I
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
iionorable A. c. -#inborn
Dirtriot Attorney
Harris County
Civil Court8 EmildIng
Hotmton, Texar
'Dear Sir: Attention: LW. Robert R
Opinion No. O-7125
Re: What power h88 t
rfonerr' oourt w
Your latter or reoe
fl'Omthi8 departme
thi8 qUO8tiOIl, I wi8h
88ioner8' Court oan
or map or any sub-
ther than the faot
map or ?lat doe8 not show the oon-
th the original 8uTvey, or euffloient
to Locate the saae in placing the-
t suca co!:dition as fiaicirigit prac-
or t!le~;urjoses Of taxstion. in other
refuse to spprove a 3ap Or pi6t
Of a kxiivision for t&e reason r&at tl;eroaCs
. 3et fart;. ir. t2.t su&iivision 6rt not tk ?roptr
wi.;,t:. t ?..i ,:;3tivi6er refG;cts :;i:-ii‘-6
3; t.22
~i;-lliCa;~t
e;;se~ti~t-"3 tse vOiu;tY'i"
Hon. A. C. 'n'inborn,page 2
iiOU66 aill h’0.AOt8 1931, 42nd Lee.. aegu1ar
472 se88lon,
p. 371, oh. 217 (Art.-6&6, V. A. C. S.) providea:
“AK ACT to amend Artiole 6626 of the ikviaed Statute6
Of T6X66, 1925, 80 66 to provide the prer6qui8it68
for filing and reoordlng map8 and plate subdividhg
or resubdlviding real e6tat6, and deolarlng an
emergenoy.
“BZ IT ZNACTiD BY T&, ~,GCISLATU% 03 TIU STAT% OF IE-AS:
“SECTION 1. That Art1010 6626 of the il6Vi8ed
Statute8 of Tex.88,1925, be amended 80 a8 to hereafter
read a8 fOllOw8:
*'ArtloSe 6626. The following instrument8 of
kritiag whloh 8hall have been aoknowledged or proved
aooordlng to law, are authorized to be r6oorded, viz.:
all~deeds, mortgager, oonveyanoes, deed6 of trust,
bond8 for title, ;oovenante, defeasanoer or other :
Instrument8 0r writing ~oonoernlng any land8 or ten+
ment8, or goods and ohattels, or movable property of
any deeoriptlc&; provided, however, that in oases of
8UbdiVielon or r8-8ubdiVi8iOn of r661 property no map
Or plat of any 8uoh aubdiviaion or re-8ubdivislon.shall
be filed or reoorded unle88 and until the 8aim ha8 been
authorized by the ~COmmi88iOfler8'Oourt Of the oounty in
whioh~the real estate is situated by Order duly entered
in the llPinute8 of aaid OOUrt, eXOePt k~ 068e8 Of parti-
tion or other eubdiVi8iOn through 6 court Of record;
provided; that within inoorporated Oitiee and town8
the governing body thereof in 116~ Of the oomul8-
8lorier8'oourt 8hall prforni the dUti68 hereinabove
impO6ed upon the commf66iO~6r6' OOUrt.'
"SBC. 2. Tie fact th6t many paroele of real
estate in this State have been 6ubdlvld6d without
establishing a.-.dshowiri,-connectiOf? with origin61 :
surva;- or auff:cier,t otxr data to locate 6638, and
;lacin< t:x ;.ro;crt::lr $uch conditior as Lakes it
ispbctlcal for 12, --osi6
t of tax6tiOi&,acd t,le fact
that sucti ;xc,.: ce will cor.tinue unless proper
ie;:slst’J-e ’_
”* 1 & z zr.
c 2t”-:) cr-2ates 6rL ezer;eccy 622 an
Son. A. C. Xinborn, page 3
imperative publio n80088ity that the oonstitutional
rule requiring bill8 to be read on threr 8everal day8
In eaoh Xouae be, and the lame i8 hereby, surpended,
and it 18 80 en80ted.w
.
