## FITEXCA~RNEWGENERAL OF TEXAS ASMJTIN

## II.

- February 21, 1957

Hon. R.H. Dixon, Chairman Board of Water Engineers WW-32, 1410 Lavaca Street Re: ConstructSonof Art. 7477 Austin, Texas w,lth respect tb authority of Chairman of Board, ab oreatedby Subdlv. '(3) bf' Dear Mr. Dixon: said article. With reference to your letter of February 12, 1957, conoc~nlng the above captionedmatter, which we quote, in part, to-wiztg

'Will you pleaae advise me whether in your o'pinion

the ChaSman of the Board has under thie provision the responslbillty of administeringthe ,_ affairs of the Board through iti. staff and is in aharge of personnel'with respect to hiring and flrlng, or whether the Board must act as a unit before any employee, other than the Secretary, Is hired or dischargedfor reasons that are in accordancewith Board policy.",
we tender %he following opinion: ' Article 7477, VCS, carries forward parts of the Acts, 33rd Legislature:Chapter 171, General Laws .(1913). Under the 1913 act, the members of tine Board elected their own chairman and the chalrman was not designated~"CNef Admlnlu~trative Office+, of the Board. The Board was vested with authority "t6'appolntsuch experts andemployees"as were necessary to carxy out; ~the act, as well as a Secretary. ( ;: The present statute provides' for a continuationof the Board as ori laally createdby the above inen.tfoned 1913 Act (Subdiv. (l), Art. 7 t77, VCS), but modified such a'ct by providing that the Governo? shall designate one member Chairman thereof - which Chairman is designated the "Chief AdmlnlstxatlveOfficer of the Board" - "with suthorit~!

to issue notices of public hearings z&thorizedby the Boar&, ap,:)rove

payrolla, and direct "uhe~ eneral administration of the office of the Board." (Subdlv. 3,. Art. 7 77, VCS). rsf ib’

Tht.~qkestion

presented3.~

whtither

the creaMon of a "Chief A&ti,~fstr?tiVe Gff.j.cer of the Marci",with spec4.f <.ed authorityto lseuc not:c’es

of publichearingsby the Board, approve payrolls,.a+ ( direct tk general administration of the office of the Board by. Subdivision(3) of said articleremoves from the Board, per se; uuthi or’it;; to Iilre

and fire personnel. Subdivision (6) of Arti.cce. 7477 provides that !‘The’.‘Bo&& may . appiat such other employees as may be deemed necesstiry. fd~!the” -‘I. effi:.l.en*

performanceof the duties authorizedand requiredof%lt,tii law." Subddivlslon

(4j providesth6t the Chhler Engineer shall stli&:-- at the sill of ttie Board, and shall possess such quallflcations as seBca

. & may require.Sulxilvisli;r~ (7) provldesthat the Board shall ?Secretiry

. (Emphasissupplied!

. : .: Whiie a precxsedefinitionof "Administrative.~fider" is not given by the courts, the term has been oonstkued in Texas la Matits: v. Schwlnd,Tex. Civ. App., 101 S.W. 2nd 1085, error refused~ ~,~ollows: Administrative means %inisterlal;. pertainingto admlnlstratioa;particularly having characterOS executiveor ndelstetial

. action, and when iwrticularly applied to speilal duties caaneoted vi.tti government,executive; a minIsterid duty: one'in vhlOb.nothi~ is left to disoretion.“. IN 'nor&3

ani Phraees,

Volume 2 *t.page 667, the followlna languageis found: "The WOI rds tmlnlste~al~ and~~admiolstrativd~ may be, and f’rerluenily are,. used interchangeabl::. AZJiAdm$nl’Btrative Officer’is frer;uently classedas a 3ministerla? OiYber', andolce verse . .3x-~fer

opeal2 3f ladminint.ratL,~e .tive: a ~:nlnla?.~rial duty', 3;: :‘;;e ' J3s ~.y:iOt~~rno~~WiU1.~'exeOut dlscrft~on." in Wfii:b ncthiilg

is left.

to To the-sameeffeb+,, see Volume 2, '9S67.

.: ;

It 'C.8 C'lCtAi* from the Z’oregolug, that *&exe Is ,nothins in the &k'"ChSef H.di&&trBtlve Cfz'lcer" 'which would ~Lmplg

dlsdretion&,y authcrrlty

tmt aljeci.fic&il:

granted. ‘me pr~vis~uuof ~u~lvision (6)~ of Articie 7477 specifically vests the '%ard p& ati w&th authority .t0em&i; personnel.#oreOver, this.irc a leg%sla~tI.&:-

reenactment' of. that >:~?tio~

of thr-

lgL3 ict:

simi?~riy.

~eatlrig

RU& pOwerin the Board, E;' 5%. j&c1 the I.+ jialature?.r;teude;l co reg*til

this- por.tion of ttie atiT, ft dearly rcdi.:

r:nve dme co . :9ut t&is the. Legislature did .?..:t

**j.:-tc-nd f-c**  **do; :**  **$8**

**. .**  **.** in order ‘;i

V&n it."zr

necessarytc.conatnue an act dei.e:~!ii;,e

its mcanlwg, It IS settled~.ny a !ii.pt oi' iiecSalGr:a

that the cwrt silLiuid flrs~t en- '
. dez-xr to Hscertalo i;ce legislative intest %:'rOm a :+?~:.~a1

*i: +;%; of thz wi?;le

enactment."39 Tei: Jur.

,. ;tAtux,es

) ,;f?ction

'a.Hon. R.H. M.xG:!, Pai:c 3 (WW-32)

T .._ SUMMARY

_ . -N-F. We thereforeconclude that a reading of the entire statutemakes plain that the Chalrman of the Board of Water Engineers does not have the authority, as such, to hire or fire employees,but that this power Is speclfl.caily vested in the entire Board. .The Chairman,as Chief Administrative Officer of the Board, :s not responsible, as such, for the policy making fUrJCttCnS of the Board: but is a ministerial officer who must act under decisions of the entire Board.

. Very truly yours,

WILL WILSON~ AttorneyGeneral

Houghton Brownlee,Jr. qsssstant is-b ?PPRCYRB: ' OPIBIO::

~CORMITTEE ii. C;r::dy CMndler, Chairman