Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1947 )

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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
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'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
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Hqora?le Charles T.~Baniskr:- Pa@ 2
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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
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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-
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Honorable Charles T. Banister - Page.3
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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 '.. ..,
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& 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"~
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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~
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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?,
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%%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
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BonnraUle Charles T. Zkmistok - PaW 6
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