OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Illhorrblr T. Ii. Friable
?lrrt ASEdstant State Suprrlntrndsnt or
T'ublio lriirtruotloa
Aui3tin, Toxar
Dear sir:
or iuetiat 20, 19b2,
rney Ganrral~ ot
Tao., xheraln yo II oi thlr D.p&rt-
lPCUltOA th8 FtWSt ohed letter, 640,
dresse4 to Dr. L. 48d or sah001~,
0 Conzaler In40 andent
hos th is rttaohti
of the l&win-Thorabnrg
sa rlrotlon thr 23r4 day
ths purp05e or lotting (I a6btmm00
irty C'SltSper humlie dOlh?# tdla-
rerulted in 8 tie tote. The trust~rr
I cleotioo rt the oasrliest bate poa-
0860 *util!e tbra or thr t1rr md uB4.r
y may hold the next dwtioa?’
The answer to the above qusstlon lr iouad in brtlol~
4785, Vernon’s Annotateal Civil Statutea as aaerda4 by Aotr
1935, uth Legislature, 2nd C. S., p. 1675, Ch. Cfi, rrleth
to sohool dirtriot miz!tenanw tax oleotlon, wbleh provider
in part1
Bonorsblr t. Y. hImblo, paga 2
w mid 8aintenanor tar propoaitimk 10 drrad
at en @lrot ion hrl4 for rarh parpoe 0, no o th elrlrotlon
shall br held thrroior within one yaar trol thr aat.
or 88i4 li00ti0~. m 00ftd~i0~~11 005a ror 0-0~
rohool dlatrIot8, and the boar4 oi trortrw ‘tar lade-
tn44nt dletrletr, ahall 0anval)s the return86Bd deolara
e he rmult or all elrottanr berrun4rr; u14 ral4 rleotlon
ahall be held mad ocndaated M provided by law ror
gsr,oral rleotlon, 4xoept a8 protided herain, *
Ifo are of the oplni~n thd 4 tls veta or the
proprrty tax paying qudIfla4 rotara or the so!iool Oirtriot, .
OD a M.ht&~nOb tclX &UOpOaitiOn i# a dtmE& Of tb.e rOpO#itiOn.
Tiat a tlr toto defeata the aalntsnonoe ttr prgoalt Pon la
obtloua rrosi the req,uIremnt of a ag!orIty vote to luthorlcr
an additional ad *r~ore~ tax levy 68 protldd r0r In &tIolr
lII, Section 3, Comtitutlaa of Texas, from w-hloh we quato In
part:
*. , . An4 the letislature my aathorlra up +64I-
tional a4 talortn tax to be levied an4 oollsotad tithia
all rohool dirtrlots hwetorore iorasd or hwsaftsr
r-44, r0r ths further mlntenanoa or publlt frtt
oohoola, and far the rrwtloz snd l q uip mc .o?, nt
iohool
brrlldinto thtrola; prdvided that a
qtdirit4 property kr pey’lnp tote
rotla& at an alrotlon to be held for that purpow, rhall
rote euch tax. . . .” ( ~5darlIn4~~ ertprUe6 1
Th4 ahore rrqulrtmsnt is 4140 mde In hrtlolr 2784,
sootlon k, Vornar'e mnotsted Clril 8tututest
'90 tax shall bt IstIeC, eoll cot e4, abrogatwi,
dlminlshsd or lnortastd, and no bond8 rhall bt lrtutd
htireunder, until such ictloE hsa bcsn euthorlsed by a
mtorlt oi the votes east at an sleotla he14 in the
d~ror such purpoao , at ah! oh acme but pro tar;:
tax royin@ pu4llrIed voters or mob dlstrlot rha L
tatit1ad to vot4." (PndculLnlng suppllrU1
wile Art101 t 2953 rslrt4s to rlsctlon ~rooadurr
in the sr45t or 4 ti4 mte, this artfole has rppllostljn 0a.V
to 414otIOn Of publI4 0rfi04r4, ma not $0 60h00i tar quastionr.
we think this 1s elwlr rrm tbs tenor or Ita laagu434, vthfoh
we quote;
Eonorablo T’. Y. TripNo, pa&a )
.At any dorotion, ii thora be an aqua1 BUtbOr
or +otw6ltwi to two a aore poreoar ia the 8~6
orti00, exoe t 4xooutlra orrioorr as prwlded in
thr CoXistltu i0B ARK no ona l lOCte4 thorrto, the
otiloar tO~who6
t 4 ha returns are sad8 shall deolaro
such tleotlon rold as to such 0rri0e on1 and shall
irn4diately order another lleotlon to iiI i such orri00;
tid notice shall be eiren, and such othsr 4leotIon
rhall be held In the smo manner ar the &rnrrsl eleo-
tion..
Thlr view 1s ~oonriruied by th4 tollowlng proviso
in Artiole 2785, rtlating to aohool aalatenaaor tax oleo-
tlonrl
*And such rltctfon shall bo ha14 an4 conduotad
as protidsd by law rar gmsral rleotions, exoqt as
heroin srov164d.w (OnderlininE mpcli44)
Nthouch -40 are not advlaed em to vhrther or not
the election In question proposed an orlglaal mlatanmoe
tax or en lnoreasr or deeresa8 CC an 4xfrtl.w school d.lr-
triot maintananoe tax, w4 wish to point out that under
Artlolr 2794, It a school aalntanano4 tax has bean authorlrad,
no tl4ctIon may be h415 to inoreaso or dtcrtasr that tax
tmtll. two y4rus artrr the rlrotlon uhloh ruthorlsed the tax.
HoCall 1, L4ti8, 263 S.P. 325.
You are thtrtrort ad~lsed that a8 tha mlntsaano4
t4x propoaltloa ror the NaurIn-Thorabwg CommonSohool Dlr-
trlct resulted In a tie vote on April 23, W2, tbrt proposI-
tlan was thaa drreatrd an& no other school dlstriot 8aintmenoa
tax elrotlon can be held in t+:ls d.Istrlot within one year of
April 23, 1942.
You are rurthsr aGtIsed in ths crcnt this sohool
distrlot ha8 herttorore authorit4d and letird a sohool dts-
triot aainttaanoe tax, that under Artiole 2794 BO 4lrOtiOB
to iaoruro e 4aaraareon airtiag sohool airblot
a a lnto nmo o ta xln be hold withla two rearm of tho
rlrrtion whioh aothofised thr oxlstlag tu.
very trP4 ~Ourrn
eajsraln Uoodall