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. . . 

‘8 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Honorable L. A* Wooda 

Ma~~nSu~pertendent of Publir Instruction 

, 

Dear SirI AtturfiOn W. T. Ibr 

wo ar4 in neoipt 

llM0, rrquertiag the oplnlo 

reedr aa Sollowst 

~Artlale lt745, 

e8tablishm8d of eoutt 

part a8 follo 

on Coosoldiateb County Liao 

s ride and tiwottty-one miles 

lrrton is a body of land 

hool dirtriot. 

unty board of tmsteem add thta 

the fonlertan County Llm Sob001 

tho 

by adding this land the ahape of 

dirtriot 6OS8 not 8onforaP to the ~OtiiIiOIlS 

of the above nentloned rtatute"i* 

The l-U108 with refermee to nuutdatory or dlreotOr 

P* L 

prOvlSlOn8 Of a l t6tUte Itro 8tUted %a SO TSX. fUr* 

I14 88 follow8t 
‘A statuto ar 8tfitUtOry prOti8iOn may be 

mandatory or directory or merely permls8iro. 

x manddory provIaIon 18 on0 whloh, ii not 

followed renders the proceedlx& to vhloh it 

relates Illegal and rold, while a dlreotory 

prOT181On 18 one, the ObBeI'VauOe of whiah I8 

not necessary to the validity oi the pmeedinc. A prorIsIon ia5 dlreotorywhen It contalns mre matter of dlrectlon, not of the 

esfienoe of the thirq to be done, but desIgned 

merely to procure its proper, orderly end prompt 

prformanoe. OB the other hand, a negative pro&~ 

VMIOB -- one which cox!mds that a certain thing 

8ha11 not be done - Lo usually mandatory. 

TBat there Is no ab8olute te8t or Infallible 

rule by whlah a mandatory Btatute or prorlslon 

may be dlBtlBgU,uished from one whloh Is ~mrely 

directory. In eaah okme, the qM8tiOB 1s. OB6 

of statutory construction, to be judlolally deternined acaordlng to the Intent or the LegIslature iron a consldercltlon or the atire statute, 

Its nature, objeot and eubjeot-matter, and the 

consequenoes that will rsault iron a partioular 

construction. irll sot OT provision that olearly 

di80108e8 M intamest OB the part Of the L~&E- 

;;;$; that It 8hould be mandatory will be Iven 

On the other hand one which reve af a no 

such ikerest or purpose w&l be oonstrued a8 

directory.g 

.t,pplying the above rulss to the Btatute ln questlOB; the prOvi8iOB r8qUIrinC: that the district shall be 

laid out *in as near the shape o? b 8qUate aI3 possiblea, 

appears to be dlreotory. we ooustrus the word wpossIbler 

as used therein to hare the 8ante meaning as npraotlaable~. 

Evidently It was intended that the County Board should 

exercise a dIsoretIon in deilnlq?, the boundarles or 8uch 

dlstrlcts and it directs the board to lay out the diatriot 

In as near the shape Or a square a8 SW be praotloable or 

possible under all the ciroutastsnces. X'n ohanglng or adding territory to suoh districts it Is not eesentiti that 

they maintain the shape Of a square. 

me pr~vlsion whloh readrra *and in no event shall 

the length of suoh d18triet be geatir than the width plus 

one-half of the width of suoh dIstrIat,n however, I8 In our 

opinion mandatory. The Legfslature first providdd that the 
IO 

Bon. L. a. ‘Goods, p8ge 3 

dietriot should be in a8 near the shape of a square as 

possible, learIr& this matter to be determined by the 

Bard, and then rpecified Oertdn lIm%tatIons beyond 

which they should not go in ally event. We construe this 

last provision a8 nandatory and a 1IIaitation upon the 

authority of the Board. It Is a negative pO~i8iOIi markIng the l&I&t8 within whioh the authority to follow the 

direotlons therslnabare glean amy be exerolmd. 

8-e we do not know the rhnpe proposed to be 

giren the district, wa Cannot give Jour qu8stion.a @ategorloal answer but are or the opinion that the dlstriot 

should conform to the limitations hereinabove discuaaod, 

a#mming that the Btatute in quest%on ls applleable to 

the Fowlerton Cosrmon Consolidated County-Line Sob001 Distrlct and the charge propass to be ma&e, 

TOWS very truly 

/ FIRST ASSISTANT 

ATTORNEY GENNERAL 

COMMII~EE