Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1943 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Homrable D. 0. @reer
State Hi&way Engineer
Texas Highway Department
AWtin, TOXW
Dear Slfr
as follow:
w that any mneyo
tax oolleotor from
oertifiaate of title,
es neoeerary to the
e duties requlrad of
It10 Aotj ehould be
y Department for
ate FKghway Pund~ Immediately
bed tax OQlleOtQrS to remlt
t any money8 regaining in their
e end of the 1941 oalendar year
t 0r all neoesrary oiiioe empenseia,
8, 1941, we reoeired from tax
8um or &31,660&O. In the latter
part of 1041 a suit was filed by the UommN~ionerr
CQtU?tOr Harrie County oonterrtingthe Stateva
intereatrrin any BUUW`` remaining over aad above
the expenses of administering the Title Aot by
the tax Colleotor of Harris Oounty, and as a
rwult Or this aotion, ,thisDepartment reoeltsd
%norable D. C. Greet Pam 8
from tax Oolleotors at the end of the lQII3oalendar
year the sum of only $5,526.16. This Departlapntia
oow boldfng oheaks from tax oolleatora in the total
oum or $27,llB.96, that has been reoeired iron tax
oolleotork ln response to our dlreotlona that all
aooaoyaremaining in their title tllndafter the pay-
ment 0r all expensar Or ad.alniatorlngthe Aot rar
laoh oalandar year be remitted to the Highway Depart-
ment . It haa not bean depomlted in the State Hlghway
Fund beoawe it was realized that the oourta might
poaslblg determine that the State had no interest
in auoh fund8 and it rould than be lmpooeible to
return the fund8 to the county without the act of
the Legl8lature.
* Will you pleaee advise uo what di8po8ition
ohould now be made of the above amntloned rundo by the
HUhway Departma&LR
Thi8 Department delivered SO you it8 Opinion 190.
O-3561 in May 1941, to tho offoot that any baluaoe or rurplua
ovar neee8wry expenditure8 out of the 88# retalned by the
a88eawr and oQlleoter Of the oounty would not be oonridend
roe8 or oodaaLon8 to be paid Into the Offloer#* Salary Food,
or aooomted fQr aa fee8 0r QifiOO, but lhQuld be waltted
to the Highway Deputmentr
In the oaae’oi State ~8 Ql.888, 167 8. W. (Sa) tO6,
the Oourt OS OlillAppeal8 at Oalveaton in it0 opinion aet
out the itiding oi iaot and oonolu8lona 0r law Qt the trial
oourt and then rendered two oeparate findingo. We qwte the
13th finding of the trial oourt a6 tollowat
“19. X find that, iigUr8d upon a peroentage baair,
baaed upon the number of deputies in the offloa, the'
ooat of adminiateriag the Oortlricate 0r Tit18 A08
ia Ekrris Goant)requal8 o r lxoeed8 th8 SS$ retained
by the AIu88Ol' and Golleotor otlt Oi the Certitioato
of Title fe8srn
We alao puQte iroa the same aplnlon the ~onolualona
or law numbered 1 and S aa tollQw8:
"1. I wnolude a8 a IWAttOrof law that 00 fntOntiOn
is ahown upon the part Or the Legislature.,by the
g6norable D. C. Greer Page 3
language of the aaendnmnt Or Seotion 57, 0r the
CertlfiOate Or Title AOt, t0 reqUir0 the A88emQr and
Colleotor o? Taxes to aooouat to the b-to Highway
Department tar any aurplua whloh might remain In his
hMd8 frQI?I the 2S# ice retained by him, and that it
was the intention a? the Legislature that luoh ice
8lu3uldoonatitute a fee 0r of?ioe, or orriaial aoa-
pensatfon, o? the A8aeaaQr and Colleotor.
"3. I iurther oonolude that the sentenoe in Seo. 61
Art. 16 Qr the Stat0 CO&3titUtfQa, VO~OncO AM. St.,
reedln&; *AU fee8 earned by di8trlot, oounty and
'preolnot officer8 ahall be paid into the county
treaaury whore earned ior the aooount Q? the proper
mad*, indieatea an intention that all rOO8 0r every
aharaoter oolleoted by a county otiioer oiiloially
In oountiee hating a population Q? twenty thowand
or more rhall baoom rOO8 0r QrfiOO, and that the
ottioer i8 limited to his salary a8 oompennation,
$nd any feea oolleoted by him o??lolally mu8t be
paid Into the oounty dOpQ8itQry as direoted by the
oonditutional provi810n.”
