                                                                           63



          OFFldE       OF THE AGORNEY     GENERAL   OF TEXAS
                                 AUSTIN
GROVER   SELLERS
ATTORNEY GENERAL’                ‘.




    IIomrable W. P. Herrae, Jr.‘~’
                                .;.
’ ,,:countJ Auditor
  ; :~Ekapste-b ;-

   -pear Slrt~
                                                                     t.0
                                                                    Pd-

             , :. : ?: .;: .
               )te.guoteaa f
   h&3              departm4nt t
            OS ..thls




                                           t   haa beea itmilly
                                             t cowt, the cons-
                                               authorltsd to 1’
                                               a8 the expendi-
                                          nt   to tkie.budget
                                          and were cauhd and
                                             0 tiece~slty to meet
                                             ions which .could
                                            hou@Ltiand atten-



               :~%he questhi n& u;ses  ae to vhether~the
         Ccmmtsaioners@ Court ha8 sole authority   in de-
         termlnl~ whether there +sts    such,~~a      public
         necessity, *causad b~~uousual end utdoreseea
         condltlotls, etc.’
                                                                64


Honorable W. P. Berms, Jr.,         page 2



           “To use a speaffio example, aasumlng the
     folloving approved Budget AlloEmeats for Road
     end Bridge Fund:

                             1944 Est.       spat    unspent
                           Budnet  EX-        to     BalRtlCO
                           petlkmee     Date
                           PrecinctHo.1
     Brth     and Gravel Roads
                                             '$moo   $2ooo
                                         '
                                              1000    2000

                                               900    1100

            1. H4~~~Caastrue-
              ..’ t&on     EOU6              HO!lO ROIl6
            2, Pfnkhase~aE



          ‘under the IW@get set up and i?tpprovedas
     above,  there .ir nodbudget fuads set up for ‘Pur-
     chase of. ~uQm4nt*. ‘. All aychinery is actually
     in operatfixg cemdltlea.     However, let ua assume
     that Coimlssiotaer8*   -Court,by or&r, declares
    an eaergacy.     orders budget ameaded to purchase,
    ‘forcash, othew equiptkeat,      either replaolag
    present   equlposnt,   or an addLti&m to present
    eaulrment.     We aesume.&at exneabitures at end
                              be $.l5,O?Minstea  of Bud-


           ‘The abote eaae is taken only for the pur-
     pow   or 11$latratiPg the fact that no actual
     emer~enccg ao4s exxau vhich *could not have been
     foreseen eKc;( and that such act by CommZsolon-
     era* Courtvas olewly So2 the purpose of cti-
     cumventillg the &ad&Jet1lml.tati0as.

              ‘If coaml.abloaers* court can so act, and be
     vlthln      its legal authority, and if' that body is
                                                                      65


                P. Herr~,a.; pwe 3
     Honorable.QU.


         the relo JudgoindetemlnIuguhether such ewr-




;.             ~!~AudItor
                        .In Meprd to     the faeta, of vhethsr
               .or    not   stwh emergenay e-to?       -
         “3-    WIBO lb IB el4arlyappment that such emr-
                o;smq osder of. the - CcdI88loa6iro~ CottrFo.’
               .ra~adLag said .Bud6et, fe. dono fos t&e role
                puPpen of ~iromneatlng Budgeb llmltatlons;
                tlnsm, aab und~~thoneaondltlona,     doer.
               'Cozmty
                     AudItor.hava-the.rothorIty
                                           to refum
                to~&eaognIse8u0bbudget.emen&mnt?
         a4i’: sr yoe                                     then
                            amerP'.to io. 3 8bove'ia #l!io'       ‘
            ..    remedy4ar&be had. to prevent such
             :.'what
               ‘aatIo~&,and what' Is AudItor’a     duty re&srd-
                lag 8ucrhremedy?

               :;% s&ml1grslrtly
                              apprealate
                                       yoir oplnlon
         zeguding thin matter, elms came fill determine


                 . . . .0
                (I
.
                                                                                 66



             Honorable W. P, Xermn, Jr.,      page 4



                          For tinsver to your t’¶XsS quesdl.Oa, ve enclose a
               <bpy of our oploIon Ho. 0-1022, ruling that under Article
               6&a-U,    the Combsloners*    Court Za the sol15 agenog hav-
            I_ lug the diseretloawy    power to determlue the existence or
               such facts 8s would constitute en emwgency justifying 8
               bwet   amaudment.

                          Answeringhour tbird’quertlon,     ve advise that if
              ~the Coarie8iocur8’ Comt h8r 8ated fraudulently OF has BP-
               t$trarIly declared the exL88eaae~of~am eamrgeooy vhen noue
               in f&Sot eXi8t8, 8d    swh aOtiJa,Oo   the par&of. the court
               VW taken    ios the .sole purpose ‘of evading and circumventing
              .the lau regulating budgut ameudnmnts, then you oould be
            ‘.remlrs Iu-~oux.dutIe8 er-amofiloer       If you did not take
             aprogelate   rcrtFoP,to   ,pPcoteOt   the oounty   funds.
        -
                         Your keooad aad fourth questlotu rel.aate to hour
              povera and dutIer;‘buder suuh circumstances in ooatrolllng
              the ftscal eUf8$1?8.-of the county. Article 1651 wakes It
            _ gour duty to%ee $0 t& sblct enforcement of the law gov-
              erulug county-rirrracas.gTh3.8would certaInIy Include the
              dully of enforcing the tome sad provlslons of the couuty
    *         budget.

                         Artlole 1660prwIdes    that uo clelm, bill or ac-
             count agaIust the county 8hall be allowed or peid until
             It has beeu rtraiaed aud approved by the Auditor.        He 1s
             prohlblted by ArtIuIe 1661 from auditing or approvlug any
             such alhIm ros the par&we 0r supplles      or materials     for
             the use 0r the county or any 0P Its ofriu4rs 1.ml.088 allre-
             qulrements of av are cmnplied with. Ati finnll~, Article
             1661p.ro~lde8 th8t.w      varrante on the county treasurer, ex-
             cept warrdb      for jury service, mast be oouuixrsigned    by
             the county qud.Uor.

                        Your replady under the lav, vhere the Comlssloaersg
             Court should uet iueg8lly     la amendlug the budget, would
             be to refuse to audlt   or approve claims filed  under the at+
             tempted ameudwat and to refuse to countersign uarraafs on
             the county  treasurer against   was   unlauPully set aaide for
             the purpose.
                       we vleh lt dlrtlnatly understood that Ye are not
             expressing my oplaion OR vhether your hypothetical statement
.   .
        .   .

                ..
                                                    .




                     of facta,abrat your.
                                        own c~o~~w%.~II~,
                                                      would              ttfncuntto an
                     illegel a&&w 0s   cuscrat1on       on oh8 part or (ICcyIllsslonsrr’
                     court. &a&~caae    arS.u~      must   be juc@d   by itr   own $wtZc-   :
                     tar   racrhi,.




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