Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

ATTORNEY GENERAL OFTEXAS HonorableBobMcCsmpbell opinionNo. o-3137 CountyAttorney Re: Where a couutypurchesesa Cnaanchecounty ri@xt-of-wayfora State ColzBnche, !cexas hi&way wholly within me comnissioner'sprecinct, Dear Sir: can the purcheseprice be pid by the whole county? And a relatedquestion. Your recent requestfor an opinionof this departlaent upon tha questionsas are herein stetedhas been received. The questionspresentedin your inquiryare as follows: "1. Where the countypurchasesrif&t-of-wayfor State hi#nteywhollywithin one commissioner's precinct,can the purcheseprice ba p3ld~by the whole comty? We restateyour secolzd qtusstlon as follows: 2. If the amwer to the above questionIs yes, out of what fuud or fuuds COP the said puroheseprice be psfd4 Article 667kn,Vernon'sAnnotatedCivil Statutes,reads, in part, a* follows: Whenever, fn the jud~t of the'Stats Highways Com- missioh,the use or acquisitionof any land for road, right of my purposescl,timber,earth, stone, gravelor other am- terlal,necessaryor convenienttoaoyrosd tobe constructed, re-constructed, rmintained,widened, strai@ened or lengbh- ened, or land not exceedlngom hundred (100)feet in width for streambed diversion in connectionwith the locating,re- loeatingor conatructim of a designatedS&ate HI&way by the Stete HighwayComaissfon,the sema asy be e~uired by purchase or ~cadet!metionby the Cobnty~C~~~iSSi~nerB Court. Provided #at the County in which the State EQhway Is locatedway pay for same out of the CountyRoad and BridgeFund, or any availa- ble countytids. “Any Co~asloeers Court is hereby authorizedto secure by purchaseor by condemation on behalf of the State of Texas, any new or wider rl&t of way or land not exceedingone hmdred HouorablaRob McCampbell,page 2 (O-3137) (100) feet in width for streanbed diversionIn counection with the locetlng,rclooatlngor cc?latmlet1ox!of a desig- nated Et&a Eiginmy,or land or Lauda for lasterisor bor- row pits, to be used in the couatrwticm, recmmtructiou, or zdntenesce ofStsteHi@xwsys andtopeyfmthe aama out of the Cow&y Road end &id@ Fmd, or out og $n;ltpa- cfal road funds or any availablecomty funds. . 'ibeCountyRoad and Rridm Fund proper is derivedfrom the fol- lowing sources: county taxes,autombila registrationfees, and all fines and forfeitures. Dispositionof that portiouof the CouutyRoad and BrfdguFund consistingof automobileregistrationfees is goveruedby Section 10 of Article 6675~~ Vernon'sAuuotatadCivil Statutes. The pertinentprovision of said Sectionreads as follows: r,** * . Bone of tha monies so placedto the credit of the Road and BridgeFund of a county shall be used to pay the selery or compensationof any County Judge or Couu- ty Commlssimer, but ell said mouies shall be used for the con- structiouand asiuteneueeof lateralroads in such county under-thesupervisionof the CountyRngineer,if there be one, and if there is no such engineer,then the County Com- missioners'Court shall heve authorityto commud ~theser- vices of the Dlvisim Rugineerof the State Hi&way Deprt- ment for the purposeof suparvislugthe construction and surveyingof lateralroads in their respectivecounties. All fuuds aLlocatedto the oouuticsby the provisionsof this Act (Art. 667!%-1to 6673-14; P. C. Art. ma) my be used by the countiesfn the peymsutof obligetions,if any, Issuedand incurredin the coustructicmor the im- provemat of all roads, tincluding State Highwaysof such countiesand districtsthareiu;or the improvementof tha roads couprisingthe CovotyRoad system." The case of Stovallvs. Ghivsrs,75 8. W, (2d) 276, affirlaed (Corns.App.) 103 S. w. (2d) 363, on page 367 of the latteropinion,con- tains the followiugstateieent with respectto the above quoted sectiou: "As to that portionof autoxwbileregistmtiou fees retained.byVan Zandt County,Article 6@!%-10, Vernpn's AnnotatedCivil Statutes,expresslyprov?deshow sama shall be expeudad,and for that reason It is obviousthat article 6740 has no applicationto same." The purposeas stated iu Article667!%-10is tha "coustructiou and mainteuanceof lateralroads" or "paymentof obliggtions"incurred in the constructionor,.~provemeutof all roads within the county. There page 3 bO-3137) HonorableRob MeCampbell., is no formulafor the spendingof thfs perticKlerportfonof the county Road and BridgeFnnd. Article 6740 has no application,according~tothe decisionof Novell vs- Shivers,supra. The resyonsIbility for the proper expenditureof these funds rests primarilyupcm tha Comm~lssfone~s~ Court. We qnote furtherfrom t&e above mantionedcase as follows: "Ry article2342 of the RevisedStatutes,it is providedthat the'severalcommissioners, togetherwith the county judge,shall.composethe 'commissioners court.' Such court is menffestlya unit, and is theagency of the whole county. The respeotivemambars of the commissioners court are thereforeprfiParily representatives of the whole connty,and not merely represrntetives of their respective precfncts. Tha duty of the coiiLrrlssPoncrs court is to trsns- act the business,protecttie Interest,snd promotetba wel- fare of ,thecountyas a whole. A~gtbe puwers conferred ?qim swh COUPE by 8FtiCiC? :!.;:~>I a:- t.& Pdk~tnny: ,?Phe power to lay out adI estklblfab, ahmge am? discontfnuaroads and highways)the mer to buitfl~. br;lg~,and keep them in repair,and the Rower to exercisegenepalarr-;trol over all rosds,higtweyo,ferries,end brifiges in their counties. They have the power ta levy 13tar not to exceed 15 'cents on th% $100 valwtfon fog ~oels and b17:.dgeso This fund is, of course,for the benefit of ell roads and bridgesof the con&y. These provisionsof the Saw, as weiE as others which mi#.A be mvntfoned,clearlycontemplatethat the com- missionerscourt of each connty shall regard the reeds and highmys of the countyas a system,to be laid out, changed repaired,improved,and mafntarned,as far as practlcel,, as a whole to tiw best interestsand welfare of all the people of the county. It is clear2.y contemplatedthat all roads and brfdgesof "he con&y shall be maintained,repaired,and improvedwbennecessary,as the conditionsmy requke, re- gardlessof tha precinctin which same may be located,so far as the fun3s WilL equitablyjusLiiy.7' As for that portionof the countyRoad and BridgeFund con- sistingof countytaxes,Article 6740, vernonusAnnotatedCivil Statutes, provides: "'Thacommissioners court &all see that the road and brid~gefund of their county is jndiciouslyand equitably expendedon the roads and brfdgesof their county,and, as nearly 8s the conditionand necessityof the reads will permit, it shall be expendedin each county cosnnissioners precinctin proRcu%fonto the amouut collectedin such pre- cfnct. Money used in buildingparnmnentroads shall ffrst be used only on first or second4Lass roads, and on those which shall have the right of way furnishedfree of cost to - a HonorableBob McCampbell,pege 4 (o-3137) mke ea rtraieprt a roud as 18 prclctlcable and having the gmatert btmw offeredby the olti,senlrof may, labor or other prol?e*.* This Articlebaa been ocmtrued by the gcmniaekm of Appaala of the Etete of Tows. gtovallvs. ghlvers,aupra. We quote thewfrontas follow: "It will be obwrved that the article in questlou providesthsttheroad audbridgefwdshallbe judi- cloudy and enpitablyexpended COIthe roads and bridges of the county,and, as nearly aa the conditionand neces- si+q oftheroadsuQlperarlt,shallbeexpaded in each countycoxmisaionersprecinctIn prowrtion to the emount collectedin such precinct. In our opinion,there i~ ob- vlowly nothing in this articlewhich compelsthe comuis- sionerscourt to dl~idethe road and bridge fund according t~snyfixedwthweticalformula, andayportlon same In advancefor the purposeof kfngexpemded in any given precinct. Theuseoftheword'exgended~toourminds cleerly suggestst$at said fwds shall be Bpporticmedand pid out from time to time as the neoesafbyfor their we $rp$s in the ordinaryad&nlatration of the cowty affairs . "gotwithstanding this, the cowilaaiwers court must give effect to said article 6740 exceptwhen the necessi- ties of the roads and bridgesre¶uirea departurefrom it. That articlereclnires thet the wad and bridgefwds of all couutiesshall be judlciou~4 and Nuitably expended. It fur- ther requireithat such fuuda shall,a8 nearly as the condl- tlm and necessityof the rmds will permit,be expendedIn each cozemlasionercl precinctin proportionto the awwt col- lected in such precinct. The dominantpcrwse of this statute seems to be to rauire that the roadandbrldge fund shallbe eqended in each comnissiwers precinctin proportionto the amowt collectedtherein. In this regard,the statutemeans that each precinctshallpriw facie be entitledto Its own funds, and in the absenceof any reasons to the contmry thay shouldbe so dividedand expmded. However,the duty to ex- pad the fwda in the groprtionabovewntlcnedisnotan absolutelyiuflexibleone. Thi6 is evidentfrom the fact that the dominent.purpose of the statute,lsqualifiedto the extent that the court by clear implicationis given the right to ex- pendthe roadandbrldge fund ina proportionother than In the proportionin which they are collectedwhen the condition8of the roads In the rcapectiveprecinct6createsa ncceseity80 to do. We thinlc, however,that the requirewnt to expend the EcmorableBob McCampball,mga 9 (O-3137) fund in the proportionmentionedmot be avoided except in CBGCS or conditionaof necessity. Of course,the conmisslonerecourt has the right to exerciseits sound jud@ne& In determiningthe necee- city, but it cannotact arbitrarilyin regerd to such mtter." In view of the above mentiouedgtstuteaand case, your first que3t1cm is respeotfullyansweredin the affirmtlve. In reply to your secondquestion,you are advised that it is our opinim that the Conanissioners' court may secure the above llmltioned right-of-wayin the nmuer providedby Article 6674n, supre,end "pey for Fued, or out of any special the sore out of the Couuty Road end Br3rfdge road funds, or any evcileblecounty%nda," es stated in Article 66741~. However, tM.3 Gtatute doe8 not authorizethe Comdselcmers' Court to trans- far nmney from one constituticmel fund to another,or to expand,for one purpose,tax moeey rafred nstensiblyfor anotherpurpose. The Cnnstitutlon prescribesthe maximum rate of faxes for generalpurposes,for roads and bridges,for juries,end for pernmnentimprovements, respectively.The moneys arisingfrom taxes leviedend collectedfir each of the enumerated purwaes are ccmvtitutlonel funds. (Cerrollv. Williams,202 g. W. 504; Tax. Jur., Vol. ll, p. 609). Neither can the Corenlasloners' Court trens- fer or expendnoneye obteinedby the iseuanceand sale of bonds for any purpow other than the ;qecificpurposefor which said moneys were raised end obtainedby the issuanceand sale of said bonds. We think the tern "evalleblecountyfunds" ee uaed in the gtetutemeans such funds as have not bean relsed,collect&, or appropriatedfor a specificpurpose. Trustingthat the foregofngfully ansfrers your inquiry,we are Yours very truly &q /a/ Ardell Williams Ardell Williams Assistant AW:RG:FC /a/ OmAm c. l.!Am ATTORaLPCEBERALQTEXAS