The Court o? Civil Appeal8 on page 201 of the G&00
Opinion held that the new duties to the @ubllo generally
(and not a8 Han Friday to the Highway Department only) were
thus iaposod by the law making body upon the appellee only
in hi8 oiifoial oapaoity a0 tax a88esaor and oolleotor o?
Earri8 County and prooumably within the already exletin&
oonatltutioual powers Or ouch an orrfoer. Following thl8
tinding we quote:
"(lo) This oonclu8lon detortinea the merita ot
the Highway Depurtment*O appeal, beoauae, under it, that
appellant had no interest in the fund here involved;
aooordingly, it is not deemed neoesaary to at length pa80
UpQa it.8 other contention agin8t the 8UffiOienQy 0r the
erideme to euetaln the oourt*~8ifnding that the ooat
o? administerin@ the Aot to the appellae equaled QC
oxoeeded the 2S$ lee 80 retained by him.
0 *~woweverl no hOk Or OUDpO~ rOl: VU&t ri&kd``
on tb iaota 18 ~ereeivod--it appearbaa to bore beon
at lea& l perrlaaible lnfennoo iron all the taota
and oiroumatanooa in e~ldenea.
a The appealed-from Jadumn8 wtll be In al1
other reapeeta affirrd, but l8 to it0 allowaaoe
o f ltOo r na y*a
r o e8 to tho lppelbe It rlU be
revaraed, an6 tbe ertire oattao an to attorney'r
Seer will ba here rendered ldvezaely to Elm.
*Afiirsed in part, reveraed rml nndered in part.*
i ,’ .
ft will 8e aeon from a uraful madin of the Olaaa
Caae tbatZha Court of Civil Appeal8 hrld two thin&a, that is,
tlrrt, that the Rlghway Departmenthad u? iakreat in the
toad beeauae Sk tax ColUater and Aaaeoau be aot it@ agant
bat was rreth::lii ooaiormenae to hi8 duty u a publio offlei~l
and She aneya eolleoted were Seer or oifloa an6 it war sot
ne6eaauy to poaa at len((thupon any other emtantien~ and
880ond, there waa no lack ot wpport for auah riadla(l Oi iaota
peroolve6 la the rooord, it ap~#ulngi to have been at lm8t a
permlaalble fnrereaoe 0s all the raOt8 an4 ofrcunuturooa in
nidaaoa.
ltoa thla 4ari~alon cr Dim Court of cltsl AjBpoaU,
tha State or ruaa made lppllaatloa ror writ of error to
&ho supreme Coptt aad ralasd tlm point that the iindtng
t&it the o o a Eaor ldp r la i*tuthe aot fn Barrio County
qtia or lsoeoda the L&I rotaYna d bf the CoUeotor aid
OS luoh Seoa aa oonatrued by tba Court of Clvll ippmla
wa8 unoorta\ln to the e%tem aa to afford no 1e8al support
to r luoh eonelualon of law aad jobgment breed thueoa.
In the applloatioa. the other pelnt cri error a0 to tbr
eomtruotioa 8eatIon 5B ot the Certlrloata of TlOle kot
was al- ratred.
ma ~upruao Uuwt rreruud the welt or error fos
we 0r rurit.
ikale 40$ of tire &ha of 01111 Proeddwo prwldoa
that ia au W&W0 th0 $&IOOnt
W8Q8 Of t&O COwt Of civil
18 a oorreot one Wt the L;tUpreae
icppeelrr Ceuti la net
oatdefied that thouoginloa of the Gourt of Clrfl Artper la
aU raapea0a hrr eorreetly de&wed the bw, It will retaam
Ronwablo R. C. Grow .YwJ45
th; a~&l8Otion with the t¶OOkOC not&ion; "hfu80d lot tant of
Merit .*
The JURr@E@ court has no 5uriwuotian PO to the
faote of the oaae, when there ia a dl8pute. Riohardaon va
Liberty Iadep6mWt 3abol Dirtriot 39 6. w. (zd) am.
xt do88 not roiiw the th8 crupru~ c0e 18 0Ot0f
ooncr8moA with the iaot 188~08. The saprem court detaria88
VhOther thaw8 18 a lOgel 8aifioi8noy to #upport u fi~luiry.
YH Ga1v.*ton H. & ti. A. BY. co. V8 nrrrioca Greowf co. 36
6. b. I %d) 905, US 3. 6. (64) 6@3, afflrting 1s if. a. 61~4 983,
In that oaai3 It wee held;
*A8 wo oOn8tPUo tho oplnlon Of DhO Court of civil
@pcLL8, that oourt do08 uot Wort8k8 to rub8tltuto
ltr rlndingr of feet ior W findingi ef thr trial
court, but aordp oonetruad tbo log81 lfr00t Of t.hq
evibao~, oon8l6er.d ae a rholo, an4 hold, a8 a arttai
o fla v, th a the
t ma r f c o .
*a athe lgw&t OS the R*ilwy
co. ad not ltbble for the #hlpPrtitor ~048 brrtro+
by rir0, on6 theroiorc,revorwl ma6 rendarod the 08~80.
Thir ruling five8 the iiu~mmr, Court the parr to mvi8v
th alvia o nea .~
fn the aale of zuith VI AtOht8On T. & 8. 1. B Iw8
9. t. 690, tbo ctap3rmaCourt he16 that the Cart of CiviE @pealm
having mdo Ciudlnm of hot that dofoet rroovarf, it wa8 nooerury
that the oras@ bo rowid& for another trial.
Tha Cortltio*to of Title aot of MSQ, doftm$ the
torna V0parta8nta urd adaiat~tratlonan6l rnror00-
plaood th8
was or the Irw isa the Ropartm8nt of Publio mfetr mB pro-
ridod its riehtr and dutlm in reapoat thareto~ P ad ruthorised
thr 8ai4 d*partmwit to p~OWib0 llW888*y ;tOX%uD and CO IS&a
rulea neoerrary to etfeotuato the law; al promorib& tho dutle8
of the deaigoatod a&a&8. Hmn this law wan aaandod by t&e
lQ4i h618lrrture, the XUghay Dep8rtmmt oi 'Paa toak over
the function8 of the IIopwtmnt of Public i%afetf, but th. pro-
vi8lon8 In the oti&wl ii6twith roZca-es to the laatterra above
numt~iouod wra not obwigrd.
Bonorrble D. C. Creer Pa$e 6
In vlaw or Huh of Froaaduro 80. 485, tbo rerusal
0f the nit of error ror want 0r eRrit is oAp6bh of the OOD-
etruction that tha ame Was refuesd bOOaU88 the judgannt upon
thO faot ieaua at arproditure of SUOh auas by the oolleotor
WI)8 OonaluSiVI, and that the Court WaS not 8AtiSfi.d with tho
Court ot Civil dippeAl hoMing on the amttsr of aganoy of the
Coll8otor. The order srrdeby tbr Oluproaa Court is ll80 sapablo
of thO oon8~truOtloathat the writ wan rorurrd booau8e tha oourt
wee 8etiSfie0 with tho Court of Civil r``8818 holding on thO
qua8tion of agenoy and that it we-8ROt 8at~8fie6 with raIsranO0
to tbo JUd$meMi Upon tha iPOt i#sUO Of OXpOQAitUrO Of SUOh SW
by the 00118AtOr in the 4dAilIiStrAtii.AOr the Act AS b8iw OOA-
cluBlra.
In tho li@ht Of Vhat WS hRV0 raid, the QUOStfOB Of
ttAa ~t6t8'8 lateroUt in be&llOoS, attat hOal lX~nditU?O# ha10
boon pAI, 3&S not bwn dofinitely drteEmiB#d
by tho &l&UOU
COtart,mb thr dOO181On O? th. OOUm Of civil &QOe18 68 to
ruoh aattare lb0uld not h aoaaptad (LS tha law gororniag thO
aammr to your lnwtlr~.
til fund8 bO&n6in$ to the Bi@weJ DepRTtMOnt er8
dOpOSi&Od vlth tha Stat0 ~ea#UrOr t0 tbo OrOdit Of a SpOOi81
fr&fd&eRi(ClutOd au the bitat Hi&Way ?uOd and paid 6Pt lo OOtb -
* to Ar tic le
64 9 4 .
Tbr 6bOVO h&St n8-d StatUtO aad UtiOl.8 6678 t0
6694 iIl81PSiV0, Of the Stf&tUt88 mko it ap&uWOnt thet, subj.&
to oontrol by the ~&iSlAttlFO, th# Stat0 Bi&WR~ Dapartmmt i8
glvon the supenlsion of the tit&toIii&way Fun4 and 8nl lxpcm-
dituror thsreot 618 Was held lI2the QaSO Of Bobbin8 V. lho-
StOR8 cOUlltJ,da.~. 916.
Th8 Stats Troaeury lr the AO~oeltor~ of ttm fuads.
TexAs Co. v. kiohrlewer,38 3. 3..ha. 141‘ error refused.
It 16 our opiaion that the chOOk8 mrutlonod by yea
#ho&d be turned over to the &At8 '&OeSWOr.
YOU8 very truly,