OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GFtjERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable Ii. L. Washburn
County Auditor
Houston, Texas
Dear Sir: Opinion No, O-6949
Re: Compensation payable to county tax
aammoc and aollsctor for perform-
ing services for the
Houston Ship C
District.
ment a8 to the pro
ton Ship Channel R
rangsments vith th
for the collect1
7873 (as authori
tated Civil Stat
Session of the 4
VOW. Your exact In of compensation that
may be paid Harris C r perfomlng services for
the district.
t to proceed in the man-
llectlon of taxes for
was authorized by Article
specific terms for the
tatlon that such compensation shall not exceed once per cent of the
taxes so collected. The language Is as follows:
BonoMble Ji. L. ‘wa8hbwn, page 2
%bun the County A8o8ror aad County Col-
hOtOT Or8 l%QUiEUd t0 a88888 a& W3lhCt th4
taxea L5 say incorporated aity, tom or village,
dralaega dI8triat, Uat8r oolitro~ aa i.UL~OV8aWlit
district, vatsr lmprovawnt dlstrlct, or ruvI(y-
tlO5 dietrict, they 8hall r88mOtiV8l.j rOOetV8
for 8IBbMrVi088 aD *OouOt t0 b8 a&Feed U&W5 by
the govera body of 8uoh iauorpotatad eftlal,
tOW8 or vi.1
%!.a 8, draitmge di8tl'iOt8, Water COW
trO1 and improveant dI8triOt8, UatOr %prOWUnt
dlstrlotr, cr PaVigUIO5 dt8tFlOt8, aad the &a*
ml88iOMr8 Court Of the OOURtyi0 uhloh 8uah 1U-
corporated citie8, tow58 or VZ)Llager, draIa8gu
di8triOt8, uatur ooatrol aod hprovemat df8-
trh3t8, WatUt iJll~OW#llt dl8trlat8, Or M?l&@-
tlQO di8tElCtO me 8itMt.d not t4 8X0-d (Hy per
OMt Of t& tU88 80 OOU8OtUd."
222i.8lirP~tattM i# t?MtrOllf.~ de88 t%QptW 351
Of thU bt8 Of the Rt+&UbY 30881W Of th8 49th bgi,l*ttU8,
1L45, 18 l p$&iaabl8. For th. 9U?9OrS Of thi8 ~i!liQti, th8
psrtil8JRt put8 Of thl.8 bt W8d 88 fO110U8c
"SeatfoR 1. hay muorpcwated city, tom ar
vlllagu, Iodepeadoot sahool Qiatrlot, drabbag
dlatrlat, vat#r aotItrot aad lmproremarSa dl8triat,
vater lmprovamerrtdi8tviat, onvt(ptLoa dirtrlat,
road di8triOt, or ury other mueiolp8lity cu dir-
triOt io th8 stat8 Of Ta%a8, lOoet8d eRtir.lf
ulthra the bounderlea OS Mother murk1cipallt~ or
dirtriot ir hemb empowered, tc authcPlS8, by
ardlMa#8 Or CO80 3 UtiOa, thV fax fi88a88Ol’, &Wd
0r Equeliratloa and Tu collmtor 0r tb8 nuniol-
pal.tty in uhtah It 18 located to set a8 Tax A8-
#88or, &urd 31 lQurlltatioa and Tax Oolleetor
re,rgectlvely Sor tkb3aunicipo3it.y or di8triat 80
avaiUog itself of the 8ervIoes ct 88ld olft@er8
and Boerd of Fqwlltatloa.
". . . .
%ec* 2. Ubon ths TU hsn88Or, Board Of
~inlixation, and Tax Colleator oS any moniel-
polity or dfatrlot hare been ltithorl8ed by ordl-
mmae or re8OlUtiOQ to aat a8 8od parform thu
dUti88, l’e8~ativelj, Of TaJt Al8V88W, &al’@ c?f
&Xl4r6b16 H. L. Idashbura, pas 3
BQlm11zati0n oad Tu aollscrtor of rootbsr muILL-
cQalitg m dlstrlot laaluded vithlo its bound-
erS~u, such tncluded awiiclpaltty or Ulatrlst
shall peg th6 mwI~c1p811tyor distrl4t, the serv-
Lues of who46 bffteera *ad Bosrd of EWuslitatioa
are berag ut~l~rsd, for said 5r)rvLces and ta such
Other ifUtld6tltal OXp8nw a8 am n6aaUmily ill-
ourred la connsct~on vSth the rstidsrtiq of such
wrvlaes, such art amount as r#ay be 8gresd upoa by
ths govsralag bodres of said two wunZatprlitlas
or distriats.
