Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1942 )

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~n5Pable W. P. rtutledgs
OountF Judge
Irlon County
llertron
, Texas
Dear sir:
ndlaated upon a
letter fmw y5u t Ppard, Captroller
of Publio Aooount
the followlag per
ular res*ioa
on is ertreaely ra6ue iaer-
*A legal,opinion given UIIby Ha&ol, Hardemn
k Wilson, Atfarneye of San Awelo, ?&la& is in-
closed for pour inspection, states that8in their
opinion that time vvarxnntsmet be lomed against
the general fun& of the oounty, in the HIS voted,
a5d ii their oontentlo5 1s eorreet, it ie golag
HonorableW. p. Rutledge, page %
to place tNe county in a tight 8pot. a8 ex-
penditurelrlong &me ear marked from auob
fund, neosasery to the operation of the oounty
adminlatration,fer exoeede receipts therain.
c. . .”
It is dif!Toult to aaoertnin tbc eraot question
eubmittodbut we conolude that,the yrinmry questionis the
manner In whlob the purobaee of fire ZIghtIng equipmentcan
be flnanoed.
You advlso by eupplementalletter or April %, lece,
that the election vataheld on the Elat day of Pobruarp, 104%,
pursuant tc Rouse Bill Ko. %b%, supra, and that said election
aarrieb but that the CommIssioned Court is still unoe,rtain
a~.% the propar procedureor method of financing mob pur-
oha6eo.
hrtfcle E38la-1 Vernon's Annotated Civil Btatutea,
provider that the Ccumia&ero' Court mhall have authority
to furnIab fire proteotlonto the oltleena of the oountl re-
8lding outside the oitp liniit~0r any olty, town or rillage.
It providea that the Comissloner8b Court &all have eutborItg
to enter into oontraotsrlth the cltiea, tome end vlllaager
Sor the use of the alty equi ent upon nuoh aontraot baslr a8
the respectivegoverning bodr em mSfht agree upon or *to pur-
ohare fire truaks and other rtn f ghtfng equlpraent by rirrt
advertising and receiving. bide thereon a6 provided by law*.
It is further prooidedr
* That any fire equipment purohaeed
by any*o%y shall be done only by a majority
vote of pmpaertr owning taxpa?ere and qualified
votere of suck county et a oounty wide eleotloa
oelled ror s;rchpurpo8e."
The statute is silent arrtc how such purohameeoan
be finanaed an6 hence we must look t0 the,et&tutor dealing
with oounty fioanoee In eensral. We have found no oonetitu-
tlopal or statutory provlolone for the leauance of bonda tar
much purpose, in the ebaenoe of wblch we must hold that boada
Oannot be Issued.
It la orwell eetabllshedrule of law in this State
that a oouuty mbjsct to the express restrlatianslapoeed by
Bonorable U. P. Rutledge, pago 3
the Couatitutlon atid goneral lewe ht& the Ii@ied power tc
j.eme tine warrafite in payment for Imprcvenonte it Is expreee-
1y authcrfxed to conetruot, proaded the applicable regula-
tions relatbq to the Iewanoe of euoh werrente are obeen-
ed. iian PatrioIo County v. YcClene, 3% Tex. 243; La6Iter v.
ape&, Xl.7 S. M. 373: - v. McGill, 146 S. W. (Ed) 332.
::e bellWe ouch authorltlee aro oontrclllllg here.
Article %Sd%a,vernonbe Annotated CIvIl Statutes,
ooamoaly celled the bond end warrant law, set6 forth the pro-
oeaure for the isauanae OS warmmt8 whloh are to bs retired
out of c-rent funds or those tunde other then current nhleh
am to noorus to the ceneIr.1 revenue fund. It la provided
that (L tax rust be levied end oolboted to ;yrg the Interest
crnd prlnolpal ee it natures. Suoh tax eo levied and eolleat-
ed Is a part or the general Wad and bnoe Ie governed by
the ooastltutIanaland eta:.utory lllaitetlone of twenty-five
aeats on the One Hundred Dollar valuetica. See Cotititutlou
Artiole VfII, Seation 9, end Article X35%, verIwn*e Annotate&
Civil Statutes.
It la our opinion that the purcbace of the fire
flghtIng equipment desired oan be parchased a.fter a inriotity
vote of the quaiifled voters lne authorized such pureheee
but that It muot be paidfbr out of the general fund or by
the iosuence or rerrente to be pia ultimately out cf the
generel fund as 8bove pointed eat.
We wish to thank you for enoloeiag the opiaion pre-
pared by gnghes, Hardema8 k Wileon, with, which we hmva ayeed.
Ycure very truly