Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

TEEA-~~EY GENERAL OFTEXAS Honorable Roy L. Hi&i County Attorney Ballinger, Texas Dear Sir: Opinion No. C-1323 Re: Amount of pay for election judges and clerks holding,consolidation election, We received your let'ter'ofAugust 23, 1939, wherein you request our opinion as to the amount of pay which should be allowed election judges and clerks serving in an election or elections held to determine whether an independent school dis- trict and a common school district should be consolidated, Article 2806, Revised Civil Statutes, provides for the consolidation of common school districts and'adjacent in- dependent school dfstricts but,no provision is made for the. payment of the costs of the election in that statute. Article 2774a, Section 3, Revised Civil Statutes, provides for the election of trustees of consolidated'school districts and pro- vides for the payment.of $2,CC per day as compensation for each of:the persons holding such election, Article 2746 of the Revised,Civil Statute.sprovides for the payment of $1.00 per day to persons holding common school district trustee elections. None ofthese statutes, however, fixes the compensation for judges and clerks of elections held for the purpose of determin- ing whether common school districts and independent school dis-, tricts shall consolidate. It is our opinion that the election in question is a special election. Williams v. Kammond, 278 S.W. 304; Clark v. Willrich, 146 S.W. 94i(;Wallis v. Williams, 108 S.W. 153; Scherz v. Pelfer, 74 S.W. (2, 327- ArticLe 2943, Revised Civil,Statutes, as amended In 1937, provides that "judges and clerks of general and special elections shall be paid $3*00.a day peachand 30$ per hour each for any time fn excess of,a day's work as herein defined; .I0 . ten working hollrsshall be considered a day within the meaning of this Article." Since there ig no. other statute specifically fixing the pay of judges and clerks servfng in school consolide-, tlon electIons, it is our op%nion that the compensation of s-A*ch persons is governed by Article 2943, Revised Civil Statutes, as aforesaid. Honorable Roy L. Hill, page 2 O-1323 In our opinion No. o-623, dated April 15, 1939, ad- dressed t,oH.A.~Hodges, County Auditor, Georgetown, .Texas,we held~that the expenses of such elections should be paid out of the available maintenance fund of the respective d.istrictshold- ing the elections,,as provided fin Article 274613, Revised Civil. Statutes. The respective boards of trustees should, therefore, direct the proper discharge of this obligation. 'Yoursvery t+y ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS By s/Glenn R. Lewis Glenn R. Lewis Assistant GRL:FL:wc APPROVED SEP 9, 1939 s/Gerald C. Mann ATTORNEYGF;NERAL OF TEXAS Approved Opinion Committee~Bg s/&B Chalrman