=seo. s. Whsnsvsr snp q unlaipslity or &is-
triat sbsll hsvs outboritod tbs Tsx AsssssoP,
Board of ~wllutlon lDd Tu Collwtor of a&other
munlaiw1Lty or dlstrlot to rat as its Tu As-
wssor, Board of BQuslitstioa *ed Tax ColleQtor,
r44p4Ctlvsl~, it 4ny theruftar revoke rad ulth-
drsu ssld lta th o bv r lty
ordlaanae Q gropso rssalu-
tloa ta ths nms maamp in rhtsh suah luthor’tt~
was oonfawd, aat3 tbsrabftw th8 aunloi litf 02
district so rswkfag swh suthorftr slul 4”assess,
cpwliae and aolleot its tax64 tn th4 astuwr ia
uhlah sacu uere assssssd, squslrsed and coll4cWd
before uia authority 0~s gmotrb.
I). . . .
“sso. 5. Tkmprovislans
of this Act sWll
be cwsulativa of cod in uldltloa
to sll otbsr
rights and rsmsdlss to mhlah any suah m~l~lprli-
ties a&d dlstrlats msybe eatttlsd, but ss $0 sag
pr0~e6dmg4 uadtrrthis Aot, ir6oJput arm-
t&m of this hct be in Corafllct ulth 4s~ pu't or
port Loa of any law of t&m Btets, th4 t4nr4 aid
pro~ls:oue of this hat shall gowra as to such
pmmsdln&s.
I tl
l .. .
l)eet,lon 1 rsqurrea that ths navlgstiatl dlstrfet be
“located eiat1rul.y wIthLo the bouadmry Of (W atha’) i%wiQI-
paalrty or distrlctr" You have mfornmd us that the bouad4ri68
Of tht mrrf.s cOUaty noUSt6mmbip chmiwl mvlgmtion m4trwt
ape ideatrcal with those of BaPrtS &?wtg. Xt i4 thersfora
plain that if tlarrl8 County is "anothbr munlsiprl~tg or dls-
tr:ct” uZthZR the tasaning of Chapter 351, thQ cmvigatj.oR
district 1~67 agree utth the o%uaty r6garZlRg the comp6Rsa-
C;on tn be pild the utseaaor 6ncl collector 3'~ fhalr wrv-
:cat.
ka stats@ in 1 &c;iuillin mmlc!pal Coqorati004
i&d EdLtIon). &mtlon 136:
tl
....
"Tile 4tatus or n4tUrc Of the county has bcea
the CubJsct of somt conflict amoag cmrt decisions,
90&Wh51d:a8 that 8 C0Unt.y fR 4 PlUll~Oi~pOl oOl'5rOl'S-
tLOn, while otbera hold t&t, althOugh count 168
have ths general charaat~ristlcs of mwiclpal ear-
* poratlms, thay are not canaLdared swh uRla44
muie a0 by coastltutiaa Or 4t4tUt6 ati, therdrore,
fall late ths Class of bOd:tS polttlc, oaltd
qUaSl'-PUbllC oc quasl-munla:pal osrporati.ms or-
&an:za& ta aid 1~ th6 pro&m ldmfnlatrotion of
stat6 affairs vlth such powsre end functlms 8s
the law prescrrtbas, and this vlev is supported by
the weight of authorfty. . ..”
ks stated it Brita v. dtascosa County, iCiv. Am.)
247 3.E’. 878, writ dlsmlrrsad:
'Tha CoRstltutiOQ of Texas ~6CogRit~S ooun-
ti6s a6 ?aun:oi.pal corpor8t~ons along with Citlsa
and tovR8." (366 APtiCl4 3, t 1 52 and 53; Art.
11, tt 1.9 3. 6, 7, 8 and 3.)
rqoreov6r. the twaa:ng of the term a0 &lvea in the
Conot?tutroa L6 th&t vh:ob should be ascr:b6d to the 'kgis-
la6 UPC. %cfch v. Stats, (Ci,v. >pp.) 145 3.U. (Za) 876, wrZt
rafuued.
You am theercfore edviecad that It is the oplaloa
of rh!.e dewt;niernt that I~~rta Coautg 3 a %unlc,ipallty”
cf t&t #iraw employed in Chapter 351
withIn the araau~iah;
of the Acts of the Regular ti56ssLOQ Of tbs 49th LfgfslattWe,
1945. 5:nCS th@ iiWrb4 COURtr iiOUStO0 %hLp ~4tiWd ?bVigs-
tim ElstrLct 1164 wholly within thts bxxaflar:c;i of the ntml-
cip61icy of m3arrf.s Courlt~, 'kx85, and :.a ldeotzcsl wPth its
bounc%riea, I~& :6 th6 further Qy;;RiOR of this teyArtr%?Rt that
the governiiq body of th6 ~avigatPm dietriot ms~‘agres w:th
I
1 'i i 0
, * I'
Honorable H. L. iwhburn, page 5
the goveraiag body of Hmr18 County an to the amount of aan-
pmutioa to be paid to t&e a o uo tglsuasor owl colleator
of Harris County for their oerrlcea prtortaed for the dir-
trlct.
Very truly yours
ATTORIEYOEW OF TEXAS
1”
BY
JD3:db