Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1946 )

OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN QRO”t?RslxLEp *T10111cY GmcnAL HonorableU. It.BaldriQe District Attom8y Denton,tuae Deer Sir: give Dieyour op qlmtion, to-wit: Porn a 800. 0 lion.Y. L Baldri~ - Pqe 2 y anjr6alu-y fee of e &&ibl. offdor perwn Ineligiblr .* "The Sheriff of Demon Count Texn6,work8 un&r the salary oystimand the automob xi06 which ere pro- vided for the u6e of %he SherifSand tie deputier6s-e 0-d -byaoid Dsnton Couuty. The ~&xpeueee of Qt. Oper- ation of the Sheriffto autamob$leauy).paid by Da&on Tbo Sheriffhas lstabllehedthe auata~of retall outletein De~tvni "The,Sheriff and hie deput$e6buy the gy(olinefor the countyowned cers and charge6eme to Dentm C0unt.y. At the end of the month the salea ticketsare eaented to the Coaaisafoners* Court and they em paid t= y Denton County. nTho oon of the Sheriffogrratoaa gasolinestation in thie city on a comi6sion baaie, The Sheriff~ci .aon io the mnqec of the st#Son whiah is owned by a laej~r oil cxlpan nnd ho make6 a profit03 each galX.lon of Caeo- line tllotii 8 6eu6. "The sheriffmerely makes the purahhoeea of geeoline chargings&e to Centon county. The Comaio6ioner6~ Couri approvesthe paymat of 6eme. The Sh6riffhe6 no voice in the approvalof the accounteor the paytnmt.of awe, "It i6 not clear to W'uhother the 6bOVe oted L’lUtUte6 pmhib%t Sheriff under the abOVe 9" the aCti@fZ-W I&dng ouch p~chssoo i hi6 OOlb 1 ebould l%kG 'fOT YOU t.0glye cy)pour 0 inian as to whether the 'A0 tlOm* &.LtUt@#,would prohibEt DentonCOUnti iroa,6pprO& ' - aad E pqyinp;``l;ulmofthesoiloftheSeriffWdWthe above Stated fac.cto~” ‘!ion. \i. I(. Beldridge - IQ6 3 It is clear to u6 that our question, in conjunction ;dth the factti informationeubidttOd 1166 wholly outsideOS i~xticloa432 aud 435 of the Texas PenalCode, Vie therefore,reepectfullyanmieryour questionin the affiruat4ve. The Nopotiam6tatute16 designedto and does prohibit the County Commiasionorsand County Judge from appointing,voting i'oror confixmbg the appointmentCO my office,pooition,clerk- ship eqloyclentor duty of pereon relatedwithin the pro- idbi tcd degree to euch offici 3 6 ?&ionthey Would attemptto pay -M~lic funda to mch other peraon,but aaid statuteclearlydoes ;iot rohibitmere purchnsasfrm a pereon 60 relatedto them. In til6 f ndxnce cited in your lotter there ha6 been no.attenptto r:;ipoint tho Sherifff'sDon to any office,enploymont, oitionor duty, but the County is merely makin& purchasesfrom rIIQ,and even if tho Zheriff*s6~ wac relat6dto the County Judge and aone one OS &l of tho County Comi661oners by affinitywithin the 6ocond ClcLroe 6nd by:consan,@.nity uitiin the third degree 6tillmere ``arch&sm by the Comhsionoro 1 Court ikom him would not be pro- i:ibitcd under the laws of thie State unleon it 16 shown that 6ose . :.c&or of the Court ~6s pecuniarilyinte+or;ted in such purchases, i: ia ~41 eetablishedin Texas that contrnctoenteredinto by a :xbllc officerin No officialcapcicity ~1‘0illegitand void if sllcli officereither directlyor indirectlyhas a puniary intorest 11~: such contract.Eoyors ot al VE. Lnlker ot al, ..76 S.bi. 305. Ye am enclooingcop166 of our OpinionNo. O-2383 wherein LUC dcpzrtmnt held thct n schoolboard could lm~i'ully buy C;an>lino ;.fid oil on the contractbasis etc. for the u6e of the~schoolfrom a &od cousin of one of the cmmbersof the schoolboard, and that a 6c!loolboard could lawfully.glveprintin::work to the brotherof one oz the rxe;nbers of the 6choolboard,whichprintingwa6 to be paid for cut of school funds. R\rthcrwe &e encloeinCCOTI of Opinionho, O-2656where- ir,tbi6 deparwnt held tl.atit wa6 not illegalfor a COUntyComais- 6i0116rto purchaseemergencyeup9lieafor conotruCtiOnand repair of coud,y roads 66 an 6gcnt of the County,under aUthOrityOf the ;o~.i~t;i~nem*court, from the Comuisslonere~ bratherwho owned and ij;mratCda business,where the COnr?i66ion6rW&8 not pSCtiaCily 648 iiOn. L. K.Baldridge - ?nee b our affkantAT0 aamlerto your fira% queotkn meaNar3.ly compelsthe conclwion t&t our eecowi queetio3ehouldbe and I8 !:eretynxmweredin the nSp;o J v0b Your8 very truly JTZc:djn -. e- I;nclosurea