Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1940 )

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OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable J. 0. Holhoy
county Attorney
Wallet aounty
lftqmtead, Teaa
Dear sir;
: .._. :. :
t that the Cowity Tnamuw
woure from the County ~
stleSter each term of
y be paid by the
reoord ln Vol. I, page 187,
it ham been the
*surer and or the
to ml& or4.T
oouaty Cl-k LI
the ordot of tholr 188u~Oo br moli CUrk. In 0th~
Wrd8, kha Oou8ty Tream3rOti8 reglstrrtlon muhoP OS mJ
wa r r ais
nt
do ter mine&
b ya 8a blosi(wob
8r to mmhwarrmt
b7 the County Cl-k. ‘iarrant* isstu4 in paymoatof alaim
audltd by the uoroPai8rlonera~
Court ese not pre8antod
by the olalwt* to the county Treamrer for rdatratlm;
.lon.J. C. MoEvoy, page 2
"such warrants are registered by tke County Treasurer
hsfore they am svsr dellversd to the rsspectlvs paysss,
and such warrants are paid off in the order that they
are rsgistsred by the County Treasurer.
"'TheCounty Treasurer has rsouested that I seek your
opinion on the following qusstlonl Is the above order of
the Commissioners* court void by reason or its oonrllot
with the provision of Art. le25 or the (1925) ~evlssd
01~11 Statutes of Taxes whloh requlrss that ths County
,. Trsesursr *shell rsglstsr all claims against his oouuty
in the order 0r prs~mh.iti0m**
..; ‘;. Artioles 1625 cob 1627, Vernon*8 hnaotated Civil
Xhtutss, read as follows:
-Art; 1626. Eaoh county treasurer shell kssp a wsll-
bound book in whloh he shell rs&ster all olelma agslnst
his oounty ih the order or prsssntatlon,en4 lf more than
ens is presented at the sesm tlms hs shell register them
in the~orderor their date. Ee shall pay no suoh 0lel.m
or any part thsrsoi, nor shall the same, or any pert.thsreor,
be noelrsb by any ofricer in payment of any lndsbtsansss
to the oounty, until it he8 been duly rsgist*rs& in aooor-
denos with the ~rovlslons of thls tltlo. All olelms in
saoh olass shell bs.peld in the orbsr in whioh they are
registerstl.
wArt. 1627. Said tnaNr8r shall, enter saoh olslm
in the register, stating the olass to which it bslongs
the MM of the payee, the amount, the date of th8 oleL,
the 6ato of registration, the numbor of suoh claim., by
whet authority lssusd,.eab for whet servlos th"L 8sme we8
ls~od, end shall write on the tad 0r the olalm Its
rsgistretlonnumber, ths word, ~rsglstsrsd,~the date of
suoh rsgistratlon,end.shall sign his nsms otiloially
thsnto."
Artlole 1626, Vsrnsn's Annotated Civil Statutes,
provides that olatis against a oounty shell be rsglstsrsd in
three olasses as thsrsln set out.
. fx;!J
Hon. a?. c. brcmoy, page 3
It will be noted that under .irtlole1625, euprs,
the oounty troosursr is required tc keop a olalm register,
in whloh all olaims aro registered as prosentedi and all
olalms are properly pal4 in the order in which they sre regls-
tered.
