OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

gonorrblo It. 5. Yosoly 

to three que8- 

mltriot ateta and isnrked 

with the law rswdbs bound to parala ofmtraat . 

aala ooritraot as a whole bo 

o notloe siren on $eptaabar U, 1939, 

the Dl*trfot Attommy tollowul 
416 

"Eoaorable 

Distriot Attorney county 

,Taxas - 

*Dear Sir; 

You are hereby notified to eolleat 

all the dslin~uent tuoo due the 

Indo-02a 30h001 mtdih. 

In tho uvent you em not in posltlon 

to cramply with this aatioo ploaoe give uu your 

walmr of any right you hnvo to oollaot su8u in 

0raer that we say -10~ other.attornoya. 

copy of the niatriot attorney'e wnlver, dated ootobor 10, 192, ude ln rwyome ti, .ihc' natioe ~~lb.mJoa 

"Ootober 16, 

iOJ9 

'Board ol Truattecw 

indoyen&&. SoLoo Dlstrlot 

# TuxaB 

Attention la. 

"centlemnlt 

, i-(dardary 

xn rlew of t11f3 faot that your aaarfl 

has madz~ unanbuou requeate to LLO that it la 
your deslra to oentraot with awe legal $irm 

Sortho 001100t14n of tho dolkiqu*at taxou au8 

your e&o01 clrrtriot, and in view of the Saot 

fwther that you hare put Ias on ncjtlcu for 

thlrtf day8 lo ccmgllanoo with t&a lawa of ths 

State aSTexas with ragarC to uuoh m&tar, I 

tvlnd you herewith z&ou this l&ter which will 

oanatituto ny walvar of the rl@t to irake such 

00UootloM. 

Toura v arp truly, 

In our opinion, uader the cirouss%nnooa, the 

above naiveis Is euffiolent to mtura the authority of the 

Boara 0r Prwteea to mater into a proper oontraot ior the 

aollootlon 0r a0lbpa tama. sliap vc. ii1130 county, 

96 s. s. (2) 537. 

The ccntraot aonlalna.the rollcmLnd povlslone 

and none othsr with r6npot to the ~eoont’party*e obligations and oompansatlon and the term 0r ths bontmat: 

I. . . t0 003.ht 6x1 aeiin~wnt taxes, 

panalty and intorest dw aaid alutrlat for aXl 

yaara up to and tncludlnn$ tha year 1940. 

-It ia ~ssd that said attorney shall be 

paid l&$ ot all the delinquent taxe7a, penalty 

aud lntsruet collacted or paid to sal6 distrlot 

ror 8ny 0r'said ysera durin(j the urlrtshco or 

said agraamont acoordlng to ltu erreottve d&8o 

as herelxmftor uhwm, and as and .when said terse 

are collooted without further aotlon of the board. 

The orfcatire date& of this eL-"emant shall 

bs as foU.o~$r 

,Au to the year 10.33 and ali prior yrrars 

on thiu date. 

"Ac to the ytvar 19E~9 on Baroh lat. 194% 
418 

Eonorabl6 P. 0. ~osalf. Pago 4 

-Aa to the year 1340 on btaroh let, 1941. 

Vhloaa extanded by the mutual agroment 

0r the partlea, this agreeasnt 0h0ii tan&m0 

ant bo d DO i'urthm fores or rtfeot on L&rob 

lut, l94&" 

t&&r Ar8icla 7343 Rwlaed civil Satutu, in 

the oano of Bell tee bianaflokl Lrrdo dent sahool DiatrIot, 

UQ Se il. (8) 629, the Sujmaa Co ur?@held. that &tlcloa 

?33S, Old1 Statutu, and %3Sa, V4mon*a Civil Statutea 

are applloabla to In& 

r 

dent 

to the requFrePmt tha 

l obool dIstrIot8 aaept aa 

8ha oontraota thoroln 8uthorirod 

s bo apprwod by the Gomptrollor and th8 Attorney Con- 

. ‘Sha Board of Tmatoea ai ul irrd02mOd a&m01 ahtriat my undoubtedly sator into ooatracta with attomoys 

of tho lmmo oounty ror tin Oollutlon of dolinquont taxes, 

poaaltioa d i&west for a peroeatago OS the amount oolittctea, ~00 srar0aing i&$ l B prwlabd in tbb coatraob. mt101w 7336, 0336n and 9345, suprat Bell V8* bunmflold 

InIndependent Salmol District, mqra. 

