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 orders?’ 

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 attend 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 

tbo l tctute protidea for all Plembera of the court 

to ba prosoat?@ 

.‘fe the iaauanae or time vamcnta ror the payi88at ot fatpr0rap#nt8 Crc the purahaas of maahfnery 

praia the tlao varmint8 aantrin the protlalon 

. . . . and that to create said fund, a tax La tmreby 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?‘” 

l tatsdr 

In Texas Juriapruaonoe, Voluae 11, page 559, it 28 

.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 o f 1 eTyirq c 8o ua 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 atakm this rub. T& llnltotlon admlto of AO 

construction. The meanlag is cleari aourta carmat 

alter or diapenas vith tt.’ (?srazrthetlcol insmtioa 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 commlaalono x-m* c o ur t c a n a& gndmr l wh c lr c wc sta nc m8. ve regret that there 

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, ’ 

Urn bellwe that the lsvplng al’ a tax Sor the purpose 

of paying fntmrmat and providing a alnklng fund to rotlm vacrants Issued for tha pu,urchaae of machinery and for the 

of imrprovementa ccdaea vlthln the purview of Article 235 0” ynent , aujwa, 

rmquiring the arfimativa action of the court vhen 811 wmbera of 

thm court are present.