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Honorable Charles T. Banlater '.. 

County Attorneys 

Navarro CountJr 

Corslcaw, Texas Oplnlon No. V-14 

Re: Authority of oountykx 

asiessor-colleotor; or 

deputies, .to retain notary 

-. * fee0 for afiidavit's~exeout6d under seation 33 0r 

Dear Mr. Banister: 

the,Certifiaate of Title 

Pot, and related matters. 

Nour reoent .request for an opinion reads as 

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'ty ~ssx~B~*~Mo~~~ 00u60t0r or t~8~couaty~ 

~. dlad/or.his~~~~~~'oan~le~lly ntaii3Yor 

th6ln66l~oe:~ wldlvldu6 

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) the perclan taking. 

the~~aakaarle&pB~t r&a ning alLor the ZS$i 

fee) ~a.natary reo or es+ ohar@ e&oh appliy 

oaot for a OOrtiri0diO or title or re-itguanoe:.thereoi la l ddl$loa to the 3O~'~rovldad-- 

In Adole 1456-1, Swb.57, Teurr P6nal Oode, 

ln.+ia# of' Art, QWh, T6na Paal 0od.o 

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. "Th6 omlaty Ju@e‘rilwE the ti qumt&n ia to etfii6 ot:~lSoOO obarg6tl oaadlbatee 

: 

Weleotloa par8 by the.Tar Uleeeor 8 Ool- 

: LootOr and/or hle emplo~aes for poll llets 

..that-have ken.oomplled by the oolleotor and 

h ip lm~lopes at timr other than drrriag busi- 

'i mas. Eourl,r~ 

"The question question XS oa bath oi the above 

8ltuatiionr 8ltuatiionr u+ather'arrob u+ather'arrob SS# aotary roe and 

fp&f offloe, offloe, 'In rlew of Ast. 9780, "gal 

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Hqora?le Charles T.~Baniskr:- Pa@ 2 

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tou ask in your request if euoh feOe may be 

retained in view of Article 9780, Penal Code (House 

I3111 Not 80). In an opinion rendered on November 9, 

1945, numbered O-6908, this department rule+3 that the . 

provisions of House Bill Nor 80, Acts 49th kgislature, 

1945 (Article 9780, Penal Cod@) were unconrM.tutlonal. 

Themrore, your question mat be answered wlthln the 

meaning of Article 724Ba, Vernon'e Annotated Civil Statutes, and section 33 of Art1010 14389lo Penal code. 

,.%, hrtfole 7246a, Vmnonts Annotated CiTil,Stat- 

.utae, pr66ldea 3x1 aubstanoo aa tollowa: 

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“sea. 1, The Assessor and Collector 

nor Taxes, shfkrirr or shezirr e&d Aslussor 

,and Collootrr oi Tama, 4r4 h4nb7 authorla01 a84 eapomnO to rdalalater rll 0athS 

nooesurg for the diuohqe or thr awe6 

or th4lr nlpeotlve orsims and to ad&ilrtor a11 oaths requlnd ror tha tranraotloa ,or the, buala48u of their nrP40tlv4 . 

omrta~rrr aontti- 

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Honorable Charles T. Banister - Page.3 

or pay be required by law to be morn to, .~ 

proridwl that 8uoh,d88eessor and Collector 

or Taxes ~&all.Charge.and.oolleot as a 

tree of 0rme,:..-.* wXdltio*~.to'a4 other 

roe8 thnt'ho may now bog l uthorlzod bylaw '~ 

to oharge, .ln~oolursotlon with saoh lnrtrument8,: the 6~ or *ent+=rrr*.(e6)' Csntb: 

ror eaoh saoh oath or'itildmlt.as ho, or 

bla boputler'. w. aMtiutir;whloh ahall '1 

b@nd.oon8tjfuts ti'fek.ot oiiloe, 'kdibr ., 

wbloh he &mlL aO.oount aa'he $8 mw or-4 

.;: 

huvlitir be required by law to.aooount 

forany other tee of offloe,: nuehBeea8or8: 

a@ coll~otor8,0r Taxes., a@ tho,lr D8putieq. 

being henb~~~lven the mme-rlgbt to.amp .. .. 

ibhr all euolr oaths.or arrfdav$ta a8 *c4' 

notarl~s~pablfo aader the lrwm or..the 8ttite 

or Tens; prwia0a.m rba.. @hall be ohargea 

rtor say oath.or airidilrit oOnne~oted~wlth 

the ron<l.oa oi- any ~.~perty ,ror~ ta+&lokF '.. .., ..- . : '. '. ;,.. .' 

