Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Honorsble Louis T. Holland County Attorney Montague county Montague, Teroa 1939, requeatlng the foliating faews: \\// t5on was held to coneolidatoan 8ahool distriot. The eleotlon to by a large an&r- lty in the inde Oatobsr 17. XQStt, the Caaim5fm return8 in th6 a*. $6 to be 17 rar ion, and entered de eoneoli@ated. n the manner requ5red by of trwkes of the comma to wt 5n their ofYfa5a.Iaa- on contest alle@ng that %I- r oan~aolUatlon and that qurili- ed the right to mtaj suriioientto It or #uoh,eleatiQn. e haa not bssat~eb and fe otil..pai- t Court, an& the Coanty 8uperintmlant la holding all &ate, aotinty end looal funds of suah aomaen sohool dlatriat intaot in the aaaa.Of the ucmuaoLIsdrool distriot. No money haa been withdrawa Bern the depository 5n the aoaouut bf the.oommon crohooldirstriatfor pfiyment of ateaohsr'or othsr'neaoamwy taxpenes ibr the ~nho~ll~& of the childrenof such dlatr5et during the W@t jm6V8 In &Ml, 193Q, anew~tms8se mm etiate4 i&the oomm8n 6OhoQl dietriot, and 5x3Jus OS‘t;h~ yimr, I& new Honorable Louis T. Ilolland, Pege 2 board purportingto aot for the.aonumn sahool distrfct, same into oourt end took a non-suit, whereupon the court permitted a former mmiber of the board to substitute h5+ self individuallyend prooeed wit&the oontest. Your letter continuesas follows: "1. i’iao oooneol5dat5on'eSfeotlve from the date of the oanvass of the returns and deolarationof results of auah eleotion in taror or oonmll- datlon, end would suoh oommon sohool dlstriot at that time beoome a part of the Independentdistrict, and does it so oontinua as such untilsuch time au suld election may be set amide by a f+lnaljudgment or a ooust of eom- petent jurlsdlotlon? Thla question 5s based upon the propositionthat no re- straining order has been asked for or granted against auyone. T3. If you have answered the rore- gotingquestlon in the neetire, then I auk if the Board.of Tmmtees of the ooarran nohool d5ntrLct~arenow olothsd with full power snd authority to issue vouchers in payment of ~$undoexgonded r0r teacher, SUpp1i86, eto., used in the sbhoollng of the ohhildrenof ea5d distriot during the year 193849. "It 1s my view of the situation that such OOllSOlidEtiO~ Wa8 Complete and effeative fro= and after the date of the oanvess~or the retume and declarationof the result8 of said election by the aomm5ss50nerstoourt, and that such consolldatlon~111 re- main in rull rorae 6nd ertaot, unless, and until suoh'eleotlonis deolared to be 5nvalld by a final Judgprent ot a proper aourt." Artlole 8806; Revised Civil Statutes, lOeS, pro- vides for the oonsolldationof oommon and independentsohool dfstricts,and reada, in part, as follows: Honornble Louis T. Hollaxl, Page 3 “. . . The oomaIssloners*,court shall .A its next iueetlngoanvaea the return6 of said eleotion, and.if the votes cast in each sud ell dietrlots show n majority in eaoh dletriot vot- ing separatelyin fsvor of such ooh- solldatlon,the oourt shall deolare the school districts oohsol18ated.m The co~oiid&o~ of sohool districtsboa&a OS- Seotive upon tAe canvass of the election and~dealarationOS the result by the commlsslonere*court, aa provided In Ar- tiole 2806. bland ~8. OrahgeSIeldIndependentSchool DIs- trict (T.C.A.19e9), 84 LX. (ad) 73. The consolidationhaving been consummatedid effective lmeillatelyupon entry of the order by the aomaI& s50ners~ oourt, would an eleotlon contest subsequentlyriled alleging 5rregularltIeeIn the conduot of sold oleation with- io itself supersede and suspend the order of the oommI8sio~- ore' court pending a final dotermInationot said suit7 We think not. iJndoUbt8dl.ythe order of the oomaIesIoaer8~oourt tmnrassingthe result of said election and dealaring Bald distriots omsolldated curries with It a presumptionoS.ta- lldlty until set sside by final judgment or proper order OS a aourt of oompeteti jnrisCiatIon. We find no provIsion in our statutes which wmid authorize en individualI.na aaae suoh 88 this to suspend the efiectlvenessof en orbr oS the oorm5ssloners*court, presumptivelyvalid on its Saae, by merely SllIng sn election oontest with allegationsOS Ir- regularitiesin the conduat OS said election with no ra- straInInaorder aeked ror or granted pending the SInal de- terminationoS the suit. It 5s our opinion t&at tLe consolidationOS a aom- mob end Independentschool district beoomes effective lame&i- atqly upon the cemrass of the eleotion returns~by the maws&s- sIonors* oourt with the flndine;erequired by hrtlole 8806, Revised Civil Statutes, 1985, and in the abeenoe of an or- der to the contrary, eh election oontest subsequentlyfiled alleging lrregularltles1x1said election,laouldnot auopend suoh order of ,codeolldatlon pendente lite. Having answere4 your first question la t&o arrlm- ative, your mmond question does not require sn aMwere HonorableLoule T. Holland, Page 4 Thie opinion is based upon the assumptiont&t no fatal irregularityin the conaolldation,prooeediog ap- pears upon the face of the remmd. Yours very truly ATTORNEY GENERhL OF TkXhs APPROVEMUG 11, 1939 ATTOFUTEY GEbTERAL OF TE;XAS