Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Hon. J.C. Gordy
County Auditor
Wichita County Blohlta Palle. Texas
at&ad
ment.
Hon. J.C. GowdY, page 8
even aftei such cmand and refusal, and even though the order ooatalne a olause for the pay5eat 0r interest. In 8QGIe $.lria~iotions, howevm, a county board may issue interest
bearing warrants to oover oertaln obligations the oourity. Although, when au&horized by statute, interest on outstandlcg ti%rrants
oan be allowed only from the tine the atat- ute authorfzing its payment goes into effect, and a ohange of the legal rate does not ap-
ply to I&crest on warrants which have al-
ready beoome entitled to draw lnterest, ln- ralid warrants whioh are ratified and vali- d&ted will draw interest as though they were valid when issued.*
We quote from RULmG CA% LAW, Vol. 15, p.p.
17 and lG as~followsr
*It is well settled, both on prinoiple and authority, .that a state oarinot be held
to the payment of interest o&its debts un- less bound by an aot of the legislature or
by a Lawful oontract of its exeoutive offl- oera arade withinthe coops of their: duly
constituted authovityk Thie prlnolpLe ap-
plies to bonds) claims,. ,udg+ente; and War-
rants. The theory upon .the mle ~10 -Jlrtnh
based ie that whenever In%&-sat Is allowed
neither by st:&ute or by common law, exoept
in aase8 where there har been a oontraot to pq interest, it 18 allowed r0r delay or
default of the debtor. hut delay or dsfd$tit oannot be attributed to the government, !W
is presumed~to be s&ways ready to pay whet
it owes. She a pareatly favored poeitlon of the gcveref@& f n this respect has been de- olared to Wdeanded by public pollopr A
county is generally regarded as but an arm
or agent or the state, and not liable for
interest, in the absenoe of an express agree- ment to pay It. $m.s rule applies to ooun- ty warrants or orders and fa general to
omizaty auntmats, but a oo!xnty is ganerally liable ror interest ;.a uoupons on ito bond
artar mzturity. c - * *
The oase,~ C~~x:.r-3Io?~~s* CwxiT YC. ‘EiAlJ.ACE, 15 S.F. (2d) 535, hold5 that the Comds6ioners~
co’urt must have authsrlty Or law ior ito eontamt, ysd, if the outhmity has been given, a reasonabla 000~~~uoti0~1 0r it will be given t0 err.sat ie pwr- pOS89
se :uots fioo. the oacre of %GT?AKE VP* CIikr-
tari, 270 5.3. 4-S. aa follwrr
u * 1, .e xt ia vary generalLy at&ad that lntaroat is of a purely 8tatutmy csl&i,
tami not the oreature of the oomm luw, and that intoreat 8hou.M be remd sxaept in
suoh oneea ad aope withiu Lho bera~ ,sf the stutute.*
section 511 of Artiole 9 of the St&s Conlltltur tlon, racda am foUawsr
"The I.&.SalatuF8 ahall bav6 no g~W8Pr to graat, or to authorlse any oounty or munloi- pal authority to srant, any ertm aonapenaa- tlon, fee ur ailo~ar~ae t.s a publia offla.~er, agent, rorvclrst ooztraetor, after ssnioe.
has baan rendered, or a oontraat has been
entered into, and ywfurmed in whole or in
part{ am pay, mr authorlzo the pantimt OS any claim oreated agnlerct any oounty or 8nt~ a &- ip0::tg Or the SW&, iandrag any agmsiasnt Or oontr3at. mud0 without aiitxorlty or Imwb+
Fe ,,i;ote fraa T2.Z. 2tm.i Vol. 11, p. 603, a8 fOllo?Wl!
yhe m&hod of uhb-iiutsrlng the fincutce8 OS ooutlaa is fuily provided for the stat- uteo, MC: the rar&rommts of the law ciay not be de!,artad from. li 1; I "
62 Bon. 3.C. eQwdy, page 4 Atter Q oar6?ul eoaroh of the otatutaa am! the
ounstlt&iPla wa are unable ta flc.d any authority au- tz~rislng tha caaissionerct~ Court ta pay lntarast an overtrrlrt8.
IO quote rrole TEx* JUR*, I?al* 11, pa w4, 8s
r0ii0w8 t courta are 00urtb 0r lLm- voraruituk~~erc~ itod &risUatlan, ia that tkeir authority
.extends only to nvlttere pertaining ta tha general weliars 0r tar raspotiva oowi- ties an4 that their powero &re only tho8e axprassly ar lmpliadly aoniarrsd uwon thcra law,-t&t is, by the oonetitutioa snd atatUtC8 Of the btIhd.*
00 AU@St 9, lW7 tnin ciopnrtmnt held in an op&ion wrftrsn by Ron0 Soott Gainsa, bsnirtantittorney cwmral, adGra8ntId to f&r. J.R. Son8a, county Auditor wiohita palls, Texar, "that Ghi8 aspiirtmnt ha8 00~18 f n- tantly held that the oosty aacmissianors~ aourt uau without autaorlti to al&w and pay intim38t on ordinary OOUtIty WIirrm8 OX 8Otipt i88Ued kA J?WRi&i Of #ZiUXFSJit exptwwoe. Thererors, lnterset aould not be paid by a oaunty to the county Qopaaita~~ on averclraft oreutsd the general fund, road and bridge fkbnd or the oifl- ln oar's ,gilary mm3 or say other runs 0r tihs aouaty.* ~180 sac tha oasa the s+imIi SF pxxs vs. wtsoh', 'iI T0X@8 291.
YOU UT0 rtI8JH5Othily aLVi6~Ci that it $8 tb cjpirhn 0r this aeprwbnt that ivhen a aounty ir 0p0r- sting on a aa8h basks, auoh oounty a&mot iegakly pay interest on ovamir.$ts0