Case Information
*1 OFF!CE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
Hsnoreble S. J. 18aaoka
Chsirmsn, JudlolarJ Ccwalttaa i House of Repreaentatlrar ! ? 49th Leglol&.lra .-a_ I . '1
Austin, Texas i '-1.. 'i.
~. 1. Door Judge ISaaOkS: o&a" no. o-6442 *.
A\rthorlty OS City ..<Cou~lls of the smaller /' / ,' I" altlss of the state -- ncn-home ml. oltler -- to mnaot valid ordlnanoes pawhlbltlng tent ahovs, :-5. >. akatlng rinks, oarnivals, ',. -: ahd the like, within tha .c. *.yl*, llmlts. / ,>- /' '\ "h,, I..,' I \.
You ask‘thliB.depart&nt~for an opinion aa to whether the City Counolls of th& smalla~ aitlaa of the Stata, that 16, the non-has@ xwle olties, may eneot valid ordinances like or similar cdtho one atteohedto your Inquiry. The attaohed or- dlanoe belng.‘a.y follavs 1'*.,~-,~./*' i
"TRE STATE CF TEXAS
"COUNTY OF TROMPSOR D An ORDImmE
i' TO BE ENTITLED "AN ORDINANCE prohlblting all Tent Shws, Skating Rinks or Carnivals from shoving within the City Limits tor the duration of the War.
Hon. Y. J . Isaaoks, Pago 2
“BE IT ORDAIHISD BY THE CITP CWNCIL C? TEE CITY 08 CORINTH, TKXAS a
“3ECfIOri 1. That no tent show, skating rinks 05 carnival8 be allowed to operated lnaldo the CltT LLmits.
“SRCTICR 2. Any perron or pereom vlolatlng the toregoLng s.otiOn rhall ha fined not loaa than tventr-floe dollam ($25.00).
“3ECTIm 3. All ruler requlrlng an ordinance to bo read more than onoe sro hereby ruapended and this ordinance ahall kooae effeotlve from and aster its passago, approval and publloatlon.'
Artlole 1011 of the Revised Civil Statutea, dealing vith such oltLeo a8 are nnntloned by you, oontalns the iollor- ing:
"The City Council ahall hare piwor to pas8 all ordlaanow, rules aad pollee regulationa, A04 imtrary to the Oonrtitution o? thir State, ?or the good government, peaoe and order of the olt7 md the trade and omtser@o thereof, that my ba neoessary or proper to oarry Into effect tha pworr vested by this tltle.in tha oorporatlon, the OltP government a? ln any department OF offiob theranoii to enforoe ahA observance of all ruoh rulo8, ordln- ames and poll08 rogulatlona, and to punish ?lola- tlona thereof. HO fin4 Or p.Mltjr shall OXOQQd OM Hundmd Dollars .”
Artlole 1315 of the Statutea, further declares: "The gcvernlngbodJ shall alaohnve p0U.r: . . . "11. To abate and remove nulsanoos and to
punish the authors thereof w fine, and to define and deolam what shall ha nuleancea, and authorize and direct the summery abatwtent thereoit and tc abate all nuisances vhioh may Injure or afiect pub- lic health or oomfort in any manner they may deem expedient. . . .
Eon. 3. J. faaaoks, Page 3
"37. To llOQMe* tax and rQgulSt@ or sup r~aa and prQvant h&n&era, peddlora, pavn brokers a a8 keepers, m otbr sxhlbltlona, ahwa and amusements.
"38. To llornae, tax = rQgulat.0 thQatn5, clrousea, thQ exhibitlana of oaumon ahomen, ahwa of any l&xl, and ths xhlbltlon of natuz-al and ac- tlfloial. ourloaltlea, oarntana, menageadoa and mua- ioal exhlbltloaa end performmoe*.
'39. To SuthOri85 thQ pWper offlioer of the cltytn grant and issue lIo~naea, and to dlreot the 38nne~ of laauIng and regiaterlng thereof. and the Pees to be paid therefor. FJo lloenae shall be is- zued for a longar period than one year, aad ahall not be asalgneble exoept by permlaalon of tha city oouno11.” APt%oh 7047, hOtlOIh 22 (S), ~Ql'!lOti'S Annotated Clvi,l levy8 a State oooupatlon tax QLI teat ahwa and author-
Statutes, izes counties and oitlos to levy ona-half of the amount of tax levied by the State. Subaeotlcm (b), SQotlon 25 o? Artiole in?oses an annual or quarterly oaoupatlon tax on oarnlvala. Seo- tlon 34 of Artlole 7047, when mad In oonneotlon vith the first paragraph of said Artiole, levy8 an l nnuel ooouation tax on aket- ine rinks. Count&Q8 and oltlea au7 5150 levy an oo0~01tion tex on both carnivals and akz&lng rlnka. (tie Art. 7Ob8, V. A. C. 9. Also sQe Art. 7047a-19 vhloh relates to skating pinka.)
