Case Information

*1 558 : : GENERAL OF TEXAS

OFFICE OF THE AmORNEY AUSTIN

Honorably t. I. Cuanlqbaa

county Auditor

mruro county

ComIwlla, ‘Psur

8t8tUt88, l’erd8 l fO11OV8

88iOXber8 COUPt8 Of ll 8 popuatlaa of ) lllhabitlntr, (78,000) in- 0 the la8t preaedlag ?eder81 her8 18 loorted no Court of ve the parer @ad authority, 8a order purpo8e, to pro- 8ad ertablirh a oouaty bV ll-

brary.

"Sec. 2. Fm’tho put'pore Of 88tabli8hhing ~County law Librarier' the entry of suah order, 8fter there 8hall be taxed, aolleated, rul paid a8 other ao8t8 for the swa of One Dollm ($1) In each 0888, rult8 r0r delinquent 01~11 or ariminel, exoept taxe8, *2 page Ilonor8ble X, Y. CUR,

herealter fllod la every County or Li8trZat Court; prwided, hovover, th8t In ao event 8hall the amn- ty be liable rho11 be collected for r* 008f8 in 8nr Calme. Such Colta

by the Clerk8 of the rerpeatlve Court.8 In sclld eountler by reld Clerk to the 8nd pld County Trersurer to be kept by 8816 Tre8rucer ln 8 fund to be knowa a8 tb8 tCouaty l&r Li- roprato rupb.’ Such fuad 8hall be dalnl8tered by bruf 88Id Court8 for th8 pwabre rrrd rutaten8aue oi 8 lau llbrarg in a convenI8nt rnd 8aoe88ible pleoe, and uld tuad ahall not be ured iOr 8ny other purpore. 3. 8ald couPt8 8r8 gxuctod 811 neoea-

%a. rary power 8nd 8uthOrltJ to Jneke this kct effeotlre, ruler to raid llbr8ry, to pake rcaaonable in regard 8ad use of the book8 th ereof, l qd to carry out thm taras and provlafotu of thFa,htt."

Xavar r o County l o o o rd h g to the lrrt F8deral Census her a po~ulatlon of 51,308 and ha8 no Court of Clvll kppealr loaated Vlthla it8 bOurhrle8~ dl8trlCt and 8Iiy WtbOritf COU8ty clerk8 Of Bav8I'FO County &XJ8S.e88 to Chal'ge tbi8 Oae Collar (#l.OO) fee 18 tolely 1?02b-2, by virtue of Artlale 8 upr8.

The rodent aa8e of Ex Parta Carson (Tax. Cr. a.), for the as- 159 Y. Y. (2d) 126, held that 8 rtrtuta providlag s61185ent of One CO118r ($1.00) am coat in cfl5ln8l c8ser co~rrty law library fund Ye8 uaCon8titutloMl end thU8 could not ie&ltlm8tely be arses8ed and aollected 8a a0 item OS cart 1n a the partlwlm orinln41 actfon. The ree8on8 ret farthvere lnblbltioa gein8t eneci- the oon8tltutloBel rtatuts contravened zent of local or spcclal lava regalatlag cwaty a2falr’s or vhere -8 general law could be rsde appllcabloj that item of one lib- fund 18 neither dollar taxed ex coat8 ror lm neceI- racy nor lnaldental trial of 8 CrlmlMl Care, urd i8 not l logitlR8te itool 80 t8X8d; and, that to 80 tax rgiiin8t 8 defendent In 8 orlminal c88e in aeverel oountiea 8ad tax ln other aountle8 where 8 derendant ~18 ooavlcted of the 8eld oft8r#e, vauld be 8 di8orilaiMtloa uhloh law do08 reaognlre or toler8te. there aon be no legitimate mU8, 888e8SZWl3t ti CrlaLnrf C88e8 Of OM doll8r under ally of OUl' dealing vltb 8uch 8 tax for 8 oouaty llbrrry ~$enc Itatutes *3 ikmoreble lt. Y. Cuuuinghua, pew

UC l e of th eCpfafon the reeaoa8 ap plied 1~ th e krron ea8e not rolcly to crlralnel l otmb8 l re equal- pectlaent ly applicable to Slllt8 Of 8 OlVll Mture. Such a t8r 18 In OCR charge on the lJ.tlgent8 to a alvtl oplnlou l logitlwre 8ult. UC quote from the Carsoa am4 sa follove;

