Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1944 )

?_FFiCEOFTIiE ATTORNEYGENERAL OFTEXAS .- AUSTIN SROVERSELLERS .’ . *~~.RNEI GENERAL bar ‘Sir: . ,;, JGmrable T. Y. Trlinble- page 2 ~~nde~fsn&entSchool.District, the adriaiatrative . . ofriaas or which 0~6 locot entirsly within CflleaphS h$IIty, TSXM. UUd6r the 6tdUt6 fOi- laSrin&this lusttUi06Qthe JiarperIudepenZent Echool. Metrict as it thea stood Wetsalno ~611013upoc to vote on tha 9uestion of ahathor or not the Re66rva-. tion CSD should be brought into the irdopdadent sohool district. A aa~ority of the vctara in both the &XZO~ school alstrict ona t:leinas*uaent sclmol distriot Votsd to cOusolldot6 t&o i:emrva- tion CSD tith the IiarpcrXnfiependentSchool Dis- trlot, an4 It hns been operatlq 6s such up to , the present title. There ore o&sin nunber of people in tlieconnon sohool diatriot who are &is- setisfieirwith being in the indaJ.ndaut 6chool dietriot, an& they have petltloi%d the County . Jwlge oi:Kerr County, Taxas,'to oall‘an eleotlon to 0sterzdna .Q@athar.or not thay ahall withdraw from the lri~ependantsohool dlstrlct. The Comity Judge of frerr.County,Texas, hasmllad the aloc- . titm sad set lt.for the 4th day..or~OYa~bbsr, A. D.; _ 1944. The notloas were. Rostad only in WJxitwas fbrmrlp known a8 the Hssarvation Comxx-Sohool Disttiot. The t;hihgwe ars pert:culorlp interfist-, ed in la QrhO.Willba the ~u6li?ied VOCBXB in this election? \:a8.the aomKUi&tion~as hereinabove rarerred.to a contractual obl.igationC$Ithe part of*thd.Resezvatlon Cornon School District and the i Rarper Jhdepeudent School District at the tin6 OP. the consolS.dationY "The Art1616 above raterred to ia not of6ar~ as to the qtestion or gualiriad voters, nor'is it clear 08 to the quest103 or who will csll the eleo- tion. Ye woulC also litrsto have au opinion on whothar or net, if the proponents of the proposed election to disaolvo ona WitMraw fr0.n tiia Berper 1naoJ%naant School lOstrict .alresuccessful fn their SISCtiOne what indebtedness, if any, WOUld the Reservation Common 3chool District;'tni:e-0Jong witllit ti 6 WithBranaX. For your informnation, i honorable T. U:.Triabla - pa&s 3 . i = . . .'dra is a~50#-saikenn!me tex rite on'the.$lOO oaluatlon in the harper l.kiis~~sndonti School Ma- ~tflut, 20# is set up for ratfravmnt of the bonda. and In edditlon thereto thereia a 30# levy .for:'.$' the purposs of paying the transportation coet'of title..diatriat.K&t portion of these liabilities or Cebts would the Reaerv8tlon Gomon School 3X8- trlct take with it in th*revent It is suocessful . .ti xithdrawiog fxm the flarper Indey%ndeot School. : Iiistriot? . *humnwh IIa tala eleot%o?~baa been call..edfor ':. .ioveabnbsr4th, you will ma thai'ft 3.0iqerativd that we get -an oplnlon ab kmrly a&possible kn~.or- der to &eter&ne just wherethe district stanbe;,:; .'"~'. We, OS course, fsal that it is uugair,for tha'~,~.; ._, :. :;.,:, :' Beservatlon Gomon &chool~DSatriot'to tiithdrtiw. '- under the terse of the Articlesabove qUoted, einoe the indajxmdsat 'ecbooldistriat has ii%-: cuxrod co~slderable expeose'iu providing for : the nacdssary setup to.toke 9are of the addad, : ,;. pupils. Xrtials 2613 3s got, alear as. td~ the procedure.to be, used, but WB Bo not want to ‘-permitanything to ba dose that would be in&r-. lone to the district 08 a xhola. 