Ithaa bQen stated by our bupr~me Court in thQ oaae OS Iu53ourI, x. i3 T. Rt. Co. 0. Rookvall County Levee Improvement Matriot no. 3, 297 3. w. 206:
" it la nw thoroughly Well SQttlQd by the de&&a of the highest OOUI%S In thQ land that munioipal ordlnanaea, and even leglalstlve enaotmenta, undertaking to regulate useful bualnQaa enterprises, are subjeot to lnveatlgation in thQ courts, vlth the &v of determInIng vhether or not the ordlnenoe or act la the lavfti exerolaa of the pollee power; for no leglslatlve body, oz ether trl- bunal as to that, oan, under the guise Of QtiarOlng police regulations, arbitrarily interfere vlth the constitutlonel property rights of a single lndlvid- The Legislature may, in the exercise or ual.
Han. S. J. Iaeaoka, Page 4
reasonablQ dlaoretioa far thQ proPlOt1~ of thQ pub110 VQlfere, 5Iako law that OpQPOtO t0 thQ lndlvldual hurt, but this right lva7a la aub- jeot to judloial reviw, and the lay itaQl? Is void if superior right o? an it ooatravenea the lndlvidual wham it InjurQa. . . .”
With F5iOX’QMQ t0 tha QXtQnt O? Sad lLarit5tim on ;;lce parer, It is stated ln Texas Jurlaprudenoo, Vol. 30, p.
:
Y3enerell7 apQeklng, munloipal oorporetiona have tha right, under the pollo~ pouer, to aa?+ guard thQ health, OoJnfort, and general vel?arQ of their oitlzans b7 auah rQaaonablQ re#ulatlona 33 are neoeaaarJ for that purpose.
9%~ pollee poser la not en arbi?xaly otm; it has its lf0ltationa. Thus It la aubjeot to the llmltatlona IlppOSed b7 t&Q Conatitutiar upon every power of gowmmnt, and vi11 not bQ per- ctlitted to invade or Unpalr thQ ?UndS!d5z&Sl llb- ertlea o? the oltlzen. Also it 18. founded In pub110 neoeaalty and onl7 pub110 aeoQaalt7 oan justlf7 Its exer5l.m. It la oomaaaurate with, but does not QxaQed, tha dut7 to providQ for thQ real needs o? tha p~crpl~ In their health, aafQt7, comfort and oonvenienae as oonaiatently as 1557 be with private prop&i7 right5. . . .'
A lav?ul buaiobae or oooupatlon vhloh I8 not nuisanoe per se, but is of auah a nature that It ~7 bQma@ a nuisance eooordlng to thQ mammr or plaoe a? Itb pursuit, La subjeot to rQaaonable zwgulatlon, but ma7 not by abaolu- tely prohlbItQd by 8 orlmlnal cnYllneao~ under the OYera to abate nuisenoea. (Ex partQ Harris, 261 3. W. 1050 .
Tent shows, skating rinks end oarnirala are all taxed and their right to operate la reoogulted b7 State 13VS. Fe; may be rQaaonably regulated, but the7 oannot by prohlb-
. {See Mpnphy v. Wright, 115 9. U. (26) 448). Tedtsbp, sksting rinks and oernlvsls are not nulsonoea per se.
stated in the oase of Ex part@ Brewer, 152 3. W. 1068: *5 .
Hon. 3. J. gaeaoka, Page 5
"The quoatioa of tb right of a olt7 to adopt reeaonablQ regulatiau lo regard to all matters aubjmot to tha polio~ power has Men so frequently kfor~ thla oourt and so QxhauatIvQly dlaouaaed ve do not deQa It naoeaaa~ to do so hex-Q, but men17 oito l aaa af the deoialona, vher~inItI8 Qxpreaaly held that8 rIghto?thQ city euthoritlQ8 to adopt awh regulations, ao longaathayara roaaonablo,eri uphald,Snd vherein it 15 hQld that, I? auah OrdlaanoQo do not amount to virtual prohlbltloa, they rQ not in oonfllot with the l.?ya o? the state lIoenalng suoh oooupatlon. . . . .
It is stated in thQ oaae of Bx part@ Ooldberg, 200 3. w. 386%
II . . . Thsre are tlons vhloh SeQm to by ~~11 UndQrotood as thQ law, whlah may by stated as ?ollouar A buaineaa vhloh is outhorlred by the state lav oamot by proh.ibitQd by city ordlnana~ dIrQotly or 1ndIrQotly. A busi- ness vhiah Is regulated by thQ state oannot be pro- hibited by the olty either by e xp ress l naotsunt or by prohlbltory reguletlon. A bua+Iluaa regulated by the state oamot be Fegulakd b7 the oft7, other- wise then by grant O? parer to auoh Oity In the oherter pasaQd Irj the LQglSlatWQ SC@ the purpoaQ of auoh regulation. Bar oen auoh regulation be otherwise than In aooord vlth the state 1aV. . . .*
There are ran7 oases holding that a buaLnQa8 vhIoh la authorized by state lav oannot by prohibited W' olty ordin- anoe dlreotly or Indireotly. For the purpoa~a of this oplnloa VQ do not deem it neoQaae~ to oite addltlonal authoritIQa.
In vlev of the foregoing authorltlea 7ou era reapeot- fully advised that It is the apInion of this dQpertmQnt that city oounclla of the smaller oltiee of Texas, that la, the non-home rule oltlaa, oennot enaot a valid OrdIMMQ like or similar to the one sttaohed to your lnqui~y. Stated differ-
mu. s. J. fsaaoks, ~rga
ently the oity 00u~l1s of suoh olt%es oannot ensot a valid vhloh vi11 prohibit a burinasr that lo 8uthoriud ordim~e by State lav. AW:Pb