lionorableD. C. Grew OpinionNo. wu 505
State Highway.Engineer
Texae HighwayDepartment Re: WhetherIIlghway Deportmentcnn
Auotin, Texas opcnd highway funds for aeeoee-
ments to,pavocity otroetoad-
jacent to building0and oitoo
owned and uocd by the HiGhway
Department.
Donr Mr. Grow:
You roquecttho opinionof thic officeupon the,abovecaptimed
mattar.
The 55th Legielature,1957, passed B. B. 179, presentlycodified
In Vernon'8Civil Statutesa8 Article 6674~. Subdivisioh3 of this
act provideein part aa'followsi
II
. . .conetructingand operatingwarehousseand
other buildingaand facilitiesused In connection
with the 'construction,
maintenance,and operation
of the state Bighwoys.. . .II
Prior to U&enactment of this specificlegislation,this office
-haa for many yeare uniformlyrecognizedthe authorityof the Highway
Department,in the exercieeof the broad generalp&we conferred
upon it by law to construtit..and
maintaina system of highway8 in the
atate, to do thoae thlnge necessaryand Incidentalto that end. This
is coverd'somevhatin detail in our OpinionS-105 referredto in
your oplnion“request, a copy of which we assume you have.
The HighwayDepartmentdoee now hev& apeciflclegislativeauthority
to operate,and maintainwarehousesand other buildlngeused
construot,
in the conetruction,maintenance,and operationof a .eyetem
,ofState
HJ.&W(ICyB
.
The conetructionand maintenanceof these warehouaee,eesentia1
ae they are to the efficientand economicoperationof aState :EHdgh-
way Syetem,need not and shouldnot be consideredae isolatedfrom
the.@.reetaof a city upon which they are located,nor did the
Leglelatqe intendthat they ahouldbe. Free uee of the street upon
which a warehouseis locatedand the right of egreesand ingreee
therefromis nbcessaryto the operationand maintenanceof a warehouee.
A well-pavedstreetadjacentto the warehousela desirablefor the
convenienceof the HighwayDepartmentand its employee8operatingend
using the warehouee. It ie, therefore,quite reasonableto say that
HonorableD. C. &eer,'page 2~(WW 585)
the pro rata cost of paving the streetadjacentto a warehouseowned
and operatedby the State HighwayDepartmentshouldbe borne by the
Department.;A city.andthe generalpublic ts under no legal obli@-
tion to atikne end pay this cost for~.the
State HighwayDepartment.
The Hlghway~Departkitis, therefore,authorized~topay its pro
rata share of thb pavlng;ofthe streetattributableto the warehouse
frontagethereon if there~isan available~approtiriationfrom which
it may be ~paid. We,next considerthat question.
The expenditureof this motleyshal; not be conelderedas an
expenditurefor highwaysdirectlycr per se. The authorityfor the
expenditurecome8 from its capacityae a land owner. It can spend
money for a street improvementlevied againsta trtictof land owned
and used by the HighwayDepartmentin the performan ce of its duties
just as it could repair the roof of a buildinglocatedon that lend.
We understandthat this has be&your departmentalconstructionfor
may years.
We are of the opinionthat this paving cost may be paid from'
the appropriationmade to the State HighwayDepartmentin Item No.
23 of the present biennlukappropriation, tiie for the reason that
the cost of tiiispavia may be consid&-& as an administrative ex-
pense in conribotionwith,theestablishing,planning,constructing
a?xlmaintaininga systti of State Highwaysas contemplatedand set
forth In Chapter 1, Title 116 end Chapter186, GeneralLaws, 39th
Legislature,Regular Session,and amendmentsthereto.
SUMMARY
The,StateHighwayDepartmentia..authorized to constructand
operatewarehousesend other buildingsand.facilltiee used in con-
nectionwith the construction,maintenance,end operationof State
Highways,knd incidentaltheretoto pay B pro k&e share of the
coat of paving~the~streeton which sukh a warehouseIs located,
and the same may-be'pkldfrom.ItemNo. 23 of ~theappropriationto
the State HighwayDepartmentcoveringthe presentbiennium.
. WILL WIxmN
~A!B!ORNEXGENERALQFTEXAS
: ;ifja~+
GENERAL
LPL:pm
HonorableD. C. Crier, p&e 3 (WW585)
APPROVED:
oPlm0N COMMITPEE: ”
J. Arthur Sandlip,Chairman
H. Grady Chandler
Elmer McVey
Edward A. Cazarea
REUEKEDFGR TEZATTCRNEYGEVEFU
BY:
W. V. Geppert