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OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable L. A* Wooda
Ma~~nSu~pertendent of Publir Instruction
,
Dear SirI AtturfiOn W. T. Ibr
wo ar4 in neoipt
llM0, rrquertiag the oplnlo
reedr aa Sollowst
~Artlale lt745,
e8tablishm8d of eoutt
part a8 follo
on CoosoldiatebCounty Liao
s ride and tiwottty-one
miles
lrrton is a body of land
hool dirtriot.
unty board of tmsteem add thta
the fonlertan County Llm Sob001
by adding this land the ahape of
tho dirtriot 6OS8 not 8onforaP to the ~OtiiIiOIlS
of the above nentloned rtatute"i*
The l-U108 with refermee to nuutdatory or dlreo-
tOr prOvlSlOn8 Of a lt6tUte Itro 8tUted %a SO TSX. fUr*
P* L I14 88 follow8t
‘A statuto ar 8tfitUtOry prOti8iOn may be
mandatory or directory or merely permls8iro.
x manddory provIaIon 18 on0 whloh, ii not
followed renders the proceedlx& to vhloh it
relates Illegal and rold, while a dlreotory
prOT181On 18 one,the ObBeI'VauOeof whiah I8
not necessary to the validity oi the pmeed-
inc. A prorIsIon ia5 dlreotorywhen It con-
talns mre matter of dlrectlon, not of the
esfienoe of the thirq to be done, but desIgned
merely to procure its proper,orderly end prompt
prformanoe. OB the other hand, a negative pro&~
VMIOB -- one which cox!mds that a certain thing
8ha11 not be done - Lo usually mandatory.
TBat there Is no ab8olute te8t or Infallible
rule by whlah a mandatory Btatute or prorlslon
may be dlBtlBgU,uished from one whloh Is ~mrely
directory. In eaah okme, the qM8tiOB 1s. OB6
of statutory construction, to be judlolally de-
ternined acaordlng to the Intent or the LegIsla-
ture iron a consldercltlon or the atire statute,
Its nature, objeot and eubjeot-matter, and the
consequenoes that will rsault iron a partioular
construction. irll sot OT provision that olearly
di80108e8 M intamest OB the part Of the L~&E-
;;;$; that It 8hould be mandatory will be Iven
On the other hand one which reve af a no
such ikerest or purpose w&l be oonstrued a8
directory.g
.t,pplying the above rulss to the Btatute ln ques-
tlOB; the prOvi8iOB r8qUIrinC: that the district shall be
laid out *in as near the shape o? b 8qUate aI3 possiblea,
appears to be dlreotory. we ooustrus the word wpossIbler
as used therein to hare the 8ante meaning as npraotlaable~.
Evidently It was intended that the County Board should
exercise a dIsoretIon in deilnlq?, the boundarles or 8uch
dlstrlcts and it directs the board to lay out the diatriot
In as near the shape Or a square a8 SW be praotloable or
possible under all the ciroutastsnces. X'n ohanglngor add-
ing territory to suoh districts it Is not eesentiti that
they maintain the shape Of a square.
me pr~vlsion whloh readrra *and in no event shall
the length of suoh d18triet be geatir than the width plus
one-half of the width of suoh dIstrIat,nhowever,I8 In our
opinionmandatory. The Legfslature first providdd that the
IO
Bon. L. a. ‘Goods, p8ge 3
dietriot should be in a8 near the shape of a square as
possible, learIr& this matter to be determined by the
Bard, and then rpecified Oertdn lIm%tatIons beyond
which they should not go in ally event. We construe this
last provision a8 nandatory and a 1IIaitation upon the
authority of the Board. It Is a negative pO~i8iOIi mark-
Ing the l&I&t8 within whioh the authority to follow the
direotlons therslnabare glean amy be exerolmd.
8-e we do not know the rhnpe proposed to be
giren the district, wa Cannot give Jour qu8stion.a @ate-
gorloal answer but are or the opinion that the dlstriot
should conform to the limitations hereinabove discuaaod,
a#mming that the Btatute in quest%on ls applleable to
the FowlertonCosrmon Consolidated County-Line Sob001 Dis-
trlct and the charge propass to be ma&e,
TOWS very truly
/
FIRST ASSISTANT
ATTORNEY GENNERAL
COMMII~EE