3ould it Lo '~ necessary fo* you to consult t3o Attorney Gen- sral’e De~rtmmt with rsfsrance to thlirm.tt$r, we .urga thst they givt3ua iinmdirte actioa Bo 'that w iarvy de&de tha .oouraeto foll0w.v artioie 261.5as menda& by the J+8th'Le&L8lature reada as Poll.ows: . "(a) Such oqna~olldsteddlotrlcts my, in the bass manner provide.for their consolidation, be dl$solvoE end the distriota Included lAorain re- 5tore6 to their ori@.nal stntue, except that it akgll Cot bs mcsssary to provida collie plRW3 in agoh diatrlct. ii%Cl~.. cuch distriot Elieneo rastorsd slxl.1aamz%a ar,c! be 1iSbl.efox its prop- rcta ,?sit.orthe patmtcrtn~ fincno:al cbl.$otions of t&s consolidated distrlat, suoh poreta part .I _,.. ;- - : : c ’ Eonorable T. 2. .Tri&ia - page 4 m - td be baSed~@n~the'r~lation the total aSSeSsed valuation of all property in the dietrio> bears to the total assessed valuation of property in the cariolldated diatriot, as shotrnby the as-.. 8efmIent rOll8 Oi the histriOt for thu CukXWIt year. Go election for the dissOlut$On of said consolidated district5 shsll be held wit41 three 13) years hsva a~apced after the date of :the elec- tion et whrfiich.such di8triCt8 w6ro oousolidate,d. '(b) On the petitlo;?of twinty (20),or a eiajority,of the ,leyally quelified Voters of eni,’ demon School dlSt&t, or indeFeudent school dls- trict, praying.for the withdrawal fron a consoll- .dated district,-if three ~,(3)years hava el6;seU after ths ,dat5 0f the.eleetlon at~whlch auoh die- ' .trlots w8re OonsOlldated, tha.Couuty &d&e shall; : ~usus~an order for 8n election to be.heid in 'the district desiring oithdrawssl..The County Judge. shall give notioe of the date of suoh election by publlcetion of the order.in.socw newopaper~: publiahdd.in the county fox twent (20) d8y5 .~: prior to the date on ~~hlch such 8I scticxiaare .ordered, or by post&go notAce.of such oleoti.on in the distriot desiring the election. The'CM- missionera Court 8halJ.nt its noxt maeting,can-~ vasj the returns of such election, and if th.e .votee Oa8t in salh di8trict show a msjority in favor of.wlthdrswing fkos the oonsolldation, the Coart Sfld.1 deolare th,edistriot sevarod and it shall be rostor+d to its original statls. i%oh such Uistriot whtm .so restore6 Shall Asnu.na and be liable for its prorata part of the OutStend- ing financial oP?igaticos of the consolidated dintrict, euch prorata part to be based cn thiore- lation tta total aS5essed valuation of all pro- party in the Uls.$rIctbears tc ttr,tots1 S8sesSeU v8luatiOXLOf Fl‘opcJrty in th6 COn50lidatLiddie- trict, CS $:2&n by the essseanant roll.50f the qbtrict for the current year." Xe'do net ?aSs upon the ~co~.st'ltutionality~ of thi5 Articl~e; s2nce %-a hold that p?ern~,raph -(b) of mid Article ia inapplicable to ccnsolldatad oounty L1.3,~ districts, Since it loec net .vzkeany prsvision Par the quclifiad voters in tbo tilatrictoin ~aoh county to partiCipsQ . . _ _..: .- _._ L% IIonokable'2.&. Trimble - pege 5 = > in the election, cur dcee it cm+iri any provision es to which County auag3 shaJ.1ord3r the slsctiofi. Tbo .o>se"or County s2h00i zwsteas'cr mihel$9 county et al., .vn. state et al., 35 S. I,. (2nd) lCO1, lovolved the question of ttie 6l;tfiority or t?;e couctg 5~x01 i+ra of r;lmb~ls, County to'detsc11frox 0 COBs2lidst9d county lim Snde~ehd9nt echocl district, lyi&?,In Zuunels ma Col9.x~ Couhtios, cer- tain territcry lsing in Eu&ne16 ~Czxntyazs attach t:io3uzfJto a co&don ochctl djstrlct situated xii~llyr:ftMu Xumels Cotity. 