I ths OOUPt8 take the view On ens ride thaC t&e*oirtr nay be taxed aa l gzo c ltm bo- 1sbmeat cad CaU80 the caner 18 ured 2a the ret&b f” of o law llbra i8 8t8tO6, :8 uhlah, it uiatenanne charge on tbo Ve ilnd our- 8 lccgltimte ttLganL8. 8ecopt tb8t pleu. relter uneble Juoh reasoalngt vbleh ryy a8 vould lerd into fields of expetilturer the eo8t of tbs aorut houu8, wall robilee l.aalude euto- u8e to l pprehend arie.laal8 ubfcb of~loerr rcSd8 upoa which they ride. 4~2 evua the If 8OZ+ remote a8 a lau thlng.so library say bo properly charged to ths lltlgant on the theory that St better Par the pertarm- prepare8 aourte and the attorneys 4naO Of their d,uth?r, it OCaUT8 to U8 that Ye nQ.ht ae logically tax an Zten of coat fm tha eduoatloa Of 8UCh ttOFZXCy8 Uid jUC@ea W&d even O&d-t8 of sohoolr uhloh they rttend. f48ny other illur- tr8tlona sight u8ed 8pproprhtely rhov ths fallaoy of ouch contentfoa end inevlteble rcault that lltl.@btlnXa la the OOlZTt8 vould be plrohlb%tlve.

Ye, therefore, conolube, a8 8evor41 6t8tea h4vs, th8t the tax imposed by ths bill i8 not aad oaanot a proper item of oort la be lo~loally conridered litigation, partlaulmly ia ormla41 088e8,~

hPtjOle 111, %JOtiOA 5;6 Of the c~UStmIt~OZI Of &X88, 1a put, provides s So1bv81 9he Iagf818ture 8hall excupt a6 other- not,

Vi84 provided thl8 Cm8titUtim, p?tSS ang bC81 or rp6al81 law, eUthOri8lngr

* . . . . sSf8Ira

URoguleting of CouatUir. . . . . . . *4 “Re$ulatlng t&a paotloe . . . brforo 6owt8.

. . . . . . oAnb & 811 other 08868 uhere 8 @nerrl l&u cul be mada pplleable, 00 looal or special l~v abell be 6MOt6d. . . .” 6611 66ttlad It l 66m8 r6w tb8t before St8tUt6. I g6Zk6r81 8&pliO8tiOZl CM b6 8U8t8lMd 8i not

vhlch CO Mt h8Ve being 6 1oC81 O? 8peO181 18Y, tbs Ol888ifiO8tiOlS ll6d mU8t be one 8rbitITW~ly adopted upon a gvoutul vhlch h88 no founda- tion in diffara~ad Of 81tU8tlOXa Of the COuW,i@8 placed In dlf- that there muxt b6 8om6 r888OMb1e relation, k6- rsrent ~188668; tVU6n thair EitU6tioD 8Pd ths pU?p6868 clll~! Obj6Ot8 t0 be ob- thier6 mu8t b6 ramething vhioh in IO= mason- tbrt tPiaa66j and, able dog06 EdJ$ 8OOOUZkt iOr the 8lt8bli8hment Of tb686 C18886:. Rlllar v. El P880 County, 150 3. Y. (26) 1000 (Sup. Ct.), and 8uthorltles cited thercla.

Follovlng abova r6880nlng, va do not bellevs th6r6 6XiOt8 iOgitiEt6t6 gPOUd8 fOr th6 0~88ifi68tlOIb 8OUght ln h'tlOl0 1702b-2, SUprr. Th6r6 8r6 OIL1 tW0 &POund8 m f vhlch the 8rtlol6 under uonslder8tlon OOU d bs uld be a mm86 ara l6886r tho popalA- rea8oMble 01888iflC8tbQ. th6 popu- tion the mor6 ~63 r0r 8 oounty llbr8ry, or greater we do bt- the p6at6r the need for 8Wh 8 llbrur. lation 11CV6 8 pOpUl8tiOai br8ok6t 18 8 re88OMbk Ol888ifi66tiQS& Or &?OURd pDpU&tlOK% 86611 litig8nt 8Ofll' 88 8 jU8t 88 neOe888rJ 8 8t8tUt6 t0 h673 8 COuOtT OOUUti68 Oi gp'68t pOpU&tkUh, tbore 18 OOllQ6F~c;d. Of MtUW libr8q UNhr 18 88 IOUCh XAeCd jU8t C=8i&F8tiOB. iII COWti68 Or fCW ft in- t&i& bL8 01868 iXIpWti8llJ 8nd rffloira~ coa8idrrad vheth- 82 th6 COUUtr h88 8 PO~UbtiOIk Of lo,oo~ Or 310,003, 8d COA- oer8slg tba 8am6 ?688Oalq 8ppllcr.

