Case Information

*1 .,

OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN

Honorable J. 0. Holhoy

county Attorney

Wallet aounty Teaa

lftqmtead,

Dear sir;

: .._. :. :

t that the Cowity Tnamuw woure from the County ~ stl eSter each term of y be paid by the reoord ln Vol. I, page 187, it ham been *surer and or the ml& or4.T oouaty Cl-k LI ordot tholr 188u~Oo br moli CUrk. In 0th~ Wrd8, kha Oou8ty Tream3rOti8 reglstrrtlon muhoP OS mJ war rant is dotermine& by a8ab8r l osi(wob to mmhwarrmt in paymoat of alaim b7 the County Cl-k. ‘iarrant* isstu4 audltd by the uoroPai8rlonera~ Court ese not pre8antod by the olalwt* to the county Treamrer for rdatratlm; *2 .lon. J. C. MoEvoy, page 2

"such warrants are registered by tke County Treasurer hsfore they am svsr dellversd to the rsspectlvs paysss, and such warrants are paid off in the order that they are rsgistsred by the County Treasurer.

"'The County Treasurer has rsouested that I seek your opinion on the following qusstlonl Is the above the Commissioners* court void by reason or its oonrllot with the provision of Art. le25 or the (1925) ~evlssd 01~11 Statutes of Taxes whloh requlrss that ths County Trsesursr *shell rsglstsr all claims against his oouuty ,. in the order 0r prs~mh.iti0m** ; ‘.

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Artioles 1625 cob 1627, Vernon*8 hnaotated Civil

Xhtutss, read as follows:

-Art; 1626. Eaoh county treasurer shell kssp a wsll- bound book in whloh he shell rs&ster all olelma agslnst his oounty ih the order or prsssntatlon, en4 lf more than ens is presented at the sesm tlms hs shell register them in the~order their date. Ee shall pay no suoh 0lel.m or any part thsrsoi, nor shall the same, or any pert.thsreor, be noelrsb by any ofricer in payment of any lndsbtsansss to the oounty, until it he8 been duly rsgist*rs& in aooor- denos with the ~rovlslons of thls tltlo. All olelms in saoh olass shell bs.peld in the orbsr in whioh they are registerstl.

wArt. 1627. Said tnaNr8r shall, enter saoh olslm in the register, stating the olass to which it bslongs the MM of the payee, the amount, the date of th8 oleL, the 6ato of registration, the numbor of suoh claim., whet authority lssusd,.eab for whet servlos th 8sme we8 "L ls~od, end shall write on the tad 0r the olalm Its rsgistretlon number, ths word, ~rsglstsrsd,~ the date of suoh rsgistratlon, end.shall sign his nsms otiloially thsnto."

Artlole 1626, Vsrnsn's Annotated Civil Statutes, provides that olatis against a oounty shell rsglstsrsd in three olasses as thsrsln set out. *3 fx;!J

Hon. a?. c. brcmoy, page 3

It will be noted that under .irtlole 1625, euprs,

the oounty troosursr is required tc keop a olalm register, in whloh all olaims aro registered as prosentedi and all olalms are properly pal4 in the order in which they sre regls- tered.

We quote from the oase of Howard et ux. v. Henderson County, et al, ii8 s. d. (24) 479, 88 r0ii0w8:

wCommlssionirs~ oourts, having limited jurlsdiotlon, may eot only within the sphere of tho powers and duties - express or implied -ooorfsrred ugou them by the Constltu- tlon and ststutes of tNs state. aubdlvlslon 10 of srtiole 2X1, Ii. S. 1925, oonfers the power and duty OA the oommlssioners~ oourt to audit and settle all aooounts against the oounty, end direct their payment. The oounty treasurer, by ststuto, is tke oustodlsn oi oounty funds; and ths stotuto, rt1oJ.o lti2a, W. S., dlreots that: (Eeoh oounty treasurer ohs11 keep a well-bound book in Wloh he shell register all olelms against his oounty ln the or prsseutetloti, end if more than one 1~ presented et the same tlsm he shell register them in the order of their date. He shall pay no such claim any pert thorooi, nor shall the same, or any pert thereof, be reorlved by any officer in payment of any indebtedness to the oounty, until it has been duly,reglstered in eooordan8~rlth the provisions of this title. ~11 olalms in eeoh olass shall be paid in the order in whloh they are registered'; and, ertlolr 1715, that: '¶'hs oounty treasurer shall not pay any money out of the county treasury exobpt In pursuszoe et e o*rtlfioete or warrant iriM some orrioer euthrirad ls8ua law to same... .*

"The language OS the statutes 1s plain, the euthorlty 1s exolusl~s and presents no ground for oonstruotlon. The oounty treasurer is not suthorised to pay oleims l galnst oounty, except on rerrints drawn by some offloor authorized by law to issue same8 . . a"

The oese ot Clerk. and Courts T. Ssn Jeolnto County, 45 S. Iv. 518, among other things holds that warrants on the general fund &&ould paid ln.order eooording to their rsspeotlve registration agmbors.

The oese of Wllklnson v. rranklln County, et al,

94 S. W. (2d) 1190, holds that en order of tha Commlssloner~s Court requiring tte oountg treesursr to puy current warrants *4 Hon. J. C. EoEvoy, page 4

drawn agalmt the county general fund In pr8ferenoe to war- rant8 of prior year8 drawn agaIn8t the general iund was void, 80 that warrant8 Is8usd during prior yeara whloh bore preferen- tial mgI8tratIon numbora to aurrant year warrant8 wera payable out o? the genaral ?und In the current year In preference to ourrent year warranta.

It is alear that Article 16g5, 8upra, denote8 the

ardor In whIoh warrant8 dr8wn against the oouuty treasury are to be paid and amount8 to an appropriation o? the fund In the oounty trssaury to the payment 0r all wmrrant8 18gally dram agdinat the 8avaral o&8888 O? fund8 In th8 ord8r O? their :. reglatratlon.

In ri8w O? the iOr8gOIng authoritler you am roapeot?ully advised that It 18 the opinion o? thi8 Pspartm8nt that tha aommIaaIonera* oourt haa no legal authority 60 power t0 dir8Ot the OoUnty tr888IXr8r t0 aaoura ?rom th8 OOUnty ol8rk a liat o? all warrant8 Iaauad sitar eaoh tam o? th8 aommla- 8Ionar8* court and raqulra that nld warrant8 ba paid by the oounty traaaurar In their numerlaal ordar. Thamiore, the aboV8 quoted ordar o? the oommIaaIonara* oourt la void. It Ia our ?Urthsr opinion that th8 abora xWntIon8d

% l tatutoa do not oontamplate th8t tha county troamrer haa tha 8uthorIty.or powar to 880~~8 rrom tha oounty olark a lI8t 0r au warrant.8 i88u8d after aoh'term of tha 008unIa8Ionara* oourt aud raglatar uld nrrutta In thair numerloal or&r or any other ordu. But on tha oth8r hnnd It la the dut# of the PrtIe8 whOm the wuranta arm i88UOd to praaont amid warrant8 to the atration and mid nrranta Mm.11 be oounty treaauxar Sor ra regiatarad 88 provided $ y the above montfonad 8tatuta and paid In ardor OS their reglatratioa. that the ?OrOgOing rully ananra your Truating

lnquirp, w8 are

Youra 18x-y truly ATTORNEY (IEHBRAl OF TEUB ,By HUb Al-dell WlllI8ma A88i8taIlt 17~ y~@v~!)SF,P 27, 1940