JIM MATTOX Attorney General Supreme Court Building P.0. BOX12S46 Auslin.

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# TheAttorney General ofTexas

December 28. 1984

Aonorable U. A. Ewert. Jr. Kleberg County Attorney P. 0. Box 1411 Klngsville, Texas 78363 **@iniOn** No.J&279 Re: Whether the city of Kingsville maydesignate tvo individuals to perform the duties of city secretary Dear l4r. Evert: Article 1000. V.T.C.S., imposes certain speciffed duties on the city secretary of tLgeneral law city. You inform us that Kingsville, a home-rule city. has.conferred by ordinance adopted pursuant to its city charter many 

### of the duties set forth in article 1000 on a position entitled Assistant City Manager for Management Services and conferred other splrcified duties, in addition 

### tothe remaining duties set forth in the statute, on a position entitled 

### CitySecretary. You ask vhether Kingsvj.llc mayso designate twoemployees to perform those tasks vhich article 1000 imposes on one-&y secretary. Weconclude - that it can. In Texas, provision is made for the governance of tvo types of municipalities, g’zneral law cities and home rule cities. See generally. Commentary on the History, Status andFunction of Title 28. Cities, Towns and Villages, pages XIII to XXXVIII of Volume 2A. V.T.C.S. General ‘Lawcities are governed by articles 961 et seq. See Woolridge v. Folsom, 564 S.W.2d 471 (TM. Civ. App. - Dallas 197S.y wit). They are creatures of statute andhave nopowers except those expressly or implisdly granted by the statute creating them. city of Uvalde v. Uvalde Electric 6Ice Co., 250 S.W. 140 (Tex. 1923); Dibrell v. 

### Cityof Colemar!, 172 S.W. 550 (‘Iex. Civ. App. - Austin 1915. writ ref ’d). Article !li7. V.T.C.S creates the offices for general law cities and includc:s. that of c;;y secretary. Article 1000, V.T.C.S.. sets forth the duti,es of the city secretary of ageneral law city. Homerule cities are governed by articles 1175et seq. andhave the full power of self-government. In other words, they have full authority to do anything the legislature could theretofore have authorized them to do; accordingly, homerule cities look to the acts of the legislature not for grants of power 

### tosuch cities but only for limitations on thl!:;r powers. City of Corpus Christi v. ContinentalHonorable U. A. **Evert,** Jr. - Pager2 (311-279)

Bus **Systems,** Inc., 445 S.W.2tl 12 (Tex. Civ. App. - Austin 1969). writ ref ’d n.r.e. 453 S.W.Zd 470 (Ter. 1970). Article 1175, V.T.C.S., provides in pertinent part: Cities adopting the charter **or** amendmenthereunder shall have full power of local self-government, and among the otht,r povers that maybe exercised by any such cit,y the following are hereby enumerated for Rreater certainty: 1. The creation of a commission, aldermanic or other form of gove’mment; the creation of offices, the manner and made of selecting officers and prescribing therr qualifications, compensation and t$re of office. duties,,

Nohomerule charter or ordinance passed under the homerule statutes maycontain any provision inconsistent with **the** general lavs of the state. City of Corpus Chrir<i v. Unitarian Church of Corpus Christi, 436 S.P.2d 923 (Tex. Civ. App. - Corpus Christ1 1968. writ raf ’d n.r.e.). In this instance; the Kingsville ordinance is not inconsistent with the law csfthe state. Article 1000does not apply to a homerule city. Moreowr, the ordinance is expressly authorized by article 1175. Accordingly, weconclude that the city maydesignate by ordinance adopted pursuant to its city charter that twoindividuals mayperform the duties of the city secretary. SUMMARY Kingsville. a home rule city, may confer by ordinance adopted pursuant to its city charter the duties of city swretary on twoindividuals.

-J IM MATTOX Attorney General of Texas TOMGREEN First Assistant Attorney General DAVIDR. RICHARDS Executive Assistant Attorney! General

p. 1236.
Honorable W.A. gvert. Jr. - page 3 (J&279)

RICKGILPIN Chairman, Opinion Comittee Prepared by JimNoellinger Assistant Attorney~General APPROVED: OPINIONCOMMITTEE Rick Gilpin. Chairmsa Colin Carl Susan Garrison TonyGuillory JimMoellinger Jennifer Riggs