r668OMb~6 but 8till Coaocdiap, hovaver, iirEI1J COnvinOed t0 OODtrUJ, @‘Ound Of 01888iflCatiOlX population &WtialdU 1A thl8 8till Ye U6 brrok6t 1s bCiC6IAt, Of th6 8t8tUt6 OpiniOn thd uDd6r CO&I6iC6?8tiIXI 5U8t i811 68 be- 3X' 8p6C181 18U. The F668iX~ for thl8 - 8 lOOA i8 th8t ha8 not been UILifoW Or CWi8t6&lt irr th6 Cl6881- L6glxlatuP8 If the grokllld iOr fh6 01888ifiCiRtiOn 18 th6 @6atCr floation. *5 Honor8ble II. Y. C~iuxlngb8m, plgee 5

th6 pOpUl6tiOIi, th6 &r88t6r th6 tA66d for COUlitT libr8r160, than vhy ItOp 8t OOWti68 Vho86 &WpUl8tiW 18 OV6f 78,000. tlW6, APtlo R6rl86d ClTi1 St8tUt68, 17026, inolUd68 OOUAti68 It ^[18] Of 80,000 t0 225,000, but 80 f8r 88 pOpti8tiOA Ol688ffiO8tlOA, in thi8 re8p6Ot vZth OOlUlti68 V6 hV6 00 8rti6168 d68lin(( Of larger popul6tion. 1688 th6 pOpUl8tiW the mOP6 XL668 tb6l'e If the @'OUlld for 01*88ifi@8tiOR i8 iOr 8 llbr8ry, tht tbbn VhJ h68 tigi8lZtllF6 pPOV:ded librule8 in OOUAt168 UAd6r 50,000. ti othsr vOrd8, the hgi8bltW6 ha8 not fO1lOUed 8 uniform 94tterA in it8 Ol688iflO8tlOA. It V89 for th18 C68- 8OIk tb8t th6 SUPr6Ill6 COUl't iA &X8l' 0OUAty V. m, u8 T6X. 223, 97 9. W. (26) 467, held 6 populZtlon brakket rtatute U- OOA8titUtiOA81 88 being 6 10081 Or 8p6C161 UV. w6 qUOt6 th6F6- trOXl fO1lOV8

” thl8 COWt r6OOgniC6'.? that 8Ub8t8ILt161 differ&i tn populotloAZ of 00unt1es OOUlQ be Md6 8 b6818 Of 16@8l&tiOn fiXlly OGJIQ6W6ttOII Of Offl- cer8, on the theory, 88 the Court clearly raOO@Z6d th6 vork devo1viAg Upon 6n officsr Vas 80ms degrae proportionste the popu~tion Of ths oountg.

Thlr h8s frequ&ltly bean r6OOgAiZ6d by eOurt8 ometlng,a 8ufflolsnt dlstlnotion to juatlfy 8 larger oompenration for 0oUAty offloer8 in oouAtle8 hZviAg 8 18rg6 population 88 oomp6zad vlth CoaqmlZZtloA to like OffiOer8 in OOWlti68 bYiAg 8 Snul11 pCtptitiOll. Converrely, va think lt true th8t if :he Legirlrture ignore8 the obvlour faot that tha vork of oounty of- floerr 18 proportlon6te population 8nd 0188~168 OOOAtie8 in such VSy the O~n86tiOn Of Off1061'8 of a oountJ h6vlng 6 18rge pOpUl8tiOU 18 fixed far belov the oaapeneatloa allowed like officer8 f.n SllIZ11 OOUJlti68, 8uoh 8CtiOn 8WLUlt8 t0 fi.Xm a ol888iflo8tloA which 1.8 arbitrary and vhlch h6s no trU6 f616~8AOy t0 purpO8e Of i6gixlAtiOiL . . .

In 0E;lnlon No. O-4439 thlr department held Artiola 17026, VeFAOA'8 Texas civil St8tUt68, ZA WtiC10 81Zi1til' t0 th6 OAO Under ei8OW8iOJZA, UnOOAstitUtioA61. theraof. we 6AOlo86 8 OOyy

It lr th6r6fOr6 OplniOA Of thir departlaent th6t di8triOt 6Ad county olerkr of Nwarro County oan *6 ’ ’ pago Eonorabla '1. Y. Cunn~,

l~gltlutely tax as oostr in 0rlnLnrl and civil caaea a One Dollar ($1.00) library tee as provided in Artlols 1702b-2, rupra truly your

Very ATTORNEY QWERAL OF TEXAS 0, Koch Robert A8sl8tant ROILtdb

Bnoloaure