ThO brief ftlrnish~d us aoae not touch upon the 

om dlftloult quostlon whiah It soens to us la 5nvol~o6. 

Are the prwialona or the aontraot with refermoe to the 

Length of its tern vdlld ana proper’, 

W ha00 heretofore exprosaed tSa opinion that 

the comissioa~ss* oswt of B oounty~oarmot make a contract 

pith an attornsy unCar ;rrticlo 7335 r0r it pried extending 

beyond the tirp131 srrlOe Of the iadivi~&iSr OOmrgo~ing the 

ooc6s..lenionors~ court. 04?w) o-289. i?rotn the la8tsr opInion we qlotea 

"In 14 .&wrioan iurlsprudcmoe, 810, tho following la siaidr 

county*cLlniesIaaers oamot, 

. ~b3 aatnkr8 0r a =te;f 

oontraot in reierenoe to matters whdh 

am pnroonkl to thslr~suoosaaom. Thw, 

a oontrnct by whloh a board of ooUnty 

0ocaalmIonera attarrrpte to eanpliay a legal 

aaviaar for a period of three yewa, to 

ommnoethrea mnths in tha futursmd 
419 

E-able E. 0. SkmeAy, Pago 5 

a ftor th o tlsm ?or the l leotlsn o f a 

p%rooa to rfii the raoanoy eaau3ed by 

the expiration ti the-farm of otiioe 

or-0 Eamb3r of tha boar&, thetera 

of %qloymat extuwi& ov%r a porlod 

dur~ whloh all the swabers of the 

board a8 oonstituted at the tiara of 

the oontreot will retire thereiron un- 

~oy~c%-eloa~e&, ir ageinet publlo 

. . . 

This aeezs to ba the law in T8xas , whloh 

18 exprassed ln 11 Tax. Jur., 631, as follow%ns 

‘OrUaa214, oontraoto m&r by a ooamiirslonsrs~ court my not be repudlatrd 

8Wely bewiuae Lbr, ~eOnn%l or t&8 body 

ha8 eubsoguantly ohancfed. It is only 

wh%re the %iqAoymmt by 0. oomis%lm%re' 

oourt is pcrrsonal ad c~riddntial, a0 

In the cauo oi aa attarney, that it ir 

h&A thst one aornePis8loner%’ court ha8 

ae m%r to bind iQ auaco~~.’ 

“Thlolaat c$oted etnt’aat ts bassdoa tho 

only Taran 008% im th@ eubjoot, the oaso of Gulf 

Bltuuthio co. Y. mm%%% oounEy, ll 3. G. (Zii) 30s. 

uhlehmy%t 

*It la only where ths aaplopnt by 

a ooml~olc.m,nerr~ oourt is prsm31 ctrrd 

Oonii&e::tial, a6 in th8 OMSB of an attCWney 

3r3 1 

that it is held that on% oomlsslonoourt oannot bina its suooosaors.* 

"The oo-ixt deoislone in most ol the oohsr stats8 

that W8 havb) found hold that Ofi% eorsai%sion%rs' uourt 

ounnot bind ito 8u008880r8 on paraonal oontraotia. 

Curtby county v. azlth, 5Q xan, 330 32 Pa0. 30 (artploywnt of county prlntar) Prank& Uau.nty v* Wanok, 

9 oh10 0. C. 301 (employzen l oi aourtS~~8e janitor): 

tillikttn V. ‘&;;ar County, l4Az,lll. XiS, J;: N. 2. 483 

(e5qaopent or poi%:.uae aqwintemi~ni)~ Board rrp 

hZUili83iOXl3Z3 V. t-ayl.or 123 Lud. I@, 23 w. 2. Tii8 

(.3rap1oynrrsat of attorney 1 8 and #lll%tt I* ml.houn 

county, 217 ala. 587, 117 so. 3u (tunplowiuIt ol 

attorney). 
420 

-A t&x coUeotor-crttorney wuld nomd taot, 

patience and dlllgmoe, and 0. couiisslonsra* 

oourt3coulC ha*0 *very lnoentiva to want 8 mn 

with those gialitlas. In short, m&i oormleeibn%rs* oourt shop10 be ontltled to cake lte 

own Eontracts touohl~ on tJ.m mttor. 

wi?urthbmwr6~ the n8w4 electad county Attornoy bu3 rl&ts whloh we do not bolleve urn 

be ovarlooked. 

