Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE All’ORNEY OENERAL OF TEXh8
AUSTIN
~.
ma. ~l.bortJ. Butrat
Ceua$y Attorlmy
¶vwity ceurrty
Ch*rrtoa, ?exoe
Hoa. Albert I. Huteon, P8gr 1
Ho. 730, pam8ed by the 44th Laglir&ture,
hgular ~ermio5?"
Seotlon la, Art1010 21001-14 nmd8 in part
&I follonr
'In rountiO0 hmvin& Y ~ogulutlon of aat
lemo than thlrtmmn thoummlrd, mix h&h04 and
thirty-•roen (13,637) aad not Rare than thlr-
tea thoumud, mix hundrad anA forty (lS,UOJ
aamordlng to tbr l~mt prmaedlag ?mdmnl :ma-
mm, thm CouSty 301~68 Of TrartO.8 My M~S
mumh provlmlonm mm they aemmi rtmommmrr~ for
offiom and fravellng lxpmxbmmm of the County
~iqmrlnfmndmnt O? Tub110 fnmtruotion) provided
th u t ^h8 mmount o ?luoh mtpmndltunm for 0fri0S
aad travellqg erpnmam &hall not erosed the
,um of 31~ Huadnd Dollarm ($600) par aan-.
The aaunt allowod mhall br paid %n the sawor
crud In aooorbanoe with 5m existing lmwm govero-
ing tb ndt0nan00 0f the orrio or the county
Su~riotradont;*...~
38eot1oa 1 of BOUM nl.11 ??o. 730, r;mtu oi the
Uth b&mlatun, 1938, ZMgular SOSalon, reads la part
aa rollowms
lSec tio 1n .Thnwt in oath oounty of this
Stok with a Foprxlatlon of not 1088 than thir-
toan thousand mix hun6re6 (13,600) and not saorm
tton thlrtrmn thoummnd, llx hundnd fitty
(15,6SO),.....amshown by the Fmdenl Ceasua
last preoedlng auoh the count7 9oard
action,
of ~rustsmm is hors87 authorlrmd to mot rrlde
tros the arallablm mdhool fund of thm oouty,
in acoordazwm with thm 9rorlmlo~ ot the gmaerml
law goveralng thm armrsenent ror the support
of the county Supmrlnarldeat*m 0fri00, (~11
amount not ?SJ lxooad Sir 1!uodred Dollmrm ($600)
to dotray the rrpmamrm of tha Couatr Suprrln-
tsadent and thm County Fooard of T'rumtmem la
the admlnfmtratlen o? the loholamtlo affuirr
of the county.”
Hon. Albmrt J. Hotson, Pmgm 3
Amabove mtotmd, aooordlng to thr last pmoord-
lng Fedora1 Conmum, Trinity Countr ham l p ulution of
thirtsmn thoumaad air hundred thirty-meton"plS,SSt) ln-
habitants, *.hu8falling with tha pro~l~lon~ of the sborm
amatlonmd mtmtutmfj, naiuoly,"having a Population of not
lass than thirteen thoumand 8ix hundred thirty-soran
(lS,6S7) an6 not S~%%Ithan thlrtoan thousand mix hundrad
forty (13,640) aoaordlng to the la8t preoedlng Federal
C8aaum,* a nd Vhat laoh oounty of ttl8 state with a pop-
latlon of ant lmse than thirtron thcuaend air hundred
(13,600) and not nora than thlrteoa thousand mix hundred
fifty (lS,SSO)."
Trinity County la the only county in tha State
vhioh, woordlng to tha hat Fadoral Cenaun, had a popu-
lation within th4 llmlt.8mproiflmd in the prorlmlonm of
tha lta$utasabova maatlonad.
Seotlon 56, utlolo 3 of the State Conatltution
reads in Part em tollorm:
Thm I.e~lmlmturmshall not, lxoopt am
othanlmr provided in this Constitution,pass
any looal or mpsolal laws, luthcrlrFag....
regulating the affaira of oountlem, oltlom,
towam, warda or mohool dlmtrlotm;....mndLn
all other oammm ulmro a genaral law oan ba
Eeds applicable, no looal or nPoola1 law shall
be lnaotad; pmrldad, that nothing heroin oon-
tained shall ba conmtrued to prohibit tha fags-
latura fro6 passing mPaola1 lawr ror the pm-
aanatlon o? qarzmand flab of thlm State in
oartaln looalltlar.*
The oamm of 8alth ~8. Stats, 49 SW 2d 159, hold8
ln lrfaot that If lubmtantlal Zbamon tor olammlrying ~unl-
OiPalitiaS by population lppoarm, Such olamaifloatlon and
~agimlatlcuiapplloahlm to muoh olamalfioatlon la generally
sultalnmd. Howawr, tho oonmtltutlonal prohibition a(gainst
mPmaial law8 oanoot be m``dmd by rrklng laws lpplloabla to
Eon. Albert J. Fiutwa, Fag0 4
a protandad olaaa, and that a Statute olaaal*lng munl-
oIpalitlea by populatIoo 18 -apeoia1* li the populs tion
a0ea net arfGrd a r8ir be818 ror oiaaalrloat~aa;ii the
atatuta cwal7 daalgnatea a linple runloi~llty under
thS cyiaa of ohbaaitying by popuhtion; aDd that a valid
alaaalfloatlan0r manlolpalItIa8 by population must not
lxoluda other lu.alolpalItlaa from rntering *73 Kan.
722, 85 P. 781.' (use sob tho oaaaa of dx
Fart. Slarmora, 0 SW M 134, and F.:.andGl:h
v. Stats, 38 9% M 484).
314 oaam or Emxar County v. fynan, lt al, 97
33 f&d4bT, baldi In 0rt40t tb8t the L~o~Ialatur4ray an
a proper rnd roarclnablmslaaaItIoatlononaot a gonmral
law which, at the tlxo ot its lmctxent, Is lpplloablo
to only CEO aounty, Frtnidmd tko lpplloatIon la nc3tso
Isfi?mxfbly tixod as to prevent it aver bmaoaIn6 lpplioablm
to ether counties and tht tha Leqlalaturo uy olaaalty
counties on baa18 et population ror ~urpoaoa ot tfxlng
CCEFOXlSCt$Oll Qt 8CUllt~ aad FZ-4ClSOt Ct'lC4r8, but 8~ob
claaaItIc~tIonautt 50 hased on real dlrtlgotion and mat
net bm an lrbltrazy dovloo to glrr what la la lubatanom a,
local or apmofal law, tho for?. cf l cenrral la w. rindthe
aasm tarthor holds that tbo ocurta ln dotenrlning, whether
a &w la publlo, gmnaral, apeolal or 1.~41, will lock tc
the lubatanoo a36 Fractloal oporatlco ratha than to it8
tltlo, rem, ~hr884010``, llnem othemlam a prohlbltloa
Gr *be tundaEaota1 la w l``ainat lpmolal logIalatlcn would
bm nugatory; and to juatitr plaofng one county in a vary
lI=Itmd and restrIoted olaarltlcatIonby tha le~Ialature,
there mat be louo reawaabla rrlatlon botwoan Chr situ-
tiOn ot tho octmtlma olaaaItImd aad purpoama and ob!mota
to ba lttaimd, and olaaaIiIcotlon oamct bo adcrts4 arbl-
trarlly on a ground which hoe 80 icundrtlon In dlitorenoo
Gf oltuatlon or olroueatanoaa or oountlma plaomd In dif-
f*rmnt alaaaoa. The lot r4duoltq aalarlaa ot ottlomra In
lGQntIma or over twc hundrod and nlnmty thcuaand and loaa
t&n thrmm bundrmd &nd ten thourand Fopulation was iimfd un-
Ecn. Albert J. Hutaon, fag0 6
raaaonab~a acd arbitrary In its olaaalfIoatIon and ~014
a sa lpoolal lav.
14 quote tram thb ah014 amntlonmd opinion as
roll0vat
Wim rule Ia that a alaaaIflaatlon oaa-
not b4 adoftod arbitrarily upon a wd
whiah has no tounbatlonln 4Iti8rrlrc4'or
aituatior or oIrouaatanoaa of tba ruaiolpall-
time plaood in tho difforont 0188~48. ?haro
curt be soya naaoaablm relation betworn tha
situation or mnIoipalitl4a olaaalrI4d la th4
;,ur)oaaand the object to br attained. There
lcuat be samthing .... whloh in aom rmawn-
lbla drgmo lcowntr tcr the dlrltioa Into
0iaaaaa.*
Article 2700, Varnon*a Clrll mnotatod Etrtutaa,
the qenoral ltttute, rm~arding lalarIaa, mrpmaama ror
888fStSnt8,
lXFOnditUr48 iOr 0fri00 a36 tr8waling lXwnaSS
of ccunty au~ilntcndonta ia oountlra harim a lobolaatlo
pOFtihtiOn 8s tbermin ltatsd, which 1rmlw?Qa lii m@ untiea ,
reads In part as rollcvai
vhm oonnty board or truarorr may !zake.
ouah turttor ~avlsion a6 it ao~ra.nrorarsry
r0r GtrfCS end tn7olIag ax~osn4a tor tbm
cocat,r at.q~rlntendant sad any lsalstsnt ho
my hare; puviama that lxp4nalturaa rcr or-
tfca and tratelln~ ?ixpenama shall not exceed
thror buMdn4 dollars per lMUIP, ~a4 tba oounty
bO&?d Of tTUStS48 cay zak8 pTGviSion8 rOT the
anployrmt of a ampotent aaaiatant for the
county auperIntaadmatwho shall, la lddItlGn
to C?a ctbor Qutlma, not as lttmadarioo offi-
crnr1 and said board la horob authorlto6 to
riX the lalrry oi aLo;iassistant and pay the
84% out ot tbm aamo funds fmc wnfeh the
salary and lxpoosma of the county luporIn?en-
dent a t0p a id;....*
?%4 a to r e lrtlolo
mc ntlo ned applioa to all ooun-
tI** ~Wardleaa of tboir populatIo0. In so far as tho
Ron. Ubert J. But800, lbm 9
6X0-t whloh may b elx>8ndCd for attic. 8rd tnVrlia&
crpen8rr cf th8 coxnty ruperlatandont, it fixer the
n~xlcur!at thrao hundrrd dollnrr par annum. Couatl.8
rlth a mllor cr 18rger population than lrinlt.7Couaty
are llnlted 113tkrlr lrpendltur0 for 8uc hlx p *n8*8 to
.~Sid8uE. It 18, therMoN, 8rraNn' th&t the Lyl818-
ture intended ttat the 8ctr uador oonrlderrtlon8hould
4pply en1y tc Trinity county. S-iOk lCt8 mre Sor thl8
6nd otker reaeca8 coadenraedby thr Supraao Court In
iebr Co;iaty v. Tymn, eupra.
Article 2689, Vcroon*I Clvll Aanotat86 Ltctutor,
read8 in part a8 follow8:
"n?. CCuantJ Echcol Tr&8tocr shall hold
nertln8,a once mroh quarter, cm the flr8t
Yondry in nugu8t. Pebruan, L'ay,and lkmasber,
o r .a la c o a ‘thareafter as pnttlssbla, bnd ot
other titc.8 when called by the rrerldrnt of
the County Sohool ‘hurtCC8 or st :ho inrt8nOe
o f lY two (&) LW.bbr8 of tte County Sohool
?ru8toe8 8nd t3o County Supwrlntandrnt,the
neetinq place t? be rt thb couatp soat and in
the office of the County Cuperintondrnt. Sch.
Trustee chall be pa16 'ThreelXlkr8 ($3) per
day, but not tc exceed Yhlrty-81x trollrrr
(24) in my cm ymbr',for the tire lpent in
bSttbndb4 SuCki!nntUtiZg8,Out Of ttzestat. 606
Couaty &vallaSla School Fund b: Warrant8 drawn
on or:cr of tho County Supmrlntanteatand rlgn-
ld k7 the FrCsUont of the County Sohcol Trkw-
teas, ltttr approval of the looount, propsrly
RON to by ttr Tnrldeat ef the Zounty Sohool
~ust~zr....”
Thl8 statute prorid oom~rn88tioo for raid
ft%star8, bet doer not allow any traveling expanse8 for
'.hm. T:ls stotuta 8p;lies to Trlzltr Ccuaty.
T!x questlen of rhrthor, after th6 next Federal
cenB.ti,other eruntlss will 00~9 uader the pr~vlrlc~8 of
tb* above nrntlrned not8 cr rtrther tto act8 thea8alvo8
8111 beoma lncprratlvr by mason of the feet tbt no
Other oounty will hoe a po;tiatlon filling rlthlo the
bratket8 ortated in thsra @eta, 18 CO unourtuln a8 to mkr
900. hlbert J. P,UtSOIi, pp.8 8
it alurll Spt~UlStiVO. Cf aoUr@e, it 18 pOS#ib~b that
a nuabor of oountibr ~111 have th ;Opuhtloa required,
but it 18 highly Frobatl$ by r.RSCa Of tk. liPlitrithin
the braoketr thbt not a 8143le ocunty will qualify under
the ``OViS~CIlS Of the lOt8.
re have herb aa la8t8nob 0r 8rbltrary designa-
tion, Nthbr th8il btb88~fi8~tiOll. T&O l&V8 Quot.6 Sk-
Lute8 lttseipt to roguhtb the affair8 oi 'klnltf County
In a &wmor vlolativo of mtlCl@ S, &Otioa 56 Of the
CcMtltutlon.
Thorden, you are n#pWtfull~ adViSed that
it la thr opinion Of thin dbJrrtmbnt th4t th. yro~1810n8
Of r;rt 1018 >3mu &ll& HOUS* Bill x0. 930, liat8 Ot thb
44th Leglrlature,'%935,am they apply to Trinity County,
8n 8pbCial 18``. aa tbrrbioro, unoon8tltutionaland
void..
Tnutlng that the formeolns fully umwere pour
lagulry, wb rbuln
Very truly youn