3%~ oourt held this coal0 not be tiorrs wlthuut the convent of the Cole-*n County School Bo.ird. i:'e qwte the following ex- carpts from the ojzinionot th,aocwt: . "1% is fundn3ent61 t&it tha Couoty trcstess 'of one county canmA alone crest0 a district uca- ‘~l;oaedor territory lying ln t~o~'oountiaa;and as.iipractical mtter it would follow thut where a .couzty,lIhs aogsolidetsd.indepehd6Et school district has bsen oraated by the joint action 'ot.both countho, It:neoesa5rll.yrolloas that : . that $ietrlct cannot be abclished or chsngkd except hy t&8 consent-of-the'county,sc!~ool a_ trust996 of each county hnvigq tarrlmry eon- talqad therein._! . . '. ,I ~. and tvea& clear.5i1'the. vl& t&'t: i-: drtial~e27&2f doss n&t ,petrmit the oowty trust905 of oh9 oowlty to detach any portion of tho territ~orp 1 of 5 ccuoty 'lineschool.distriot and ettsoh ths a.. , sme to snother district, viithout tb6 cohtient aad wxourrent action of the trustsoa of's-~h _ county hovlng territory In the county line ciis- . . trl.ct . To pamit. such wouZd csune Icterntisble ,. conf~,jsion am3 would pemit one Turty to tk3 : cc5solPa;itionncrsaE7;9fit to .%sztrey thTrtnsre.e- merit, GT s~rfously affect it Pft!lGUt the CG;I- CUT\~CS:CC or oojstint of the othar party to tiie agreex33nt. ,.' 5 : : I f Fran ths o~!inlonOf’the ooilrt$a t.lS‘se33 oaae r* qf2ote E,heSQllowiIg: t Vhe aoaeolidation of the triodintrlcte in questiortwas hlrdeadar Article ZFC6 (%GY. St, '1925) i as azeadod on sereral occaslcw (Verzi6nt!z Amo. i: cio. St. Art. 2506) by a vbte af the paor of the : two distr$cts atfaoted. S3ac!%t&o d3strlcto W6Xb plrtlg Ia txo colmiea, it reql3.rRdths action Of 1 tha officiale of both xounti~s to efTcct .tna coo- r sclidation; am3 tha csnsnlidatsd district tsas f legally treeted. Art~clc 2Y15 povidas that ~soc~.O6a~sfideCsd,t'iatriots'ltog in th6 sane 6 meaner prorldad Sor thtsiroocaolidatlon be die-~ solved.aad t~bo districts izcludad tbareln re- stored to’their or&inal status. I This prcvis%on r. . ... relates MXQ particulnr;lyto coaoollduted dis- : *. . tricts nhvll~wlthJn ORQ couunt so, trlaso- aa wst nstrue iT"IzL* in..comection with "-sttitntesrel1~tlnq, to ~aountjy line seik%l disr triats; .aod it neoesssrily Sollows.thrt In 1. :' county line school diotriots~,either IIItheir g craotioa or abolition, or in tha ohan@,,i~of? their diatrfot boundwias, the .school autnoti- $ _1 itiao of both couutioa or nil aounties affected : should act to#pther in Koch J;18tters. * (It%llcs oura). 1 ‘. i I% think it is clear from tt:Bforegoing thst it 1 . TOquire6 th6 ROtiGn Of th6 ofxYcials.of bath 06Unti98, ox or alf. counties, conoernatI, szid that an 0leCtiGn ordered i, by the County Zudge of Zbrr County alone would ba inef+"eo~ i tive.to diseolvo the county line consolfdated district. 3 Aa.elsctiou would hsra to be ordered and held in bbth % counties, but, 8~ etcted in tha opinion cited herein a- I' box-a, ArtiCl6 2E1.5 3.8 nt‘pllC3bl6 Only t0 aonso11datsd dlst,riOts lyfrpq; wE:OlI~y %ithin 01:B CCUllty.