Case Information
*1 ., , % *2 . . [*] c above for:. on6 uit.1, your In connection r;it.h psrmloelon~ we restate your ~ueatloni
"Is County Aucitor within his suthorfty to
denand the above form be use4 ln requests for probable supplies in Limounts less than $XiO.OO, hlch may be neaded for tbe future, by a Co:+ missioner be allowed by the Ccrznls810rers1 Court subject to the ap?roral of the County hudltor2*
In light of your letter aettin~. forth the above, statutes as pertalnlng to the dutls8 of a County the tolloulng Auditor, which we think are plain and unambiguous with rerelc ence to aootrollla~ sny uneuthorlzed expenditure of County rtw3, ere as followsr
Artlale 1659 or relevant ponlon thereof re6dst *In ascee of oanergefmy, pureha8ee not In uee88
or One Hundred ad Fffty DO118X'S may be made upOn requisition to b& 8ppIWed by the con- 5i88iOllOl'8' hWt, WittIOQt 8dYUti8ily for S o~petltlve bid.-
Artiale 1060 ~8681 -All d&48, bin8 ard 800oWlt8 6(3slilIlt tie
eoonty must be ru06 In ucple time for t&o auditor to exasiw 8136 approve 8850 befor thomeetlneaof the oamalulonen wart. Ho claba, blll or aocQuat a?wU b8 8lkowkor it ha8 booaexmdaduulapprova6 paMuntil by ooanty mi4ltor. TJm ator mhall uulnethe 8smeand 8tsaphi88pprenl
tfluron* Xf he dem lt neoenary, 8ll 8oeh 4%WOO&8, bln8, or al8lm8 ruut be verlfld aiifd8Ylt toueh~ the OOmUtfIO88 Of the The auditor 1s b8reby 8UthOZ’iSd to $%ktOr Oath8 far the puTpo8e8 of fh18 1cI1.a
Artlole 1661 rode: -HO 8hall not 8Udit Or WplVrCr My 8Uoh Ohb 88 pm~ided by
tie88 it ha8 beari eOntraCtOd ror the purohe8e or law, nor any 8ccount material8 ror the tue of said 8Upplie0 aOMty Or My Or 1tS OffiOUS, Ul1e8S, ill addltlon to other requlrcdnenta 0r law, there
1s ottochoC t!!erelo a requloltlon sl,~ned by the ofrlcor ordarln(- ear:e and ap;!rovad by 310 requlsltlon must be tbo county jud/?e. rind0 out and sl~xu? and approred ln trlpll- cate bl 0~12 orrlcers, the trlpllcate to rem&n alth the ofricer doslrlrq the >urcbaae, the dupllcute to filed wlth county nudltor and tha orlc>nal to be dellvared to pnrtg fror. whrU said >urchnse la to be 9;ade before my purchnse shall be mde. All warrants3 on the county treasurer. excent warrants for jury aerhce, muat 65 souiiter- sluned by the county auditor."
YIo would be unable to cay, s8 a metter of rlcbt, that the uee of cuch o fom OS set out nbove would be zanda- tory 40 JXArt Or B County ~ZlEii88lO~tW pOSS%b~ IIdeS the Comml8slo5aro~ Court adopea 8wh printed request r0m.
The otatutee do nOt set rorth or rqqdre any particular for&? of request we would 3ot ea8uTe that this rorm Is to be used in tripliootc and take the plaoe of a requlsltion 09 pro- via8d ,statute. The above form certainly, ln our view, 1s not prohlbltetl, bat uhetber approved by the Comnlsalonere* Court or othsxnlsa w do rat belleve that the iallure on the part of a11 offioer to we said form could, in ltaelf, defut of puroh8a8 Pade otberwlse, in the approval and aUwence m.mor.~n,nd under the provlslon8 eat forth in tbe above etatut’s. by the &Xid88iOner8’ &Ii agent. .dtiy WthOriZed COUrti t0 PUS- chase onppllerr under Article lY301 whether he be on0 of ths 0r ~oid~810n~8 w not, ;S not ~elirt0d OS tbs ~qu~050~tt3 &tittl8 2660, 8UQlW Thla Article has boon held mnd8tWy ss requlrlng thwappro+el the Count Auditor, a oon$ltlon pro- oedent to the uerclee of jurlsdlct on over such al&w. f Antler- aon t. hshe, 99 Texas 447, 90 S. L 874.
Xn referenoe to the opinion ?o llr. Joe J. Alsup, Ilselatant Attorney Oeneral, dated February 25th 1937, retiomd to Yr. Borqx-4 Anborson, County Attorney, A.%srllio, T-88, it appears from a close readlnc or the opinion, that the aufhorc Ity of the Coctnlsoloners* Court under Artloles 2X30 and 2659, Iievlaed Clvll Statutes lQZ5, ws dealt with 8olelg, and the oplnlon did not attezgt to co into the manner required by law tie 8rb unab~conntrue 8Sia for makiq 8uob purcbnoo8. opition ae holdlae that the provl8lona of Article 1661,supra. are to be dlsregsrded with referefiae to au02 purchases by agents or where in cases of emer~cnoy it la desired to make in excem of $150,00, that such requlsltlon to purahsae6 not be approved lr, a different requioltlon than t':at provided for in Article 1661 eet forth.
.
lb. Fred !<orrlo, Karoh 20, 1939, I'nce 4
As pointed out above, the duties of the County Auditor eat forth in the above quoted Artlolea ore, ln our opinion, plain and unaiabl&uous and our ototutae should be in all caaea relied upon for the aerclos of authority where they are ao worded.
It la, thererors, the opinion of this Departnent that the use by a ooonty oMlcia1, any particular written ions of request for probable county oupplleo to be purchasti ln the rutum. where not proolded for in etntutos, connot aold to be rmndatory.
Your0 very truly k'K;bbb