OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
gonorrblo It.5. Yosoly
to three que8-
mltriot at-
eta and isnrked
with the law rswd-
bs bound to par-
ala ofmtraat .
aala ooritraot as a whole bo
o notloe siren on $eptaabar U, 1939,
the Dl*trfot Attommy tollowul
416
"Eoaorable
Distriot Attorney county
,Taxas -
*Dear Sir;
You are hereby notified to eolleat
tuoo due the
all the dslin~uent
Indo-02a 30h001 mtdih.
In tho uvent you em not in posltlon
to cramply with this aatioo ploaoe give uu your
walmr of any right you hnvo to oollaot su8u in
0raerthat we say -10~ other.attornoya.
copyof the niatriot
attorney'ewnlver, dated oo-
tobor 10, 192, ude ln rwyome ti, .ihc'
natioe ~~lb.mJoa
"Ootober 16,
iOJ9
'Board ol Truattecw
indoyen&&. SoLoo Dlstrlot
# TuxaB
Attention la. , i-(dardary
"centlemnlt
xn rlew of t11f3
faot that your aaarfl
has madz~ unanbuou requeate to LLO that it la
your deslra to oentraotwith awe legal $irm
Sortho 001100t14n of tho dolkiqu*at taxou au8
your e&o01 clrrtriot, and in view of the Saot
fwther that you hare put Ias on ncjtlcufor
thlrtf day8 lo ccmgllanoo with t&a lawa of ths
State aSTexas with ragarC to uuoh m&tar, I
tvlndyou herewith z&outhis l&ter which will
oanatituto ny walvar of the rl@t to irake such
00UootloM.
Toura v arp truly,
In our opinion, uader the cirouss%nnooa, the
above naiveis Is euffiolent to mtura the authority of the
Boara 0r Prwteea to mater into a proper oontraot ior the
aollootlon 0r a0lbpa tama. sliap vc. ii1130 county,
96 s. s. (2) 537.
The ccntraot aonlalna.the rollcmLnd povlslone
and none othsr with r6npot to the ~eoont’party*e obliga-
tions and oompansatlon and the term 0r ths bontmat:
I. . . t0 003.ht 6x1 aeiin~wnt taxes,
panalty and intorest dw aaid alutrlat for aXl
yaara up to and tncludlnn$ tha year 1940.
-It ia ~ssd that said attorney shall be
paid l&$ ot all the delinquent taxe7a, penalty
aud lntsruet collacted or paid to sal6 distrlot
ror 8ny 0r'said ysera durin(j the urlrtshco or
said agraamont acoordlng to ltu erreottve d&8o
as herelxmftor uhwm, and as and .when said terse
are collooted without further aotlon of the board.
The orfcatire date& of this eL-"emant shall
bs as foU.o~$r
,Au to the year 10.33 and ali prior yrrars
on thiu date.
"Ac to the ytvar 19E~9 on Baroh lat. 194%
418
Eonorabl6 P. 0. ~osalf. Pago 4
-Aa to the year 1340 on btaroh let, 1941.
Vhloaa extanded by the mutual agroment
0r the partlea, this agreeasnt 0h0ii tan&m0
ant bo d DO i'urthm fores or rtfeot on L&rob
lut, l94&"
t&&r Ar8icla 7343 Rwlaed civil Satutu, in
the oano of Bell tee bianaflokl Lrrdo dent sahool DiatrIot,
UQ Se il. (8) 629, the Sujmaa Co ur?@held. that &tlcloa
?33S, Old1 Statutu, and %3Sa, V4mon*a Civil Statutea
are applloabla to In& dent lobool dIstrIot8 aaept aa
to the requFrePmt tha r 8ha oontraota thoroln 8uthorirod
s bo apprwod by the Gomptrollor and th8 Attorney Con-
. ‘Sha Board of Tmatoea ai ul irrd02mOd a&m01 ah-
triat my undoubtedly sator into ooatracta with attomoys
of tho lmmo oounty ror tin Oollutlon of dolinquont taxes,
poaaltioa d i&west for a peroeatago OS the amount ool-
~00 srar0aing i&$ lB prwlabd in tbb coatraob.
ittctea, m-
t101w 7336, 0336n and 9345, suprat Bell V8* bunmflold
InIndependentSalmol District, mqra.
