Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OFTHE ATTORNEY GENERALOFTEXAB AUSTIN aonorablsBert Ford,Admlnistntor Texas Liquor ControlBoard Austin,Texas Dear 8irr Opinion Ro. O-2520 Rsr Can a regularly~appolnted inapctor ior the Tena Liquor ControlBoard oamylxq pollee powem serve also an trusteeof an IndepwMnt schooldietriot in Wa,,.pW Your request for oplnlo~up,enthe above stated questionhas been receive$end oub$%lly aonsidered by this 1 departma. ,.I' Al%iClt"l6,54otion'bOor our stat4 CQnatitutloIl, rwda in part as foUovs* ., “lW’pe+son ahallhold 0; exerelae at the aam time,ntam thaa one oivil offiae0r m0lu- taant....n ~’ embraoea the ideas of tenure, ‘~.."104fiee* d;.iratUn, emolument and Uutlea. Ammg the cri‘bgrlafor detemhlng whetheraa employmnt is a‘ptibllcoffloeam the follovingrths dele- (prtlonof a portionof the sovereign funotiona of the govemtmnt~ the requixmamt of an ofri- olal oath; that the pavers entrustedare aonfermd by law and not by contrsot; and the fWng of the dumstion or term of office. It is the duty per- HonorableBert Fold, AdmUxiatntor,Phge 2 taining to the 0??1o0 and the lmtum or that duty, and not the extentOS authorityrhioh mrb the incumbentan offioer;and one Ia none the leas an offlaor kwma8e bia authority la oonfinad to narrow lindta. Salary 0~ a~ation Ia not eaaentialto constitute an eaploynnt an O??iQeJ it is a WF'b indldent and rornmno part or th4 ~rri~~.* Artiole666-n, Vernon'sAnnotatedTena Penal Coda, read8 aa followsa 'All Inapeotoraand repmaentativeaof the Board ah&l rubaa~ibeto the ooaatitutIons1 oath of officewhIoh ahall be filed In the o??Iooof the Board. The Beard or Admiadatmtor la mhpovemd nuoh zmaber of lta inapeatom to o c mmia a io l &ml mpmaentatfvea vhIoh it deem6 newaaacy to enferoo the proviaioneof thIa Aot. Swh oaaaiaaioxied in- apeatom and mpmaontativerrahall have all the powera of a peaa43o??ioerooexten8ivewith the boundariesof thim &ate. Such ooarisaionedIn- opeotoreend r*preaentatIvea ehall make and aacute swh bond ae my be requizedby the Bawd." The Appmprlrtion Bill for the 0-t biennium for the Texas Liquor ControlBoard grovides for eighty inapeatoraat 2,lOO.OOper mum wh and ?or el&hteen ) inapwtoi% at 1,800.00per annum eaoh. (Speoial Lmm o foxa - iteguhr .%aaion- 46th Isgl.alature - pagea 138-g-40). I Clearlyan "Inspectorof the Texas LiquorControl Board * hol& a aivil offloeof smolume&, Siwe youdIdnotspeai?y inyourletteruuderwh~t Aot the lndependontaahoeldietriotvls o-ted, we ahall ur\mtsthatItwo ore&G3 under the gneml authorityor t3J5ter13, Title 49 of the RevisedCivil Statuteaof Toma, . Apti 2775 thereofprovideain part 40 rolb3tfa~ "In Nob imlepmdent diatfletthat ah&l1 P Bonorabls Bert Ford, AdmIRi8trator, page 3 hereafter be organbed, the county Judge of the oounty in vhlch aald bdependent dietriot ie situated ah811 order an eleCtion for aeven tru8- tee@,vho shall eonatitutethe schoolboard of such dIatrIct, and all of vhom shall serve with- out OomPen8ation.' -(uRderlJooriq OUWB] It Ia, therefar4, apparent that a member0s th8 Board of Truateea of 121Independent school distriot, amted under the general lawa, does not hold ~1 affioe or emolughnt vithin the meaning or Artiole 16, section 40, or OUF state Comtltutlon. We quote from 34 Tsma JuchpWnoe, page 349, rw- remng to haale 16, &IO. 40, M rOllw8r "The Coaatitution applies only to 0rria48 0s emoluarnt. 'lhlalmRt' mean8 a pocuRiary pMrit, gain or uwatrge~ h4noe the 8W p4paon my hold tw 0ivii 0rri0t38 vh0r0 RO p6y, e-n- nation or peowiary gain rttaehos to one 0s th4a, provided they are not 1nooapat1b1e." we kww 0s no r8a80n rhg the duties 0s a mwbr 0s the Board 0s Tru8twa 0s an inbrpendent 8ohool diatriot should bb in 8ny DIulllor eonfliatIng or inaompatibl4 vith the duties of an Inapeator for th4 Texa8 Liquor Control Bomd. Article 16, Se&ion 33, of our State Conetltttion, t-w8 IR pm, M r0iiw8 1 %O MOOURting OffiOOF8 Of thi8 8t4tO ah811 neithsrdraw Ror pay a varrant upon the Tl’4&8Ury in favor 0s any per80n, r0c 88lwy oc oompenaation ae agent, officer OF appointee,who holda at the 8am8 tIm4 any oth4r offlao or poeition of honor, trust or profit, under tbi8 Stat4 or the United Strt48, exaept a* pr48tJribiBd in thi8 Constitution." A truStw of 6n indep+nd@!it8Chool di8triat i8 a 0ivii 0rricor 0s th0 state. See Thomm, 4t al va. Aburrmthy Count LIn8 Indspend4nt sohool Mstriat, et al, 278 SW 213 (19d. %Onorrbb MPt FOZ'd,&!@.l%%8tl'8tOr, Pa&I 4 Them~oanbeao doubt thatatru8tuo 0rm lnde- pendent aahool 6iat&& hold8 8n offloo of honor 8nd trwt vithin the mnafq 0s Artials 16, seation 33, 0s our state Conatltution. I!b Opi33iO~ %O. O-1422 Of thi8 dOp8RtIMt. opinion Ilo.O-1422 of this deprctmtnt hold8 that a pemon auy legally mm on tb,eBo8~d 0s Dfmatora 0s the Tema college 0s Arta an6 Induatrior, and at the aame tim8 MrV4 a8 a ~10mboPOf me board Of tFWtw8 Of an iII&tpOrdO~t auhool diBtPfOtJ but Ia doiag 80 he fOFfeit8 all right to any oompenaation to uhlah he d&at hvo been ontitled aa a dinator of tb college, by nwoa.or Artiolo 16, section 33, 0s the TOa8 oaartitution. You 8n th0nr0m rorpwt?nlly dviaed that it ia the opinioa 0s thla tlopartmat U+ a poraoa may legally aerva a8 an In8peotor 0s the Telad Liquor Control Blorrd, 8nd at the 8am8 tima aam a8 a member OS th8 bowl 0s trustees 0s an iaaep4a68at aohool diatrlatl but In d&kg 60, he for- feits all right to any oomm8atioxa to vhlah he might &we b6en eatit a8 an rnapeotor or the hxu Liquor oonizol Bo&d~t~ia80a 0s &tiole 16, se&ion 33, 0s the pIa8 . .