.iUtial8 7232, ii%Vh%d 5tatutOS, ~oVld%S 

for the oanty attorney to represent the Stats 

and OoUnty in 8Uftl9 for dolinr;wnt Wxao and 

~l'OVi&eS fees for 8UOb servlaes. 

"The oounty attommy sfaa elected with the 

undarswn6ln~ that the above vuult be 8 2-t OS 

his ilutl%e cind that hs uoulr: km &+(Lii: for parr0rang the mke. '218 CCI not bstliorm a 01oainiJ 

ednfnlstration of a aoiml~alonora* oourt, based 

upon a waiver sigmd by an outping oounty attorney, can deprLva the ine~&ng county attorney 

of these vol.Lablo r&&s. ~184, M do not bellevo 

tha County orin bo thus deprived of any chance of 

having 'the newly alacted ooumy attommy ;ierromn 

these sarvh33 at lees.aoot than *ho attornsyoa&motor will parforzz t&t 09~0.~ 

It cl&t ba t;uentlsned that rJ;a above holtiin; waa 

not uemt to prevent. a contmoticg atszrnsy froiii aonolud~ 

suits filed wl%hLn tD3 MI'Z oi of'fic~ ol' *LLS oo&i&mlonsrs, 

t2.6 aontract SG ;;rovirtln&. 

TDe trustee8 of lndopon~ent scksol ei3tricta haYe 

over-lasping tariis. 1st least in 5x23 inda~sn6ellt eosoo1 &is? 

frLot3 t& eleottons or rgril, 194c ~ilc 1641, would artsot a 

&orlty OS t&c trmtG*e. IE others tkio wulC not bo true. 

at, in all B'.ic?. distrlcte them woul:. tc. an elsctim or e&oticns afhwtln~ ens or wre ktmbars of tie board 0r truetecls. 

i8 rinc no 0~88 in gold. iwwar, it Is sspgnrant 

that. the grlnclples go~erni~ oomisul~ners* oourta ln the mtti;r 8x3 a,splloatL3 to i=1deysr;dsrrt 3uLicol C.istricts at 3mO 

point. 

,ia Co not rqpri. the cuunty tittsmcty's sitilatlon 

as boltxg 00 i.spLrtdnt ln th3 ants0 of ths school district a5 

fn th6 0630 Of tit'3 6lOWlty. 288 Artialara 73;?6, 7332 and 
42; 

In Y1k.w YSW stmrp, 118 3. 'i;. (2) 774, it -8 

be16 th4t prior to enaotm3nt 0rutiOit3 27DOa Vernon*s 

g~vllStatUt80, (anti at I tlnw3 when tie statt G 08 w*re 

ailmt 88 to 10ngth oi t*Eaa a6 to whU3Jh tubohorst ecuitraots oould bu naba) a teacthor’r amtract oould sot be 

~46~ r0r a 104pr period than 0110 year. EOWIVO~, the 

groua& upon whioh that ~~lnfcm uaa bairadlendor the aam 

Or iittb+ YOhe in a6 QWStiOXi bQrOP4 USa 

ifs think the most mamneble view, an4 the one 

mst llkdy to be ado?ttad by the oourts, IS that owoh aontraots with attorneys twinnot, be cads b? an lndsper.dent 

~ohool cllstrfat cr0at46 uxcw general ltiw r0r a tern eattending bayon thb time when in th8 or6lnary owir84 0r 

eleetlcn t:a psrscnncl 0r ii caJorlty isf ihti b0nti or 

trustesa r&hat bs chzngec?. Tibia shuul& not be interpreted 

to lapmob a prsv:;tl.ca u:Liah nil@ bz oon~o1~:44 ln auoh Q 

emtraot 0utLorizlx tm con0 :;;sivn of w:ts filed prior 

to SUOh time. 

Iho aboY@ rmswors YOU :iMBtl.;RLI as defin,iesly 

08 me am able to arrsw4r tswu on thr raa3 ;glven, Ii the 

g&.raat 1s prop3rsJ f3xec~tw.t an8 if in mb owim3 0r 

~leot:on 133s bw 9 mjcrlty or the tmurci of trirfltedis OGtC8 

up r0r aleotfon 6dring tS4 t-ami of the occtraot, in our 

opinicn it io 8 valid one. Gig axprorrs no 0piniol.J rirb to 

th4 mi~ay a arfdatiYwotl6 0r BUY r2b3adg ~hi0i~ idfhrr 

prty ail&t hmre ii tie othar 8k~~ld brtich suoh a txmtra0t.