ThO brief ftlrnish~d us aoae not touch upon the
om dlftloultquostlon whiah It soens to us la 5nvol~o6.
Are the prwialona or the aontraot with refermoe to the
Length of its tern vdlld ana proper’,
W ha00 heretofore exprosaed tSa opinion that
the comissioa~ss* oswt of B oounty~oarmot make a contract
pith an attornsy unCar ;rrticlo 7335 r0r it pried extending
beyond the tirp131 srrlOe Of the iadivi~&iSr OOmrgo~ingthe
ooc6s..lenionors~ court. 04?w) o-289. i?rotnthe la8tsr opIn-
ion we qlotea
"In 14 .&wrioan iurlsprudcmoe, 810, tho fol-
lowing la siaidr
. ~b3 aatnkr8 0r a =te;f
county*cLlniesIaaers oamot,
oontraot in reierenoe to matters whdh
am pnroonkl to thslr~suoosaaom. Thw,
a oontrnct by whloh a board of ooUnty
0ocaalmIonera attarrrpteto eanpliaya legal
aaviaar for a period of three yewa, to
ommnoethrea mnths in tha futursmd
419
E-able E. 0. SkmeAy, Pago 5
a fto rth o tlsm ?o r th elleotlsn o f a
p%rooa to rfii the raoanoy eaau3ed by
the expiration ti the-farm of otiioe
or-0 Eamb3r of tha boar&, thetera
of %qloymat extuwi& ov%r a porlod
dur~ whloh all the swabers of the
board a8 oonstituted at the tiara of
the oontreot will retire thereiron un-
~oy~c%-eloa~e&, ir ageinet publlo
. . .
This aeezs to ba the law in T8xas , whloh
18 exprassed ln 11 Tax. Jur., 631, as follow%ns
‘OrUaa214, oontraoto m&r by a ooa-
miirslonsrs~ court my not be repudlatrd
8Wely bewiuae Lbr, ~eOnn%l or t&8 body
ha8 eubsoguantly ohancfed. It is only
wh%re the %iqAoymmt by 0. oomis%lm%re'
oourt is pcrrsonal ad c~riddntial, a0
In the cauo oi aa attarney, that it ir
h&A thst one aornePis8loner%’court ha8
ae m%r to bind iQ auaco~~.’
“Thlolaat c$oted etnt’aat ts bassdoa tho
only Taran 008% im th@ eubjoot, the oaso of Gulf
Bltuuthio co. Y. mm%%%oounEy, ll 3. G. (Zii) 30s.
uhlehmy%t
*It la only where ths aaplopnt by
a ooml~olc.m,nerr~
oourt is prsm31 ctrrd
Oonii&e::tial, a6 in th8 OMSB of an attCW-
ney that it is held that on% oomlsslon-
3r3 1 oourt oannot bina its suooosaors.*
"The oo-ixt deoislone in most ol the oohsr stats8
that W8 havb) found hold that Ofi% eorsai%sion%rs' uourt
ounnot bind ito 8u008880r8 on paraonal oontraotia.
Curtby county v. azlth, 5Q xan, 330 32 Pa0. 30 (art-
ploywnt of county prlntar) Prank& Uau.nty v* Wanok,
9 oh10 0. C. 301 (employzen l oi aourtS~~8e janitor):
tillikttn V. ‘&;;ar County, l4Az,lll. XiS, J;: N. 2. 483
(e5qaopent or poi%:.uae aqwintemi~ni)~ Board rrp
hZUili83iOXl3Z3 V. t-ayl.or 123 Lud. I@, 23 w. 2. Tii8
(.3rap1oynrrsat of attorney 18 and #lll%tt I* ml.houn
county, 217 ala. 587, 117 so. 3u (tunplowiuIt
ol
attorney).
420
-A t&x coUeotor-crttorney wuld nomd taot,
patience and dlllgmoe, and 0. couiisslonsra*
oourt3coulC ha*0 *very lnoentiva to want 8 mn
with those gialitlas. In short, m&i oormle-
eibn%rs* oourt shop10 be ontltled to cake lte
own Eontracts touohl~ on tJ.mmttor.
wi?urthbmwr6~ the n8w4 electad county At-
tornoy bu3 rl&ts whloh we do not bolleve urn
be ovarlooked.
