3 

sa 

OFFICE OFTHEA-I-TORNEYGENERALOFTEXAS 

AUSTIN 

June 15. 1939 

Honorable Holver 'Williams 

Criminel District Attorney 

-moo, i’cx5s 

uherda you re 

lag qy38tloar 

eing a member of the Sohoal. 

d Sue1 i8 bsught oa oomprtlthe oorporatioa*s bid 16 

a sub8tantie.l mmunt end uhere 

ofSlo0r8 of the oorgboratioa and 

part or the ~0h001 seerd or the Corporation and Is not present when the matter 118 dlsomaed en6 the aoatrno8 roted 

on end let by the Gohool Board?* 

YOU lMlltiOl& hl’tiQb 378 Qi th@ PtlIld '%?dO Which 

make8 It an oSSua8u Sor cay orsloer of any oounii~~ 41: ol 

any oity or krm, 80 bo0omn peeurrlarfl~ tnteroetcd in uay 

oantraats made bjr suoh eouuty, ofty, Or town, and dfrnet 
. 

.I?onornble !!oivny .~IllIc~, June 15, 1939, Paps 2 

our attention to the fact that some does not make any relemnce to ofilaera of sob001 dlstrlcts bscoliiq> ints+raoted 

111 corrtracta ;nade by such dietriots. In the OI~LC of Sohurz 

VE. Teller, 74 c:.;:. (2d) 327, the Court of Civil Qpenls 

says thht a school truatse is a county orricer. lIowever, it 

is unneoeaoaxy for us to antemine whettier u ochool trustae is 8 oounty ol'fiocr, mdrwhether a mohool oontraot is 

the equivalent of a oounty contraot nithln thu :Eenoing or 

h-tio1~ 57:: of the iwd. Co&, sinan se bellova it clear 

thut even In t!:c: ebsenoe of,statuta ?.cr aontrnct :r:.ich you 

nentiol; donnot lneelly he made. 

From Llllon on Wnioipsl Cor~orc~~l:mo, 5th ?Xtltion, 

Volume 2, paces 1140, 1143 to 1145, end 1148 to 1147, we 

qlots em follows: 

*lt is a well-satcblis.':ed nnd salutary doctrine th6t :IC) W%O lc intrusted 

alth the business i)f othero cexot na ellowed to make suoh buslnsss an obJaot of 

E*niary proSit to himself. t-hi8 Nl;idoes not dejmnd on reasonlnR technioal 

in its onamoter, Pad Is not locul In its 

appliontion. It is bmabd upon prlnoiplcs 

or rceson, of mornllty, nnd or publle poliayi It has ita fourldkhtion in the v6i-y 

aonntltutlon or our n&urn, ,for it has au-. 

thori:ntlrely been aeolared that a man oannot serve two aastern, md l.6 recognized 

and er!:oroed wherever a well-regulated syetern of Jurlspnxdenoe tirerails- . . 

u/it OOmmorA lBw Ma generally unllex 

statut<sry e:iaotment, it ia no.8 established 

beyond qtieatlon thei a oontraot maA* by an 

oiflcor of a munlclvall~y with hImself, or 

‘in **iah he is lotarmated. is eontrarv to 

public polio? and tainted-with Illegeilty; 

end this rule applies witether.suoh otiiaer 

eots nlono on behalf OS the muniolpallty, 

or RR a member of (r board of counoll. 

xieithr the Snot that a maJorIty oS the 

votes of e oounoil or board in Savor OS 

t:.a ooutraot nrn osst by dlalntsrested orfloeru, nor t>a feat that the ofricer interested did not partiolpato la the prooeedlngs, neoe8aarlly relieves tr:e oontraot from its vloe. The rsot tnnt the 

latamat OS the OSrenaIne offioer in the 
. ‘. 

Bonorabls Uol.iey it'illi~, June 15, 1930, Page 3 

(edI 9% 

Invalid coatraot is lndlraot end is yezy 

small is immtarlal . . . 

Vontractea with flnw In nhloh a msaher of the counoil or other ~uuioipfd offloer 1s 4 partner fall within the prlnolple, 

snd th+ interest of$he offlaer th4r4ln 

u-111 taint aaV such aontraot with lllegrl1ty. A m-bar or me oountr counoll or 

at&r aunla1Rs.l Klosr Is lntsrest4d in 

a 4ontraot 00 **'to ta t It with lllogsl 

ItV when the aontraot Is mad4 with e corporation of whloh hs Is an offloer and 

under 861~4 olrourstanoos with a oorporatlon of whiah he is a stoakbald4r." 

us sale In City OS Rdlnburg ~8. XUlls, 89 6.W. 

OphiOn by the ColPniSeiOn Or &p3t&t4! 

*It Is ~the gw~eral rule that munlclpal oontraots In whloh offlo4rs or smploV444 of the olty have a personal, peou-. 

niary inters& are void.* 

Ouoh Is ths ral4 0'1411 in the ebmenoe of statute. 

stwkton Plumbing k 2upply Co. vs. Oihe$ar, 229 Paalflo lO2O; 

Dillon on blunlolpal Co~poratl0ns, 8th Gdltlon,, Vol. 2, auprq 

0 R.C.L. 740; 44 C.J. 89 t& 90; So~u11Sl.n on Xunlolpal Oarporatlons, 2nd Zdltloa, Vol. 2, p. 211, and Vol. S, pi 9111, 

The raot that the n~0101p41 ofri04i 1s a &oakboldor, or an otfloer in the oorporetion rfth whoa the eontraot Is mad4 o0nst:tutes moh an interest ln the oo&raet 

a8 ta taint it 1~1th ill@ity in awordanoe wlith tbs above 

prlnolplw. Dillon on Nunlaipal Corporntlone, supn;\Yawlln on Runlolpnl Corporations, 2nd Rdltlon, Vol. 2, 9G2l7, 

and Vol. 3, p. 943; 44 C.J. 93; annotations on page 1099 in 

L.R.A. (Annotated) 1910-c. 

Th4 faot that the Punlolpal offloer or trusta 80- 

tually tak4s no part In the mtt4r of letting ttm 40ntraat. 

lo immatericd. The law//boatampLatdr that ha ahall sot tia 

hluolr to bs plaoed In 8uoh a l ltuatlon that ho fool8,'sod 

upon to rdraln fnm taking part In 8uoh busln4a8. 

110 vhlah h4 84xves is entitled to his notlya 84rrl00; sag 

hi8 sllanos or abaenoa .ls VQJ sub8tltut4 tharef'0r. Tha fMt 

that suoh ooatraot is l&-%n ooakp4tltlre bidding 40~ 810% iltar the l ltuatlon. Tha l-eat bid Is not always the beat b14 

and a aertaln diaorstlon 18 left with publia board! ia tk 
. . 

. Ronor4bl4 Xol~4j \~l~lls~. Jun4 15, 1939, i’age 4 

letting of contracts on aoanp4tltl~4 blddlny. Tha authorltl48 rather uniforrcly forbid the making of euch contracta 

u.rder auoh alroumta~o4e. Our 4n4w4r to your ..peotion 10 

a negative one, 

.^. 

cRL:lQ 

APPBOVZD: