OFFICE OF THE ATI’ORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
6050rRb1. UllllRm A. ariffl8, Jr.
CouAty Att0rA.y
chlnu CouAty
hminola. Tuu
05Orit t0 thi
Co uAty l a
19411,irquesting thr opin-
0 rtlbrd QUUtiQA, PORti
0 heninutter sot
ubrtantially aa
Rr8 oitloo5@
rorlbad fulds
in ma, rhlob
.,^ .-^““**“,eII.^” .L _^ __r^.._-_.._^ .- . --_.-_.._.._.. _-
Honorable xilllnm A. Qriffls, Jr., l'aasI:
blrt8noe nt 8om sir miles LAtO mlr8ws county.
IA 'chookiq into this matter, the question has
be’en railredaa to vhethar tha Co~lnaimars'
COUrtiOf @1nf!8 COUEt~ Will hV8 SUthOrlty t0
sxprnd oousty fund8 for th8 malntrnanoa of a
read on the land deed@4 to thm in kdmws
county, 34hloh rod right-or-wey will mumot
with the proposed r8gulrrrly8stabllshwl rub
in tilnes County and Whloh ~111 bo of aatarlal
bsnetlt to the ofbl44ns or aafnss Oounty 88 8
whole.
“Artlcls Pabl or the Hevle8a
Clvll 3tcitutrs
or ma,
TOW. am0188Oth8r things,
lpoV1488,
that the Ootiar i worsg Court rhall have AU-
thorlty t0 'lay Out asa ortabllsh, ahang and
dl8oont5.m. public ro8dr and hi& ways’ an4
they 8baU further ~rrrrol80p.etner81
oon8rol
over 8U roe88 hlutmmyr, furlao, and bri4&88
ln their coun&.@ ~fn sub-4lvl#lon 15 of
sold artlol8, 1s the (;enerrlprovision,.*ral&
oourt shall bavr all ouoh 0th~ parrs.nn4
jurlsdlotlon ana dhll perform 811 euoh other
4utles as am nar or nmy tiroaitsr be prarorlb-
ed by lnw.' I Sill unable te tin4 my Statutory
or 0~80 authority rlarr ozpreasly holding
that thr Comlssloners* Court h8.rauthority
to srpoad aotu16yfulbls IA the prOpOS8d isprOw-
ntmt of
county lands Iying.outoids the aousty
boundaries, nor do X find any authority naga-
tlving such 8 progoeitloa. Thr gsoeral rtatuk
quoted~etove limits the powers ot the Corals-
slomrs* Courts to tho88 oonterred by ooaetl-
tutlon and laws only, or 8riring by nro8nury
iImplication. I ZlnQ rurther 8uthortty to the
eiieot that thr poaors ot Caaualarionera~Courts
am ~omrall to ba strlotl eonetrund, but that
the aourt8 WI 11 be roluotane to find an abuar
or ti80~1h105 in 00nn00tfw rith 8oti0~8 d
Comal8slon8rs~ Courts g8nrr8lly.
"You 8r8, thor8ror8,r88g8otfuLlpr8quert-
ld to ldvle8 this offlor sad the Oomiasionersr
Court ot Oaln88 'Countyas to whether, under tha
raot8 stat.6, tho Coml8slanors! Oourt of ‘hiAU
Cousty br.sauthority te ~88 oounty lusds and
a8ohimry to maint8ln the 1~4 orrrr8d, or to bo
HOAOX-Sb18Rilliam A. Qriffls, Jr., P4ee 3
by Oalnmr Oaunty in ~mIr@wsCounty,
owntrd,
f~S@uariR~ thnt the 00~6 Will. be A408S88~ in
OrdBr t0 Off8OtU8t8 Wld OBrEy Out th8 pUrpOS8
or the ooAetrwtioa or thst portion 0r the
rend wbloh line within tbo boundariesof Gaines
county .
‘lOU 8C4 further ~88~80tt~~~ r8QU8St8d
t0 l&V4 this mtt@r 8U 88r~ 88Si~4~t iOr
iXWdht8 attOntiOnr Sh00 the SOW% ibOAr
18 lXtr CJfBl 4SX1OU8
ly to &WO08.6 with ita #lMS
tor road oonstrwtlo5 la 0SlneS County, rhloh
5Ulrt n4084Sat11~ UpOn yOUr opinion 88
be based
t0 th4 authority Of th8 oourt l5 Oonnoot10~
with the mad in AndrOWS COUty."
SBUtiOll 8, &tiOl@ u Of the 8tAtB COllOtitutiOA
prOVid88 I
*The aoastruotion of jails, 0ourthous88,~
and brid.$48,
and the sstebllshmnt 0r uouaty~
poorhOuso8 6Ad fal'58,85d th8 kt#yiAe Out,
ccnstruation ma4 ra*ln~ of oouaty roads
shall be prOrid@d for by g8ABti lsw~r’
Arti@ 6703, ~@I’l4O5’8 ASSOtBt4d civil &4tqti@S,
~X’OVid@#t
The obmmlsrion*rs oourt sh8U order the
layLAg out an4 opening of pub110roads When
naoassary, and dlsoontlaus or alter any road
Wh@n~V@~ it 8h411 be d@@aP@d rIJWdi@tlt. NO’
public rcmds Shall be lltsrsd or ohangod sx-
e@pt t0 ShOrtBnths bfStMO8 frm Btd t0 bad,
Udl488 ths OOLWt UyOli h full blV88ti~fAtiO~ Of
th8 proyused OhaA~s flnds thAt the pub110
:nt4l'@@tWi11 be batter UrVcld by r&kin6 the
OheA~B~ and Said Oha~@ 8hr11 b4 by USSni~OUS
001188St Of 811 the OOaPri481CXl8~S @l80t@d. No
p@ti of a,pub;Lls~08d shall b4 dlsoontinued
until a new road Is first built oonAsotlAg ths
parts not 418005tinu86~ Sad no 8ntlrr first or
84OOSd &488 I’Wdlh811 be ~~8OOnt~AU8d BXO4pt
u9OA raoatloa or nOA-WI iOr 4 period Ot the8
~88rS. 38id SOW% Shall 888QSO @Ad braif@ OM-
trol of the StrSOtS SSd Slbys- iA 811 OltiBS
Honorablr VIllImn A. tiifrfa, Jr., Page 4
and Inaorporetsd tollnsin Texas wblch hare A0
Psfeoto (de fneto) nuniolpel yooarnment In the
eetlte dlsoherge of their offioiel dutle6.0
It 16 stated in %mes Jurlsprudenoe, Volume El,
pago 687:
"The ldAInl6tratloA of hIghmy IS ooa-
trollnd by thr steC6, ths logisleturr bdq
Itwasted with the suprem power o? reguletlon
and oontrol. Bubjsot to 857 oon8tltutIonal
restrlotlons, this ooatrol may be sxerolrsd
through suoh sg66oIr6 e8 the legI6leturo lgl
eelset for the purpono.
*The constitution aomm!mQa that the ley-
In8 out, aonstrootfngand repeirln6 ot oounty
roe&s shell be provlbrd for br gaeml laws.
AOOOl-lIlAgAY, noral.lews have been rneot~sd
60ttin6 UP 8 rtat0 siigh~ag cof6d66106 t0 6a-
nlnister ststo bighaoys end del6@ttlng the
oootrol of oouaty roads to tho Eoqntp oomala-
sIoner6' oourts. . .: .*
It 16 further stated in Taaa Jurl6prudmoe, Voluaa
81, page mot
*Subjeot to aAy local law, oomlesionbrs~
couzts em inverted with the powor sAQ oharg-
ed wltb the duty Of Ore&tin& And lA&dAtAiAiAg
adequate roads. Tbsy cre oome'i#lmlto ley
out CIA&establish roads when neoresery. Tbess
rot&s mean ~mnke, oteato or r06nd pemenently' 5
that Ia to sey, they are empowered to do all
mah cots es may be necssserp to construot
peraenoot rwdr. . . .”
We quote from the er8i of Brw68erd v. Wflson, 185
9. W. 814, es folMw6r
(1 The legislerurr he6 neon propor to
oonfer’u~o~ the 001Yllf6XIMlr6*oourt the power
aid 8uthorlt7 to makr oontraotr tor the repair-..
.iag eAd ooA6trAotloA of roedn wlthln it0 CoUAfi.l,
and 60 long es Said oourts rmake OOAtB!OtS with-
IA the rrstristioA6 oS the aoA6titutionsoil
undrr the authority of law, It $8 not for the
HonoreblrWIllI6m A. OrlfSIs, Jr., i'age5
aourts to subrtitutb their jud@M#At for that
ot ths~c6fmla6Ionor6' Court 66 th ths wlrdoaa
of mtob oQntreOt6.*
The es66 of Jemoson V. fimln, 91 S. #. (24) lU%,
aDlo* other tblttg6, holds that strict 008kQai8IXh3 w1tIartet-
ut0 pr~~iBlOn# ia AOiMSnbrg to OOAfOr ~Utittdi0t~Ott 00. a
COOI 88tOMl’S’ COWt t0 r#t&bliSh wbllo 2’0646.
The Colza1~61066r6~Court in exxerci#Itq powsrr de-
ifJ@ tbt0 a 8QWttb SiA F @ ( lat0r(rO lC4 dS
MAAOt lXO9 Oath0
poasrs slth8r sxprasrly or Im~lloUly granted. (Oult Bltu-
llthlo 7. Blu6666 County E07 0. W.747, rbrarsd on othor
~rouads, Al 8. w. (aa) hoa)
T!efail to find Any buthorlty buthori&lAg 8 Ccm-
ni6nIonor6*Court to 6rponbcounty fund6 ror the 66hbllshmont,
fAprOV~9At hod
SMlAt6AnAO6 Of rod8 6utSld6 Of the OOUllt~
boUtkl8rlCS~ IA th rlbawtos of suoh euthOritj,It 16 Our
WiAtOn that the cO6d86iO66~6 ' COUrt h6 A0 ilI@Jbl authority
wh6t606vW tb s,xpcl~b 00QAty htad6 tO'6ut8bllsh, lAprOW or
ml~tal~ pub110 rods outside the bsundatlos of tho oounty
desiring to erpnd suoh l?UAdS. 16 othir WOrdS, iindfA&$ A0
St6tUt6 or ooortitutioAal provldon e!spreeslfcJYlA6 author-
ity'toa oounty to 6aquiro lad outside of it6 boundaries
Sot road 9~~~0868, hor from wbloh lib696wer Could be r(la(loA-
Ably laplid, we ero 06m96llmd to enswe? ths bbovr rtotd
QUO8tlbA iA the’AWWtI*bb
Truatlng thet the for6gOIsd fully nn6wor6 your IA-
Wry, we as-6
Your0 vory.truly
ANOil WlliiAAS
bUlli8tthAt