Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1942 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Uonorablo Frank R. i&may
county Attorney
carroa couaty
Peah34dle, torn8
Your reQuert ior a this Depart&t read88
aak8 a rtats-
, aball coastltute a
&umr aaoay
coastltute 3 Quolwa.
“‘Can a oouaty ccmmlsrioaer vho la sick be
ooutsd 8s prsseat oven thotz& ho- ia umiblo to
cow to the Court XOUYIQ,provided he alga8 the or-
ders?’
m*If your, awwr to the flmt quoatioa is la
the nffirmtlvo, then kindly odvire ao to vhether
Nonorable Prank R. Nwray, pp 2
l‘If an ill oomhrionm vho la unrbla to at-
tend a arraioa oi the aourt aannot k counted a8
0onatruutlTvly preasat ana a&La* only the Dlatriot
court can determine the queat1oa OS a vaaanoy, iaov
aan fho ooi#iaaioneM8 court trmaaot bualneaa vhers
tb o ltctute protidea for all Plembera of the court
to ba prosoat?@
.‘fe the iaauanae or time vamcnta ror the pay-
i88at ot fatpr0rap#nt8 Crc the purahaas of maahfnery
praia the tlao varmint8 aantrin the protlalon
. . . . and that to create said fund, a tax La tmre-
by lerlrd to pay the lntsreat 0~ raid varranta and
to porlde the neoaarary ainkint( funca, and to pcy
the prlaoipkl themof at nrturlty” such a lcrJ of
a tax a8 requfrea the prsacncs of the entire Corn--
miaafonor3’ Court?‘”
In Texas Juriapruaonoe, Voluae 11, page 559,it 28
ltatsdr
.IB order that valid aatlcn “lay be takan br
gy~e~4u88;ow~8, they mat firat be ormea
. -any area xamberr 0r the cwaiaaioaer8~
oouzt, iocrludfng the oountt judge, aonstltuta a
quorum r0r the tfcruaction of any buatiO88 exoept
that of 1 e T y ir q c 8o u a ty ta x. . l .*
Artiolo 2343, Wmma’a Anaotated Civil Statute+@roads:
“Aay throw am&era of eald court, iacludiag the
county &ago, shall oonatltute 8 quoruls roP the
tmnsaotlan of my buaitaoaa except that of 1erpinSt
a oounty tax.”
It ~18 haa in th0 0a80 0i ze00kb P. stat0, ki a. w.
(2d) 714 that the aosmiaalouera~ uourt could levy tama only at
a rogulu toFm vita 8ll msmbara praaent.
It WI hola by the &@mne Court or Tom Ln the cars
of Fro0 v. Yaarborough, 8 3. U. 1901
Honorable Prank R. S&array, page 3
“Artlolr 1515 gave the paver to 1~7 tuea
for oounty urpoaoa, and Article 1517 (nor Article
2354, .supra P lmpoaad llmltationa a8 to the moda of
impocllng taxea as follova:
“‘X6 county tax ahall b% levied oxrapt at a
regulap trma of *U court, and vhen all the numbers
of said court arm present.’
“Unquaatioaabl~, the Legislature had tha paver
to atakmthis rub. T& llnltotlon admlto of AO
construction. The meanlag is cleari aourta carmat
alter or diapenas vith tt.’ (?srazrthetlcol insm-
tioa ours)
In viev of tha foregoing authorities it is our opinion
that tha conndamioneral court cannot maks a valid county ,pbmy
vhon one of the cominlasionmra la absent dum to 1llaes.s.
liovo the vord *present" as uesd in the etatutr ati&d be gfvsn .
.lt8 usual meting and to rmquirm actual presence at 8 regular
‘.moeting of the aourt held at the courthouse. (Article 2343, R.s.)
With reapmct to your question as to hov tha commlaalon-
o x -m*
c o ur t
c a na& gndmr lwh ve regret that there
c lr c wc sta nc m8.
1s In our opinion no vay In vhlch the oourt CSD aot so at to levy
8 legal tax except upon a full oomplFance vlth Utlole 2354, supra, ’
Urnbellwe that the lsvplng al’ a tax Sor the purpose
of paying fntmrmat and providing a alnklng fund to rotlm vac-
rants Issued for tha pu,urchaae of machinery and for the ynent
of imrprovementa ccdaea vlthln the purview of Article 235 0”, aujwa,
rmquiring the arfimativa action of the court vhen 811 wmbera of
thm court are present.