Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1944 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
GROVERSELLERS
ATTORNEYGEHLRAL
.
Eonorsble John T. &tot&son
County AtWwney, Lamer County
Paris, Texas
Dear air:
aommissionaraf
8' Court of Lmmr Couat~,
the City of Paris, Texaa,
and ~aa5.etanoe given to the
id oity .LO property looeted
amwer to the ilrat question Is yea,
ounty Auditor of Lwaar County author-
afd $100 per monthi RSIUif no, out of
ould he be authorized to pay aam6?”
Article 234la-1, Vernon's Annotated Clvll Statutes,
provldee:
“The acmmisaloners* court in all oountles of
this State ah811 be authorized to iurnieh fire PZ’O-
teotlon and flre f&hting equipment to the aitizwns
of such county residing outside the city limit@ of
any city, town, or village within the aounty and/or
ad join :ni: oount ies. The commissioners’ aourt shall
have the authority to purohaee fire truoks end other
fire-fl@ting s?uipmant by rlrst advertialng and re-
Hon. John T. Hutohiaon, rage 2
aeiving bide thbraon as provided by law. The
wmmiesloners’ oourt or any county or this
State shall also have the authority to enter
into oontraotr with a oity, town, or village
within the oouuty and 7or adjoining ocuat$er,
upon such terns and aondltlom as ahall be
agreed upon between the ocmmissloners~ oourt~
nnd the governing body of suoh oitp, town, or
village, for the use of the firs truoks and
other fire flehtlng equipment of the ~oity, town,
or ~vlllage. It la speolfiaally provldod,that the
eats of any pemon or parsons while fighting ,iirer, .*
traveling to Or from flre5, or 14 aog aanner fur-
nishing fire proteotlon to the aitlsenr of ‘a
county outride the city limita of sap oity ,, town,
or village, shall @a oonsidered au. the aotr o?
agents of the county In all reape6te, hotti~thrlwd-
ing suoh person or persona may be regular eap~ojlwa
or rlreaen of the olty, town, or villa 8. x0 olty,
tom, or rillaga u3thi.n the oounty ,and 7 or adjoin-
ing wxmtles, shall be held 1Iable for the eat8
of any of itat employeea while imgaged in figbtlng
firer outride the oity lisrita’yursuant to My
oontraotthhsrrtoforr entered into b6tween thr oQPL-
alselone~tx wurt oi ths wunty end the got-Ally
body of the city, town, or village. Provldrd,howwer,
that any Sirs equipment purohared by any county shall
be don6 only by a major.ity tote of property owing
taxpayara and qualified votes of rueh oo\mtg at a
oountycwido elaotlon oalled for such puzpow. m
Generally sgssking, the authority of’ the commissioners I
aourt as the governing body of,the oounty to m&o eontracts In
its behalf ie striotly llmitsd~ to that oonferrsd sither exprees-
ly or by fair or neoesrsry lmpltoation by the oonstitutlon and
statutes or this State. (Terrent County vi). Rogers, 125 S. x.
592; Baldwin vs. Travis County, 86 S. K. &SO). The authority
to oontraot on behalf of the county 18 vested alone in the
aom!isslonersl court in the absenoe of m statute authorizing
soma other agenay to oontraot;.,. and if an agrsaaraatla not mad8
716
tfizoiri:h 0:' sariol;ioned by auoh aganoy, it binds neither the
county nor the individual. (8parka vs. Ksutman County, 194
c, 'ii. 605; ii?lWicaIl DiSlKIteOtin~ COmpaIly VS. Freestone COiUlty,
193 s. .;. 440; Term Jurisprudence, Vol. 11, page 630.) The
comml~1si0ner.e~ court must have authority of law for Its oon-
tr3St8, and, if the authority haa been given, a reasonable
oonstruotion ot it will be given to attest its purpors.
(Commissioners1 Cot&t vs. Zallao8, 15 S. ii+'. 26, 525).
Artiole 2351e-1, supra, epealtloally aathorizas the
OOmalaaloners' COUXt Of E5J OOUlltyOi thi8 <8 t0 8nt8r kit,0
contracts with any city, town, or villa&s wlthln the oountr
and/or ad!oinlng oountiea upon ruoh terms an4 oondltiona aa
shall be agreed upon batween the cOmmisaioa8r~~ aourt and ths
govarning body of ths oity, toun, or villags r0r the ua8 of
fire trucks snd oth8r fire tlghtlng Oqaipm8nt of the eitr,
town or village. Thsreforr, you aZ8 rsspeotiully stZrla84 that
it is the OpFniOn Of this d8paxtlaent that th8 0WIhiseioll8rs'
Court ot Lamar County iS authorizad undac the law to lnt8r
into a aontraot with the City Of Paris to provide ior tire-
tl~,htlng facilities to proteot property heated outride ot the
city limits 0t Paris, 3peclfloally answering your first qars-
tion, you aae advised that tha CoarPiSsiOn8Fa' Court Ot Lamar
County is authorissd to oontraot with the City of Paris to
provide for tire-tigbting fso~llt~ra and pap tha eittJ blOO.00
p8r month tar suoh reXViaee, pXOVidSe anoh aXp8nditPr8s ar8
mad8 in conpllanos with ths county budget and the law &pplloa-
ble to the county budgst.
In answer to your rroond question, you are advisrd
thst it ia our opt?ion, in view of our andwar to your iirst
quastlon, the oountg auditor lr authoriesd to apprwc olalma
for the sum ot @OO.OO par,month for tha above raentlcned s8r-
vices, provldeilthat a oontraet has b88n made by and betwsan
the oounty snd olty for such abrtlOSs, and that such payments
must be mad8 out of the gen8ral fund of the county. All countl
eXpenUituras lawtullg authorized to be mad8 by $ county must be
paid out or the oounty'r g8taersl fund , U518SS th8r8 iS -me 1aW
which makss them a oharge against the sp8ciel ruzad. (vlllllams
VS. Cerroll, 182 s. w. 29; Berar Oouaty, st sl, 11. Mann, 157
S. '?f, 26, 134).
Tours tory ~tru3.y
I
A7,TORNr.T CI!WTMLOF T!%xj
d /a.kak-
Ares11 ‘dilllisms
Assirtant
.