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l atioa r~.t~.tur&8tr8tion 0r~ a'motor :. 

vehiole that ha8 not beea.a8e4 ror the 

ourrent .mgirrtration year, when any woh 

rendition, lmntorf, applloatlon, o$ 1~:. 

strument abord ment one0 is~~qulred to 

be riled in the orftoe or .suoh Asaesaor 

and Colleotor or Taxeri .and a&- bther in-~ 

strument'that may be &a in said orrioe, : 

or that aayrelats to the buainesa or du-. ' 

ties 0r 8aid orri00.whenerer the spplb~i8 ..' 

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& a&o&&& & beg diap&ed : 

.of eat spbetwqgeat sale unlers tae okner 

de&peed in the osrtirloato or title .: 

nhcll tranerer the oertliioat* o? tXtle 

oa rorn to be.p~eeorLbed by the Departmat before a;l?ookry ?ubllb, irhloh rorm~ 

rhcll'laolude, among rmoh of&r matter8 

a8 the D8partment may determine, an ar-, 

Pldavlt to the efre0t that the EignBpsdr.lS 

tha owaer or the mto?? vehiole, and that 

there we no llew agalaat suoh motor vehlole, uoept 8uoh a8 We shown on the- : 

abtiirieate or filth ma ne title to-my 

motor fehlole ah11 pa88 or vest uatll 

8uoh Web be 80 l xeoutode"~ 

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Honorable Charles T. Banister - Page 4 

ma olerka ai tits CW% au O%ril . 

Appeals are .not ent!ltled to IWSJLW ex%ra 

acmpenaiatloa for ae~mbeala per*formed within the scope of their OfFAcial duties pm-. 

scribed by law+ The genkwel prlnaiph pm-'. 

hibltim public oftioiaitr from ohar&3g 

fee8 r4r th8 pwfowwwe of their offioial 

duties QOSB not proh%bft the5 TwNI,o~~R!!- 

ing for their services or aats that thog are 

tinder no obligation, under tk law; ~to perrolln.. 

mT~xs being ao statutory duty re-. 

qutxina’.patStaosrsr to x3&m&* unaaraaflsa, 

unoC~loPaA tqlea or opf~&oas of tka Comrts 

of CivlJ. Appoa18?. no statute fixl&g any fee 

for such mrvioea, ana no valid statute re- 

@ring that mmmy rsscoived therefor be d6.L~ 
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Honorable ChdrAe8.T. Banister-- Page 5 

poaikd in ths State treasury, there i% 

no debt owing .by petitioner to ths Hate.” 

Thsrefore, S.n the absenoe or statutory aut& 

ority prohibiting the %%me, it is the opinion .of this 

depart-W, that a tax assessor-oollsstoi, ore deputy, a& 

ing in the oapaolty of a notary public, would be entitlad 

to the notary re% r0r aotarizing an affidavit under Saction 33 of the Certiflaate or Title Act, provided suoh 

servloe rendered as a notary .public does not interfere 

gh the diaohargo of. those duties imposi?d upon him by 

. 

IOU a%k the further question as to whether 

a roe of $AS,CO oharged aandidates in elaotlon years 

roar the prsparrtioa or a poll-tax list, may be retained 

by the t,az a%%%8%or-oolliotor, or deputy, if prepared 

duri-m off-duty hours. We know of no statutory prsrisioa making it an oirioial fuMtion of the tax-aaseeeorco.lleotor, or d6puty, to prepare such a poll tax list 

for pritiate distribution. A6 statsd in the case oi 

Moore v6* Sheplwrd, supra, ethe general prinaipls prciitiM DubUO OfciiOidS fTO6 OherRiIlR rS%% r0l' thee 

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.perrorm&$e or their ofiioial dutie%, zoee ‘not prohibit 

them from charging for their services ror aots that they 

are unde~r~aa obligation, wider the Law, to p%rfora~~’ 

Ther%fors, in the abaanoe of a statutory prohibition, 

the tax assessor-aolleotor of your county may retain 

the ies for tha preparation OS a pall tax ll%t, oo%giS3& 

in off-buty hour%, ii the %ama doe% not interfere tith 

the. dischargs of thorn duties iilpossd upon him by Law. 

There is no authority to the effect ~that such fee is a 

ice of orfice for.whidh the tax asseaeor-oolleotoruould 

be aocountable. 

is, 8ors or lo%%, 

The praotioability of this procedure 

detera.ined by each lndirldual tax as?, 

%%8%8,T-OolhOtor, and, If practioad, the ree ror the 

preparation of such liat may be retained. .:. 

we are %nolorlng a copy 0r opinion N0.0- 

8908 ror ycJur il&roMation, 

A tall a88s88Or-OO~b3tor, or deputy, 

aotiag An his imdlvidual oapaoity as a ~no- 

. tary public, may retain the notary fee for 

airi&Wif8 examtad under ~Eleotioa 33, zw- 

.tiSiaatr of T5,tle Aet; and, in th% absonae 

.ot a .%tatutolry proh$bitioa, may retatn the 

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BonnraUle Charles T. Zkmistok - PaW 6 

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