Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1943 )

558
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OFFICE OF THE AmORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorably t. I. Cuanlqbaa
county Auditor
mruro county
ComIwlla, ‘Psur
8t8tUt88, l’erd8 l8
fO11OV81
88iOXber8 COUPt8 Of lll
8 popuatlaa of
) lllhabitlntr,
(78,000) in-
0 the la8t preaedlag ?eder81
her8 18 loorted no Court of
ve the parer @ad authority,
8a order for th8t purpo8e, to pro-
8ad ertablirh a oouaty bV ll-
brary.
"Sec. 2. Fm’tho put'pore Of 88tabli8hhing
~County law Librarier' 8fter the entry of suah order,
there 8hall be taxed, aolleated, lrul paid a8 other
ao8t8 for the swa of One Dollm ($1) In each 0888,
01~11 or ariminel, exoept rult8 r0r delinquent taxe8,
4
Ilonor8ble X, Y. CUR, page 0
herealter fllod la every County or Li8trZat Court;
prwided, hovover, th8t In ao event 8hall the amn-
ty be liable for r* 008f8 in 8nr Calme. Such Colta
rho11 be collected by the Clerk8 of the rerpeatlve
Court.8 In sclld eountler 8nd pld by reld Clerk to the
County Trersurer to be kept by 8816 Tre8rucer ln 8
roprato fund to be knowa a8 tb8 tCouaty l&r Li-
bruf rupb.’Such fuad 8hall be ldalnl8tered by
88Id Court8 for th8 pwabre rrrd rutaten8aue oi 8 lau
llbrarg in a convenI8nt rnd 8aoe88ible pleoe, and
uld tuad ahall not be ured iOr 8ny other purpore.
%a. 3. 8ald couPt8 8r8 gxuctod 811 neoea-
rary power 8nd 8uthOrltJ to Jneke this kct effeotlre,
to pake rcaaonable ruler in regard to raid llbr8ry,
8ad the use of the book8 th e r eolqd f,to carry out
thm taras and provlafotu of thFa,htt."
Xa va r Cor ountylo o o r d htog the lrrt F8deral Census
her a po~ulatlon of 51,308 and ha8 no Court of Clvll kppealr
loaated Vlthla it8 bOurhrle8~ 8Iiy WtbOritf the dl8trlCt and
COU8ty clerk8 Of Bav8I'FO County &XJ8S.e88 to Chal'ge tbi8 Oae
Collar (#l.OO) fee 18 tolely by virtue of Artlale 1?02b-2,
8 upr8.
The rodent aa8e of Ex Parta Carson (Tax. Cr. a.),
159 Y. Y. (2d) 126, held that 8 rtrtuta providlag for the as-
s61185ent of One CO118r ($1.00) am coat in cfl5ln8l c8ser for
co~rrty law library fund Ye8 uaCon8titutloMl end thU8 could not
ie<lm8tely be arses8ed and aollected 8a a0 item OS cart 1n a
orinln41 actfon. The ree8on8 ret farthvere that the partlwlm
rtatuts contravened the oon8tltutloBel lnblbltioa lgein8t eneci-
zent of local or spcclal lava regalatlag cwaty a2falr’s or vhere
-8 general law could be rsde appllcabloj that the item of one
dollar taxed ex coat8 ror lm lib- fund 18 neither neceI-
racy nor lnaldental to the trial of 8 CrlmlMl Care, urd i8
not l lo g itlR 8te itool to be 80 t8X8d; and, that to 80 tax
rgiiin8t 8 defendent In 8 orlminal c88e in aeverel oountiea 8ad
not tax ln other aountle8 where 8 derendant ~18 ooavlcted of
the 8eld oft8r#e, vauld be 8 di8orilaiMtloa uhloh the law do08
not reaognlre or toler8te. mU8, there aon be no legitimate
888e8SZWl3t ti CrlaLnrf C88e8 Of OM doll8r under ally of OUl'
~$enc Itatutes dealing vltb 8uch 8 tax for 8 oouaty llbrrry
.
ikmoreble lt. Y. Cuuuinghua, pew 3
UC le th4t
o f th e Cp fa fo n the reeaoa8 a p p lied1~ th e
krron ea8e not rolcly pectlaent to crlralnel lotmb8 lre equal-
ly applicable to Slllt8 Of 8 OlVll Mture. Such a t8r 18 In OCR
oplnlou not l logitlwre charge on the lJ.tlgent8 to a alvtl
8ult. UC quote from the Carsoa am4 sa follove;
I On ens ride ths OOUPt8 take the view
thaC t&e*oirtr nay be taxed aa l gzo c ltm bo-
CaU80 the caner 18 ured 2a the ret&b f”1sbmeat cad
uiatenanne of o law llbra uhlah, it i8 8t8tO6, :8
8 lccgltimte charge on tbo 7 ttLganL8. Ve ilnd our-
relter uneble to 8ecopt tb8t pleu. Juoh reasoalngt
vould lerd into fields of expetilturer vbleh ryy a8
wall l.aalude the eo8t of tbs aorut houu8, the euto-
robilee ubfcb of~loerr u8e to lpprehend arie.laal8
4~2 evua the rcSd8 upoa which they ride. If 8OZ+
thlng.so remote a8 a lau library say bo properly
charged to ths lltlgant on the theory that St better
prepare8 th8 aourte and the attorneys Par the pertarm-
4naO Of their d,uth?r, it OCaUT8 to U8 that Ye nQ.ht
ae logically tax an Zten of coat fm tha eduoatloa
Of 8UCh lttOFZXCy8 Uid jUC@ea W&d even the O&d-t8
of the sohoolr uhloh they rttend. f48ny other illur-
tr8tlona sight be u8ed 8pproprhtely to rhov ths
fallaoy of ouch contentfoa end the inevlteble rcault
that lltl.@btlnXa la the OOlZTt8 vould be plrohlb%tlve.
Ye, therefore, conolube, a8 8evor41 6t8tea h4vs,
th8t the tax imposed by ths bill i8 not aad oaanot
be lo~loally conridered a proper item of oort la
litigation, partlaulmly ia ormla41 088e8,~
hPtjOle 111, %JOtiOA 5;6 Of the c~UStmIt~OZI Of &X88,
1a put, provides ls So1bv81
9he Iagf818ture 8hall not, excupt a6 other-
Vi84 provided in thl8 Cm8titUtim, p?tSS ang bC81
or rp6al81 law, eUthOri8lngr
*. . . .
URoguleting the sSf8Ira of CouatUir. . . .
I
. . . .
“Re$ulatlng t&a paotloe . . . brforo 6owt8.
. . .
I
. . . .
oAnb & 811 other 08868 uhere 8 @nerrl l&u cul
be mada lpplleable, 00 looal or special l~v abell be
6MOt6d. . . .”
It l66m8 r6w 6611 66ttlad tb8t before St8tUt6.
vhlch CO Mt h8Ve I g6Zk6r818&pliO8tiOZl CM b6 8U8t8lMd 8i not
being 6 1oC81 O? 8peO181 18Y, tbs Ol888ifiO8tiOlS ll6d mU8t not
be one 8rbitITW~ly adopted upon a gvoutul vhlch h88 no founda-
tion in diffara~ad Of 81tU8tlOXa Of the COuW,i@8 placed In dlf-
rsrent ~188668; that there muxt b6 8om6 r888OMb1e relation, k6-
tVU6n thair EitU6tioD 8Pd ths pU?p6868 Obj6Ot8
clll~! t0 be ob-
tPiaa66j and, tbrt thier6 mu8t b6 ramething vhioh in IO= mason-
able dog06 EdJ$ 8OOOUZktiOr the 8lt8bli8hment Of tb686 C18886:.
Rlllar v. El P880 County, 150 3. Y. (26) 1000 (Sup. Ct.), and
8uthorltles cited thercla.
abova r6880nlng,
Follovlng va do not bellevs
the
th6r6 6XiOt8 fOr th6 0~88ifi68tlOIb
iOgitiEt6t6
gPOUd8 8OUght
ln h'tlOl0 1702b-2, SUprr. Th6r6 8r6 OIL1 tW0 &POund8 m
vhlch the 8rtlol6 under uonslder8tlon OOUf d bs uld to be a
rea8oMble 01888iflC8tbQ. mm86 ara that l6886r tho popalA-
tion the mor6 ~63 r0r 8 oounty llbr8ry, or greater th6 popu-
lation the p6at6r the need for 8Wh 8 llbrur. we do not bt-
11CV6 8 pOpUl8tiOai br8ok6t 18 8 re88OMbk Ol888ifi66tiQS& Or
&?OURd for 8 8t8tUt6 Of th0 MtUW UNhr C=8i&F8tiOB. ft 18
jU8t 88 neOe888rJ t0
libr8q iII COWti68 Or
h673 8 COuOtT
86611 pDpU&tlOK% 88 in OOUUti68 Oi gp'68t pOpU&tkUh, fCW in-
8Ofll' 88 8 litig8nt 18 OOllQ6F~c;d. tbore 18 jU8t 88 IOUChXAeCd
t&i& bL8 01868 be iXIpWti8llJ 8nd rffloira~ coa8idrrad vheth-
82 th6 COUUtr h88 8 PO~UbtiOIk Of lo,oo~ Or 310,003, 8d COA-
oer8slg tba 8am6 ?688Oalq 8ppllcr.