We quote from the oase of Howard et ux. v. Henderson
County, et al, ii8 s. d. (24) 479, 88 r0ii0w8:
wCommlssionirs~ oourts, having limited jurlsdiotlon,
may eot only within the sphere of tho powers and duties -
express or implied -ooorfsrred ugou them by the Constltu-
. tlon and ststutes of tNs state. aubdlvlslon 10 of
srtiole 2X1, Ii.S. 1925, oonfers the power and duty OA
the oommlssioners~oourt to audit and settle all aooounts
against the oounty, end direct their payment. The oounty
treasurer, by ststuto, is tke oustodlsn oi oounty funds;
and ths stotuto, lrt1oJ.olti2a,W. S., dlreots that: (Eeoh
oounty treasurer ohs11 keep a well-bound book in Wloh
he shell register all olelms against his oounty ln the
order or prsseutetloti, end if more than one 1~ presented
et the same tlsm he shell register them in the order of
their date. He shall pay no such claim or any pert thorooi,
nor shall the same, or any pert thereof, be reorlved by any
officer in payment of any indebtedness to the oounty, until
it has been duly,reglsteredin eooordan8~rlth the provisions
of this title. ~11 olalms in eeoh olass shall be paid in
the order in whloh they are registered'; and, ertlolr 1715,
that: '¶'hsoounty treasurer shall not pay any money out
of the county treasury exobpt In pursuszoe et e o*rtlfioete
or warrant iriM some orrioer euthrirad by law to ls8ua the
same... .*
"The language OS the statutes 1s plain, the euthorlty
1s exolusl~s and presents no ground for oonstruotlon. The
oounty treasurer is not suthorised to pay oleims lg a lnst
the oounty, except on rerrints drawn by some offloor authorized
by law to issue same8 . . a"
The oese ot Clerk. and Courts T. Ssn Jeolnto County,
45 S. Iv.518, among other things holds that warrants on the
general fund &&ould be paid ln.order eooording to their rsspeotlve
registrationagmbors.
The oese of Wllklnson v. rranklln County, et al,
94 S. W. (2d) 1190, holds that en order of tha Commlssloner~s
Court requiring tte oountg treesursr to puy current warrants
Hon. J. C. EoEvoy, page 4
drawn agalmt the county general fund In pr8ferenoe to war-
rant8 of prior year8 drawn agaIn8t the general iund was void,
80 that warrant8 Is8usd during prior yeara whloh bore preferen-
tial mgI8tratIon numbora to aurrant year warrant8 wera payable
out o? the genaral ?und In the current year In preference to
ourrent year warranta.
It is alear that Article 16g5, 8upra, denote8 the
ardor In whIoh warrant8 dr8wn against the oouuty treasury are
to be paid and amount8 to an appropriation o? the fund In the
oounty trssaury to the payment 0r all wmrrant8 18gally dram
agdinat the 8avaral o&8888 O? fund8 In th8 ord8r O? their
:. reglatratlon.
In ri8w O? the iOr8gOIng authoritler you am
roapeot?ully advised that It 18 the opinion o? thi8 Pspartm8nt
that tha aommIaaIonera* oourt haa no legal authority 60 power
t0 dir8Ot the OoUnty tr888IXr8rt0 aaoura ?rom th8 OOUnty ol8rk
a liat o? all warrant8 Iaauad sitar eaoh tam o? th8 aommla-
8Ionar8* court and raqulra that nld warrant8 ba paid by the
oounty traaaurar In their numerlaal ordar. Thamiore, the
aboV8 quoted ordar o? the oommIaaIonara* oourt la void.
% It Ia our ?Urthsr opinion that th8 abora xWntIon8d
ltatutoa do not oontamplate th8t tha county troamrer haa tha
8uthorIty.or powar to 880~~8 rrom tha oounty olark a lI8t 0r
au warrant.8i88u8d after laoh'term of tha 008unIa8Ionara*oourt
aud raglatar uld nrrutta In thair numerloal or&r or any
other ordu. But on tha oth8r hnnd It la the dut# of the PrtIe8
to whOm the wuranta arm i88UOd to praaont amid warrant8 to the
oounty treaauxar Sor ra atration and mid nrranta Mm.11 be
regiatarad 88 provided $y the above montfonad 8tatuta and paid
In ardor OS their reglatratioa.
Truating that the ?OrOgOing rully ananra your
lnquirp, w8 are
Youra 18x-ytruly
ATTORNEY(IEHBRAlOF TEUB
,By HUb
Al-dellWlllI8ma
17~
y~@v~!)SF,P 27, 1940 A88i8taIlt