Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1940 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Honorable Sac 0. Fender / County Attorney ?lsher County Roby, Texas Dear Sir: ,‘of money in the the order of the invested in Fisher s to be due on the bear interestat per annum rrom date or 8e tie oounty olerk ir to forthwith insue a r0r the mount 0r he CourthouseSinking y 16, 1941, and on be held in the Court- estment, the oountr e authorized to transfer oald amount rom the Courthouse Sinking Fund to the to-wit, #1,&50.00 to eaoh of the r0ur colosliaeiiners* ~reoin0t.s.~ The foregoing quotation representsan order passe& by the Commisrlonerr'Oourt or Fisher OOunty, Texae, on June 10, 1940. Your question being: *Ia such an investment of the surplus money in the sinking fund authorised by the Constitution and Statute* of this Statetm' Honorable Joe 0. FenAer, pa$e #t In aAAition to the abwe quoted qusstion, y,oaeslcour opinion m oha r0ii0dng: *Ir such a tranefer or run48 is unauthorissd, are the bonduen of the .eqmty alert and the oounty treasurer 1l.a ble therMor?* We sail your attention to Artlole 079 oi Vernon~s -0. tated Civil Statutss,uader Tltls ES, Chmpter S, girin(las its Seneral he8Aing - BonAs, Oounty, l6anicripml, Eta. Thl6 artiole speoiiisallyenumeratei certain seourltissas being elig$ble ror investment0r sihkiag runds. It boss aot mahe aligibfm rarrmnts or any kind. Ohmpter S of Title SS, uader the general heading - Siakiag FuJsIS,Intestsmts, Eta., Article 836, Vorn- c m’sAsr mtmted 0ir i.lStmto tu, a gmfalnumerates the type or 8eouritieawhitahshall be eligible ior lnreatmentoi sinkinS runds. Aad, as in the prsaediegmsntioned artiole, rmrrant8 arcanot lamed. It is, therefore.oar opinion that the oonten- plated lnrestaent,as reileote4 br the abws quote4 order or the Ossmiosiohers*hurt, is uaautherired. Without further &luoaseioawe think this dieposes OS ppurtire question. with regasd to ths liability r0r suoh a trmsrer or in- or rundo,we rerer you to Artiolu 839 and WC or chap- ve,estaeat ter 8, Title SS, Yunon?s Annotated Oiril Statutes, and ulidsr the rir8t numtioaed artfale us rfld that ths Legislsture ha* expresslyisrbiddsn any o,ityor oouatl treasurer to honor aql Arart rrom the iaterest au& sinkinS turls prorIde ror any of the bonds 0r mm3 eitr or county. e-es& rar the xtumtme of Dar- ing the interuet on shah bonds bk rsAe-&nln~ tbs &a; ar for- - invests@st ia sush securitiesas ma be mtidsd b lasir-s suocu4iag ii&~ e x wuslyP- OdT ~’ lsT h~ e-pf- ena -y-o r ma y treasumr rtra shall tiolata~thsprovlsions~ofArtidle SSO. A%%- ale Ml rsads, la part, as rt3i~i3wa~ * * + * Whenever the soports or a* treamner show that he has direrted maid rtlBd8 T * * the AttOrnoy olpneralor the District Attommy af t&s Aiatriot In whiah such trsasunr sesMes, or ommty attorney la sountiu in which thwe in a0 AiatrNQ attorm pkotiaeu by lai. shall thereupon lastituts suit a&rst mob txeamrer ma& his orrioialbbb&la- mea rot the asmust of BROW penaX$y aad or said fMd8 110&i+ex%ea. * * *- Eoaorable Zce 0. Fmder, page #S We think this answers four questionwith rsferenee to the liability of the bondsmen 'Ozthe aount,y treaatarer for iga~+ iq warrants agriast the R#A #mA BriAg8 FuaA for the purpose 0r plaaing nm la the ~ourthease alaking mud. It 18 not olur In law just what the liability of the Bounty &ark would be under such airaumstmaes. It appears that his oapaolty in this oonneetion is uerely rmfnisterial, aad that the Isstmnoe of warrants by him as iastruetedbr the Commissioners~Court Aces not Aireotly work a Airersioa et the fuads la the austody of the county treasurer. Xowwer, we are inaliaed to the view that mch offleers, as knmiagly partisi- pate in an action which stentusllyeifectuatesa Ai+ersIon s.f funds, would be liable on their orrioial bog&. Is the aase or MuDanal TO. Farms, 56 f3.W.MS, the oourt aalA “A county treasurer wha, euoraising good iaith and proper awe, pays sa iavslid oouatr warrant, is not liable to the county thereror.* The import of this statemeritseems to be th8t the duty or Aetermfningthe ealidlty oi a warrantam8 not rest solely upon the oountf treasurez, an& in logioal sequence the aoeoaat- ability and liability oould be trsaed bask through such oiiiurs as put in motion the instrumentwhiah made possible the direr- sion. Consideringthis language Ia coaaeotlonwith that usa In the ceae or FaAgett vs. Young County, 804 8.3. 1046, wherein tha court stated; "where a county fudge approves rlotitious olaims against the couuty an *rhiohthe county olerk isrued warranta,on whloh In turiuthe county tr8asurer IasueA oheaks, whloh after payeea* slgruttlres were forged, the aeunty depositorybsnlcpaid anA tba county cammIsafoners,after the Aiseoyery Of the rraud, took no steps to hold the bank aoocunbble, the bank's payamnt was not the mole pro&sate oause 0r loss, and all snoh orrlaers Pra OiAtl ant3 L-p- severally lia5TG ViZis?os.W (lJiG.Srsaor ng owe) wa reach the conelusifm~thstthe county alerk or hi6 bonAsmn wot114likewise be liable ior anl 6fTersiOA of'the funds, th@Qgh In the austody of the oousty treasurer, and ulnae solohliability Honorable foe 0. Tender, paf3e/(I is not a8 dear out a8 tInatimposed upon the runty tmaarer, we think the deyee of llabilitgfallid.gupon the county alerk will be oontrellsd by the faote la ench pe.rtieular ewe. Trusting that the foregoing aati~afactorilg amwers your inquiry, we arc COMMrrrE