Coaocdiap, hovaver, the population brrok6t 1s 8
r668OMb~6 @‘Ound Of 01888iflCatiOlX 1A thl8 &WtialdU bCiC6IAt,
but 8till iirEI1J COnvinOed t0 the OODtrUJ, Ye U6 8till Of th6
OpiniOn thd the 8t8tUt6 uDd6r CO&I6iC6?8tiIXI 5U8t i811 68 be-
- 8 lOOA 3X' 8p6C181 18U. The F668iX~ for thl8 i8 th8t the
L6glxlatuP8 ha8 not been UILifoW Or CWi8t6< irr th6 Cl6881-
floation. If the grokllld iOr fh6 01888ifiCiRtiOn 18 th6 @6atCr
Honor8ble II. Y. C~iuxlngb8m, plgee 5
th6 pOpUl6tiOIi, th6 &r88t6r th6 tA66d for COUlitTlibr8r160, than
vhy ItOp 8t OOWti68 Vho86 &WpUl8tiW 18 OV6f 78,000. It 18
tlW6, APtlo 17026, R6rl86d ClTi1 St8tUt68, inolUd68 OOUAti68
Of 80,000 t0 225,000, but 80 f8r 88 pOpti8tiOA Ol688ffiO8tlOA,
V6 hV6 00 8rti6168 d68lin(( in thi8 re8p6Ot vZth OOlUlti68 Of
larger popul6tion. If the @'OUlld for 01*88ifi@8tiOR 18 tht
1688 th6 pOpUl8tiW the mOP6 XL668 tb6l'e i8 iOr 8 llbr8ry, tbbn
VhJ h68 the tigi8lZtllF6 not pPOV:ded for librule8 in OOUAt168
UAd6r 50,000. ti othsr vOrd8, the hgi8bltW6 ha8 not fO1lOUed
8 uniform 94tterA in it8 Ol688iflO8tlOA. It V89 for th18 C68-
8OIk tb8t th6 SUPr6Ill6 COUl't iA &X8l' 0OUAty V. m, u8 T6X.
223, 97 9. W. (26) 467, held 6 populZtlon brakket rtatute U-
OOA8titUtiOA81 88 being 6 10081 Or 8p6C161 UV. w6 qUOt6 th6F6-
trOXl 88 fO1lOV8 I
” thl8 COWt r6OOgniC6'.? that 8Ub8t8ILt161
differ&i tn populotloAZ of 00unt1es OOUlQ be Md6
8 b6818 Of 16@8l&tiOn fiXlly OGJIQ6W6ttOIIOf Offl-
cer8, on the theory, 88 the Court clearly raOO@Z6d
th8t th6 vork devo1viAg Upon 6n officsr Vas in 80ms
degrae proportionste to the popu~tion Of ths oountg.
Thlr h8s frequ<ly bean r6OOgAiZ6d by eOurt8 88
ometlng,a 8ufflolsnt dlstlnotion to juatlfy 8 larger
oompenration for 0oUAty offloer8 in oouAtle8 hZviAg
8 18rg6 population 88 oomp6zad vlth CoaqmlZZtloA to
like OffiOer8 in OOWlti68 bYiAg 8 Snul11 pCtptitiOll.
Converrely, va think lt true th8t if :he Legirlrture
ignore8 the obvlour faot that tha vork of oounty of-
floerr 18 proportlon6te to population 8nd 0188~168
OOOAtie8 in such VSy that the O~n86tiOn Of Off1061'8
of a oountJ h6vlng 6 18rge pOpUl8tiOU 18 fixed far
belov the oaapeneatloa allowed like officer8 f.n
SllIZ11 OOUJlti68, 8uoh 8CtiOn 8WLUlt8 t0 fi.Xm a
ol888iflo8tloA which 1.8 arbitrary and vhlch h6s no
trU6 f616~8AOy t0 the purpO8e Of the i6gixlAtiOiL
. . .
In 0E;lnlon No. O-4439 thlr department held Artiola
17026, VeFAOA'8 Texas civil St8tUt68, ZA WtiC10 81Zi1til' t0 th6
OAO Under ei8OW8iOJZA, UnOOAstitUtioA61. we 6AOlo86 8 OOyy
theraof.
It lr th6r6fOr6 th6 OplniOA Of thir departlaent th6t
the di8triOt 6Ad county olerkr of Nwarro County oan not
’
I ’
Eonorabla '1. Y. Cunn~, pago 6
l~gltlutely tax as oostr in 0rlnLnrl and civil caaea a One
Dollar ($1.00) library tee as provided for in Artlols 1702b-2,
rupra .
Very truly your
ATTORNEYQWERAL OF TEXAS
Robert 0, Koch
A8sl8tant
ROILtdb
Bnoloaure