Case Information

*1 -

. . . ‘8 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS

AUSTIN

Honorable L. A* Wooda

Ma~~nSu~pertendent of Publir Instruction

,

Dear SirI W. T. Ibr AtturfiOn wo ar4 in neoipt the oplnlo

llM0, rrquertiag

reedr aa Sollowst ~Artlale lt745,

e8tablishm8d of eoutt

part a8 follo

on Coosoldiateb County Liao s ride and tiwottty-one miles lrrton is a body of land hool dirtriot.

unty board of tmsteem add thta fonlertan County Llm Sob001 by adding this land the ahape of dirtriot tho 6OS8 not 8onforaP ~OtiiIiOIlS rtatute"i* above nentloned of l-U108 with refermee to nuutdatory or dlreo- The Of a l t6tUte Itro 8tUted %a SO TSX. tOr prOvlSlOn8 fUr* I14 88 follow8t P* L

‘A statuto ar 8tfitUtOry prOti8iOn may be mandatory or directory or merely permls8iro.

x manddory provIaIon ^[18] on0 whloh, ii not followed renders the proceedlx& to vhloh it relates Illegal and rold, while a dlreotory prOT181On 18 one, ObBeI'VauOe of whiah I8 not necessary to the validity oi the pmeed- ia5 dlreotorywhen It con- inc. A prorIsIon talns mre matter of dlrectlon, not of the esfienoe of the thirq to be done, but desIgned merely to procure its proper, orderly end prompt OB the other hand, a negative pro&~ prformanoe.

VMIOB -- one which cox!mds that a certain thing 8ha11 not be done - Lo usually mandatory.

TBat there Is no ab8olute te8t or Infallible rule by whlah a mandatory Btatute or prorlslon may be dlBtlBgU,uished from one whloh Is ~mrely directory. In eaah okme, the qM8tiOB 1s. OB6 of statutory construction, be judlolally de- ternined acaordlng to Intent or the LegIsla- ture iron a consldercltlon or the atire statute, Its nature, objeot and eubjeot-matter, and the consequenoes that will rsault iron a partioular construction. irll sot OT provision that olearly di80108e8 M intamest OB the part Of the L~&E- ;;;$; that It 8hould be mandatory will be Iven

On the other hand one which reve a no af such ikerest or purpose w&l be oonstrued a8 directory.g

.t,pplying the above rulss to the Btatute ln ques- tlOB; the prOvi8iOB r8qUIrinC: that shall be the district laid out *in as near the shape o? b 8qUate aI3 possiblea, we ooustrus the word wpossIbler appears to be dlreotory.

as used therein to hare the 8ante meaning as npraotlaable~. Evidently It was intended that the County Board should exercise a dIsoretIon in deilnlq?, the boundarles or 8uch board to lay out the diatriot dlstrlcts and it directs In as near the shape Or a square a8 SW be praotloable or X'n ohanglng or add- possible under all the ciroutastsnces.

ing territory to suoh districts it Is not eesentiti they maintain shape Of a square.

me pr~vlsion whloh readrra *and in no event shall the length of suoh d18triet be geatir than the width plus one-half of the width of suoh dIstrIat,n however, I8 In our first providdd that opinion mandatory. The Legfslature

IO Bon. L. a. ‘Goods, p8ge 3

dietriot should be in a8 near the shape of a square as possible, learIr& this matter to be determined by the Bard, and then rpecified Oertdn lIm%tatIons beyond which they should not go in ally event. We construe this last provision a8 nandatory and a 1IIaitation upon the pO~i8iOIi mark- authority of the Board. It Is a negative Ing the l&I&t8 within whioh authority to follow direotlons therslnabare glean amy be exerolmd.

8-e we do not know the rhnpe proposed to be giren the district, wa Cannot give Jour qu8stion.a @ate- that dlstriot gorloal answer but are or the opinion should conform to the limitations hereinabove discuaaod, a#mming the Btatute in quest%on ls applleable Fowlerton Cosrmon Consolidated County-Line Sob001 Dis- trlct and the charge propass be ma&e,

TOWS very truly FIRST ASSISTANT / ATTORNEY GENNERAL

COMMII~EE