.iUtial8 7232, ii%Vh%d 5tatutOS, ~oVld%S
for the oanty attorney to represent the Stats
and OoUnty in 8Uftl9 for dolinr;wnt Wxao and
~l'OVi&eS fees for 8UOb servlaes.
"The oounty attommy sfaa elected with the
undarswn6ln~ that the above vuult be 8 2-t OS
for par-
his ilutl%e cind that hs uoulr: km &+(Lii:
r0rang the mke. '218 CCI not bstliorm a 01oainiJ
ednfnlstration of a aoiml~alonora* oourt, based
upon a waiver sigmd by an outping oounty at-
torney, can deprLva the ine~&ng county attorney
of vol.Lablo r&&s.
these ~184, M do not bellevo
tha County orin bo thus deprived of any chance of
having 'the newly alacted ooumy attommy ;ierromn
these sarvh33 at lees.aoot than *ho attornsy-
oa&motor will parforzz t&t 09~0.~
It cl&t ba t;uentlsned that rJ;a above holtiin; waa
not uemt to prevent. a contmoticg atszrnsy froiii aonolud~
suits filed wl%hLn tD3 MI'Z oi of'fic~ ol' *LLS oo&i&mlonsrs,
t2.6 aontract SG ;;rovirtln&.
TDe trustee8 of lndopon~ent scksol ei3tricta haYe
over-lasping tariis. 1st least in 5x23 inda~sn6ellt eosoo1 &is?
frLot3 t& eleottons or rgril, 194c ~ilc 1641, would artsot a
&orlty OS t&c trmtG*e. IE others tkio wulC not bo true.
at, in all B'.ic?.
distrlcte them woul:. tc. an elsctim or e&o-
ticns afhwtln~ ens or wre ktmbars of tie board 0r truetecls.
i8 rinc no 0~88 in gold. iwwar, it Is sspgnrant
that.the grlnclples go~erni~ oomisul~ners* oourta ln the mt-
ti;r8x3 a,splloatL3 to i=1deysr;dsrrt3uLicol C.istricts at 3mO
point.
,ia Co not rqpri. the cuunty tittsmcty's sitilatlon
as boltxg 00 i.spLrtdnt ln th3 ants0 of ths school district a5
fn th6 0630 Of tit'36lOWlty. 288 Artialara 73;?6, 7332 and
42;
In Y1k.w YSW stmrp, 118 3. 'i;.(2) 774, it -8
be16 th4t prior to enaotm3nt 0rutiOit3 27DOa Vernon*s
g~vllStatUt80, (anti at I tlnw3 when tie statt G 08 w*re
ailmt 88 to 10ngth oi t*Eaa a6 to whU3Jhtubohorst ecui-
traots oould bu naba) a teacthor’r amtract oould sot be
~46~ r0r a 104pr period than 0110 year. EOWIVO~, the
groua& upon whioh that ~~lnfcm uaa bairadlendor the aam
Or iittb+ YOhe in a6 QWStiOXibQrOP4USa
ifs think the most mamneble view, an4 the one
mst llkdy to be ado?ttad by the oourts, IS that owoh aon-
traots with attorneys twinnot,be cads b? an lndsper.dent
~ohool cllstrfat cr0at46 uxcw general ltiw r0r a tern eat-
tending bayon thb time when in th8 or6lnary owir84 0r
eleetlcn t:apsrscnncl 0r ii caJorlty isf ihti b0nti or
trustesa r&hat bs chzngec?. Tibia shuul& not be interpreted
to lapmob a prsv:;tl.ca u:Liah nil@ bz oon~o1~:44 ln auoh Q
emtraot 0utLorizlx tm con0 :;;sivn of w:ts filed prior
to SUOh time.
Iho aboY@ rmswors YOU :iMBtl.;RLI as defin,iesly
08 me am able to arrsw4r tswu on thr raa3 ;glven, Ii the
g&.raat 1s prop3rsJ f3xec~tw.t an8 if
in mb owim3 0r
~leot:on 133s bw 9 mjcrlty or the tmurci of trirfltedis OGtC8
up r0r aleotfon 6dring tS4 t-amiof the occtraot, in our
opinicn it io 8 valid one. Gig axprorrs no 0piniol.J rirbto
th4 mi~ay a arfdatiYwotl6 0r BUYr2b3adg ~hi0i~idfhrr
prty ail&t hmreii tie othar 8k~~ld brtich suoh a txmtra0t.