OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable SIB L. Harrison
Crimlnel District Attorney
Robertaon County 'i
,.i
PrenklFn, Texas \.
.. l.\
Dear sir: / opllllon Ilo. o-5499 \ ‘l.*
Her,./;i7;:,horo any 4x&a88~~prohi-
/&$? Rr eventing ‘0 county
skioner from 8ervLn.g as
:' pre$Jnct superlnt4ndenr; of
" .hLa pr8cinct and from drav-
kig,.tha ealary as precinct
-.
,,coqfsis8ionerP
/‘-‘\
YOU httgr/of ~.equeatin.gthe opinion
of this dcpartment/%n,,$&i :.wrtio= reads in part
8s fO11OV8 :
\ ‘\~
‘Please &a iae your .opl&on on the follou-
Article 6743, V4rnOn’8 Annotated Civil Statutes, pro-
Vid48r .-
"The comml88~Onore court of any county subject
to this lav may appoint a Oompetont person as road
suparlntendent for euoh oounty, or one suah super-
Lntondant in a8ch oosuui88loners precinct, as it shall
detormLne by an order made at a regular term there-
OS. Such order rhall bo entered on the minute8 of
Iionorble Sam L. Harriron, page 2
such court, urd rhall not be void for vant of form,
but a 8Ub8taIitIal oomplI8no0 vlth the provI8Ionn of
this 8UbdiVI8IOn rha11 bo rufflolent. Every road
ruperintbndont 8ha1l bo a qualltled voter In ths
oountg or precinct for vhioh ho I8 appoInted, and
shall hold hIr oSSIc4 for tvo year8 or until removsd
by tho OOmmI88iOMr8 OOUrt for good OaU84. If0 OOUD-
ty rha11 bo under th4 op4ratIon of thlr lnv vhors
Oommi88iOllOr8 OOWt do48 not appoint a road 8Upr-
int4IldOnt Or 8U&WtitOndOnt8."
Artlolo 2351, Vomontr Annotatrd Civil Statutes, pro-
vId48, In pal%:
"Eaoh 0~881oIL4r8 OOUI't 8h811:
I
. . . .
0
.3. Lar out and 48tab1Irh, oha and di8OOn-
tlnue pub110 road8 8nd highVayr.
.4. Build brIdgo8 and koop thenr in retpair.
"5. Appoint road over8eor;I and apportion handle
'6. Eurolrr gonoral oontrol over all road8,
hIghVay8, fOrriO and bridge8 in their OOUUtIe8.
II
. . . ..
Exoopt vh4n road oomml88Ion4r8 4r4 omployod, 44oh
Colrrmi88iOXl4r 18 IKldOr the 14881 duty Of 8UJWVi8ing thr l-O&8
within hi8 pr4OlnOt on44 oaoh month and Of a a IVOFR FO-
port ther8On to orah ro tir term of th8 oommi88ion4rr* oourt
held during the y8U. P S44 Artlolr 6713, Vu?nop'8 Annotated
Civil Statuter.) ArtI&l4 2351, 8upra, Imporor upon the Oommil-
alon4rr' oourt the dUtI48 therofn onusmratod vith roferonoe to
the 8UpOrVi8ICXi, OOMtrUOtIon and Mint4ILULOO OS pub110 rO8d8.
Undsr the goorral lav it I8 the duty of th4 oounty oami881~-
BP8 %o p4rforr all tha dutlor of road ruperintondent8 vhero no
road 8Upsrint4Ild4nt8 ar4 lmployod by the OOlUELi88iOnOr8'OOUl't.
It Vi11 b4 not4d that th4 Ocrmuni88itX.Or8’ COUPt 18 authorized
to appoint A oomp4t4nt p4r8an a8 road ruperlntondont ror the
COUJIty or one 8uperiJItond4nt iJl each COSIId88iOIiOrs'pr4OinCt.
Honorable Sam 1. Harrlaon, Page 3
In onacting &-tic14 6743, rupra, ltvar not the Intention of ths
b@8latur4 that the OOmmI88ioIlOr8' OOUl't could aPpOillt the
member8 of 88id oourt a8 road 8uperintendsntr.
The gonor rule I8 8tat4d In Corpur JUri8, Volum4
46, pag4 940, as fOllOV8r
'It i8 oontrary to ths polloy of the lav for
an oSfio4r to U84 hi8 offioial 4ppolntlng p0vor to
plaoe hIm84lf In OffIO4, 80 that, oven In ths ab-
8ePOCI 0r a 8tatutory lnhibltlm, all OrriOOr8 Vho
hav4 th4 4ppoint paver are dl8qualifled ror ap-
pOintMXLt t0 th49 0ii048 t0 VhiOh th4y may 8p-
point; nor oan an appointing board appoint one of
it.8 llWlUbOr8t0 an OfflOo, 4V4n though hi8 VOt4 I8
not 4884LLtf81 to 8 majority in r4r0r 0r hi8 ap-
pointm4nt, and although hr var not prs8snt vhsn
the appOintm8& v88 Md4, aad notVith8tarrding hi8
term in the rppolntlng body Va8 about to expire;
nor oan the rorult bs aooompllrhod Indirootly by
hi8 r48i&il8tfOll Vith tb int4IltiOll that his IUC-
C488Or 8hall Oa8t hi8 VOt4 for hiPI. A rtatuto do-
claratory of thi8 rd.4 of tbm o-011 lav vi11 be
aolutru4d liborallp 80 a8 to giv4 a8 broad a 8cope
to the romody provided by it a8 the 18.nguag4 ussd
Will jrutify. Thur rem8lni.q itI orrice by the 8Uf-
forma4 of the lppolntlng board vi11 not cur4 such
a dlrabillty."
It i8 rtatod In TOti Juri8prud4noe, VOlUme 21, p8lge
634:
"Another rtatutory nrSt.hOdOf 8Up4rVi8iOll byIS
the appointnsnt of a iqmrintsndont for the oounty
or for eaoh prrolaet. Th8 8OWt8 hat8 boon called
UpOIl to odjUdlO~t4~ Oh&8 iOr 86hrf48 for 8Uoh Of-
fIo4r8, but 8iJlO4 the 4ppOintWlt Of 8UperintOIldaIit8
i8 optIolX81, and I8 a88OCiated vlth the praOtiOally
Ob8014t4 msthod of vorkiPg br road halLd8, It I8 Un-
Il40488uy to partiOUtirIS4 tholr pOVor8 and dutler
a8 In ths 8tPtUt4 84t forth."
I P Vi4V 0r the foregoing authorltlor, YOU ar4 r48-
Pectfully advIs4d that it i8 the opinion OS thi8 departlnant
Iionorable 3~ L. Kerri8on, page 4
that the OOwi88lOIler8' aourt 18 not authorltsd by Article
6743, 8Upr8, t0 appoint the mWUbeF8 OS 88id OOU't 48 road 8UpW-
titondentr. Therefore, It naturally follovr that they vould
not be entitled to 8nr oompen8atIan a8 road 8uperlntendents
under the pOVi8iCm8 of Artlole 6743 and Artlole 6745, Vernon’8
Annotated Civil stitUt48.
Your8 very truly
ATTCHMEYG~ALOF TZXM
.
BY
Ardell Ullllanu
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