate the 2tataa am unite In the Civil- Ian ueronae authority,, Of ooutiae, oouatlea are by ou1 Constitution be legal aub- declared dlvIalona ai the State. Artlole 23, Saotlan 1, I understand the rule to ba that Cuimlsalonera’ Courts ma without an7 legislative powers what- aoever, and, am th+ governing bodies ot au+
‘-4. (1. i$lona ai the Etate, muat rely upon the Leg- dature for authority to emend ?unda. I have
Y bean unable to find any authority for the ox- pendltura propoaod In thfa l~,tanoe, either in the fern? ot a direct authorization by #a Lag- in the. tom of en lmplloati~ in lelature, or I hero enumerated oort8ln exlatlng statute*.
atetutea above tmm whioh it might be @ai4 that certain wera oould be inferred, but I: do not believe e hat they are broad enough to authorlte expenditUm8 o? the tme here proposed. rWFeOt?dlly 9, thsrefom, 8Ubnit ?Or YOUr
detsmlnetlon the queatlcna above ‘OmsmateQ, hare appended the oltat~on ai 8UthhoritiM and dlaouaalon in the hope they Nile., be Of some aeslctsnae fn properly Qeterminl~, the ques- tlona submitted.
i
BanoFablo H. L. Wa8hbuFn. Page Q
“A lvoent opinion OS your d8p8rtmnt whloh 88-e to m to hera fbome bearing upon one ham , . of the queatlon presented is pour Opinion I! -4483,
date& Xaroh 16, 194& addressed to Ronorablo Burl Brittain, County Auditor, San Fatrio Coun- aynent Texan, Xnton, In regard ty, exponaes of the County Judge inourre i as Coer- Civilian Defoorrr.~ dlnator
Ma thank you tar the excellently rrittan opinion oontainrd in your letter. Sin84 you aoourataly 8tat8 th8 law BP w8 umlerrtand It, we adopt the vlcrs 01 x-48846 by you a8 oplnlon of thi8 Dapartmaat. It fol 018 f
your rlrat fourth qu48tionm are answered in the negative, ana your esoond and third qu8stlon8 do not rsqulr8 an an8w.F.
Your4 very truly ATTORIfEYOMlCRALQ,rTZXAS