Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

: ,. '.. Honorable Charles T. Banlater County Attorneys Navarro CountJr Corslcaw, Texas Oplnlon No. V-14 Re: Authority of oountykx asiessor-colleotor; or deputies, .to retain notary -. * fee0 for afiidavit's~exe- out6d under seation 33 0r the,Certifiaate of Title Dear Mr. Banister: Pot, and related matters. Nour reoent .requestfor an opinion reads as fou&B: .' : .;.. '. (, 'ty ~ssx~B~*~Mo~~~ 00u60t0r or t~8~couaty~ ~‘. ~.dlad/or.his~~~~~~'oan~le~lly ntaii3Yor th6ln66l~oe:~ wldlvldu6 ) the perclantaking. the~~aakaarle&pB~t r&a9 ning alLor the ZS$i fee) ~a.natary reo or es+ ohar@ e&oh appliy oaot for a OOrtiri0diO or title or re-itgu- anoe:.thereoila lddl$loato the 3O~'~rovldad-- In Adole 1456-1, Swb.57, Teurr P6nal Oode, ln.+ia# of'Art, QWh, T6na Paal 0od.o . "Th6 omlaty Ju@e‘rilwE the ti qum- : t&n ia to etfii6ot:~lSoOOobarg6tl oaadlbatee Weleotloa par8 by the.TarUleeeor 8 Ool- : LootOr and/or hle emplo~aesfor poll llets ..that-haveken.oomplled by the oolleotorand h iplm~lopes at timr other than drrriag busi- 'i mas. Eourl,r~ "The question XS oa bath oi the above 8ltuatiionr u+ather'arrobSS# aotaryroe and fp&f offloe,'Inrlew of Ast. 9780, "gal ....‘. .’ :’ . ‘$,’ .: . ‘~ : ; ,. : :. , ‘, . . .. Hqora?le Charles T.~Baniskr:- Pa@ 2 ,’ tou ask in your request if euoh feOe may be retained in view of Article 9780, Penal Code (House I3111Not 80). In an opinion rendered on November 9, 1945, numbered O-6908, this department rule+3that the . provisions of House Bill Nor 80, Acts 49th kgislature, 1945 (Article 9780, Penal Cod@) were unconrM.tutlonal. Themrore, your question mat be answered wlthln the meaning of Article 724Ba, Vernon'e Annotated Civil Stat- utes, and section 33 of Art1010 14389lo Penal code. ,.%, hrtfole 7246a, Vmnonts Annotated CiTil,Stat- .utae, pr66ldea 3x1 aubstanoo aa tollowa: “sea. 1, The Assessor and Collector e&d Aslussor ..’ nor Taxes, shfkrirr or shezirr ,and Collootrr oi Tama, 4r4 h4nb7 author- la01 a84 eapomnO to rdalalater rll 0athS nooesurg for the diuohqe or thr awe6 or th4lr nlpeotlve orsims and to ad&i- lrtor a11 oaths requlnd ror tha tranrao- tloa ,or the,buala48u of their nrP40tlv4 . omrta~rrraontti- \. . .' . . ._ ‘. _ .-. Honorable Charles T. Banister - Page.3 - latioa r~.t~.tur&8tr8tion 0r~a'motor :. vehiole that ha8 not beea.a8e4 ror the ourrent .mgirrtrationyear, when any woh rendition, lmntorf, applloatlon, o$ 1~:. strument abord ment one0 is~~qulred to be riled in the orftoe or .suohAsaesaor and Colleotor or Taxeri .and a&- bther in-~ strument'that may be &a in said orrioe, : or that aayrelats to the buainesa or du-. ' ties 0r 8aid orri00.whenerer the spplb~i8 ..' or pay be required by law to be morn to, .~ proridwl that 8uoh,d88eessorand Collector or Taxes ~&all.Charge.and.oolleot as a tree of 0rme,:..-.* wXdltio*~.to'a4 other roe8 thnt'ho may now bogluthorlzod bylaw '~ . to oharge, .ln~oolursotlon with saoh lnrtru- ment8,: the 6~ or *ent+=rrr*.(e6)' Csntb: ror eaoh saoh oath or'itildmlt.as ho, or bla boputler'. w. aMtiutir;whloh ahall '1 b@nd.oon8tjfuts ti'fek.otoiiloe, 'kdibr ., .;: wbloh he &mlL aO.oountaa'he $8 mw or-4 huvlitir be required by law to.aooount forany other tee of offloe,:nuehBeea8or8: a@ coll~otor8,0r Taxes.,a@ tho,lrD8putieq. being henb~~~lven the mme-rlgbt to.amp .. .. ibhr all euolroaths.or arrfdav$ta a8 *c4' notarl~s~pablfo aader the lrwm or..the8ttite or Tens; prwia0a.m rba..@hall be ohargea rtorsay oath.or airidilritoOnne~oted~wlth the ron<l.oa..- oi- . any ~.~perty ,ror~ta+&lokF '.. .., : '. '. ;,.. .' ..’ & a&o&&& & begdiap&ed : .ofeat spbetwqgeatsale unlers tae okner ::. ” I~ de&peed in the osrtirloato or title .: nhcll tranerer the oertliioat* o? tXtle oa rorn to be.p~eeorLbed by the Depart- mat before a;l?ookry?ubllb, irhlohrorm~ rhcll'laolude, among rmoh of&r matter8 a8 the D8partment may determine,an ar-, . Pldavlt to the efre0t that the EignBpsdr.lS tha owaer or the mto?? vehiole, and that there we no llew agalaat suoh motor ve- hlole, uoept 8uoh a8 We shown on the- : abtiirieate or filth ma ne title to-my motor fehlole ah11 pa88 or vest uatll 8uoh Web be 80 lxeoutode"~ . - Honorable Charles T. Banister - Page 4 ma olerka ai tits CW% au O%ril . Appeals are .not ent!ltledto IWSJLW ex%ra acmpenaiatloafor ae~mbealaper*formedwith- in the scope of their OfFAcial duties pm-. scribed by law+ The genkwel prlnaiph pm-'. hibltim public oftioiaitrfrom ohar&3g fee8 r4r th8 pwfowwwe of their offioial duties QOSB not proh%bft the5 TwNI,o~~R!!- ing for their services or aats that thog are tinderno obligation, under tk law; ~to per- rolln.. mT~xs being ao statutory duty re-. qutxina’.patStaosrsr to x3&m&* unaaraaflsa, unoC~loPaA tqlea or opf~&oas of tka Comrts of CivlJ.Appoa18?.no statute fixl&g any fee for such mrvioea, ana no valid statute re- @ring that mmmy rsscoivedtherefor be d6.L~ - ? Honorable ChdrAe8.T. Banister-- Page 5 poaikd in ths State treasury, there i% no debt owing .by petitioner to ths Hate.” Thsrefore, S.n the absenoe or statutory aut& ority prohibiting the %%me, it is the opinion .of this depart-W, that a tax assessor-oollsstoi, oredeputy, a& ing in the oapaolty of a notary public, would be entitlad to the notary re% r0r aotarizing an affidavit under Sac- tion 33 of the Certiflaate or Title Act, provided suoh servloe rendered as a notary .public does not interfere gh the diaohargo of.those duties imposi?d upon him by . IOU a%k the further question as to whether a roe of $AS,CO oharged aandidates in elaotlon years roarthe prsparrtioa or a poll-tax list, may be retained by the t,aza%%%8%or-oolliotor, or deputy, if prepared duri-m off-duty hours. We know of no statutory prsri- sioa making it an oirioial fuMtion of the tax-aaseeeor- co.lleotor,or d6puty, to prepare such a poll tax list for pritiatedistribution. A6 statsd in the case oi Moore v6* Sheplwrd, supra, ethe general prinaipls prci- itiM DubUO OfciiOidS fTO6 OherRiIlR rS%% r0l' thee .perrorm&$e or their ofiioial dutie%, zoee ‘not prohibit them from charging for their services ror aots that they are unde~r~aaobligation, wider the Law, to p%rfora~~’ Ther%fors, in the abaanoe of a statutory prohibition, the tax assessor-aolleotor of your county may retain the ies for tha preparation OS a pall tax ll%t, oo%giS3& in off-buty hour%, ii the %ama doe% not interfere tith the.dischargs of thorn duties iilpossdupon him by Law. There is no authority to the effect ~thatsuch fee is a ice of orfice for.whidh the tax asseaeor-oolleotoruould be aocountable. The praotioability of this procedure is, 8ors or lo%%, detera.ined by each lndirldual tax as?, .-, %%8%8,T-OolhOtor, and, If practioad, the ree ror the preparation of such liat may be retained. .:. we are %nolorlng a copy 0r opinion N0.0- 8908 ror ycJur il&roMation, A talla88s88Or-OO~b3tor, or deputy, aotiag An his imdlvidual oapaoity as a ~no- . tary public, may retain the notary fee for airi&Wif8 examtad under ~Eleotioa33, zw- .tiSiaatr of T5,tleAet; and, in th% absonae .ot a .%tatutolry proh$bitioa, may retatn the _. : . . . BonnraUle Charles T. Zkmistok - PaW 6 I . .,. b _. .:. . b ’ . * 2