The Supreme Court in the 0686 of Trawslter ~6. Sohaefer,
179 S. 51'.(26) 765, in determining the power8 oonferred upon,the
Oommls8loners* oourt by Art. 6626, Iupra, raids
"It ir well 8ettled a8 a rUle of statutory oon-
8trUotiOn in thl8 Stati that it i8 proper t0 look
to all part8 of a legirlative Aot to aroertaln it8
proper oon8truotion 8nd meaning--that 18, to a8oer-
tain the legl8lative intent. It ir the legirlatlve
intent that i8 the 181. IZi Sipplying thi8 Nh OOUt8
will not look algne to one phrare, olau8o. or sentenoe
of an Aot, but to the entire Aot; and thir inolude8
the osptlon, the body of the’ Aot, and the smergenoy
olaurr . 39 Tex. Jur., p. 227, 8 121; Popham v.
Patterron, 12l Tex. 615, 51 6. W. 26 6801 Toxarkana
& Ft. S. Ry. Co. t. Houeton Gas 8 Fuel Co., 121 Tex.
594, 51 S. W. 2d 284; Winder v. King, TBX. Corn. App.,
-Xi. iip2d 587; Notor Inv. Co. v. City of Ii8mlin,
179 S. W. 26 278; Creager v. Bldalgo
Co&y Wiier Improvement Dietriot, Tex. Corn.APP.,
283 3. w. 151.
=#hen we oome ici oon8ldir the body of thir Aot,.
we find that it olother oommia8loner8~ oourtr with
power to determine whether or not map8 or plat8 of
land looated lutside of oitiea and town8 8hall be
filed and reoorded. .When we look to the emergenoy
clause, we find that It rtatee that an emergenoy
for Immediate effeot erirted beoauee, 'many parcel8
of real e&ate In thir State have baen rubdivided
without eetabllahlng and ahowing oonneotion with
original survey or sufficient other'data to locate
66rn8, and pleolq the property in such condition
a6 makes it impractloal for sur?oaee of taxation; ..~
and the faot that such prectices will continue
unless pro?rr 1eClslatioz is enacted, create6
* * *.I To our mind the above quoted etatesent
of the provi6ions of the esergenoy olau6e t0 this
Act. cor,siCered with the nrovisione of t2e body of
t;*.e'Act anows that the ~~isleiuri intended -thet
Z?.>S 6x2 ;.lets of la?+< snell recclve eUt;:orit;'iroLi
co=-dssioners' courts to be recorded, if tnej estab-
'lish and ahow the oonneotlon of suoh land with the
original survey of whioh it is a part, 6nd oontain
sufficient data to locate the land contained therein ',
and, further, plaoe the land shown by the map or pla t
in suoh a oondltion 66 makes it praotlcal to tax the
edme aocording thereto. Of course, this would require
the ma2 or plet to coritolo, ruffioiert data to
enable tlta taxlnt: authorltiae to correctly carry the
lend on the tax roll6 und evold duplicate a! double
rendition8 of the 6a.s lend. 30 ooz.atrCl;ed, tLe hot
ia 3ot 6ubj6ot to tae objectloa thst It confcirs
orbitrbry or umontrolled kw#er OL oos~ieeionere~
oourt6, or fall6 to furnish cucb euthoritiee with a
sufficient guide to enable taeu to adnlnlater the
8al28." fempha8i8 OlU8)
In View of the foregoing authorltl68, it i8 O'uropinion
that if the Doe&XI or plate submittdd to the cozzii88~on6r8~court
re8tcrblishand rhow the connection of ruoh letidwith the 'origioal
8Urvey of whioi: it la a pert, acd odntaln rtifioiclntdata to
looata tne lakd ahown by the nap or plot in euoh a condition 68
makcsr it praotioel to tax the maIs 8ooordlrg th6r6toa, the do5
~88ionar8~ oourt oamot refuea to euthorlze the filkg and
reoOrding of 8old ma?8 or 2late of subdivision8 for the 60&e
reason that roads set forth in t3e sCbdlvieior?me 'not the
propdr wfdth or that th.+subdivider refuees to give a.drainage
easement to the oounty.
‘. YOU?28 v&p $lilly, *
ATTCHILY nZ$i;3ALUP TiCAS
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J;i:LJ Joti i&caves