Ifoaorablm 080. A. Hi&t, Chid Aoo4untanf
Roar43 oi Oopnty sad Dlstriot Road fadobtedww
Austin, Texas
Dear art oplaon Hutnbw O-2320
Ret Right of a oountf to uw funds
omdltod to road dimtrio undar
tia w!, prrawaph 3, m&moetian
( 1, SwUoa
“g 6 ai Hou0. I3111 688,
Bwd by the ?orty-abth T.a&islatgr*,
P egtll~P8H8bJa‘1939.
Wa a-0 in roodpt of yaw mqwst far an optntoa Y
the tollowb& qaentioat
Vloru a&v168 this d*p8rtwat uh8ther or a&
.oithaouutymay el*otto we tha fuads and1s.d
to the a&#?* kltltriot wdw optiw 9" oi srrtwl
(h) , Hottw R&xl 688, for ths owsteuetloa of iarm-
to-writ& roads mtta;tacr srpith Bwnty PIti Dtstrlrk
Hw. 2, 5 aad 6."
roads subsequaat to Septeti 17. X9992, and pIor to Samwry
2 1939, were dwigaa8.a 8s atala hi&may*, at0l whr the gav-
vhmtt of l&use Bill688 8aSd ob‘uCltiow
koawellg~Uo
for partlolpationin the funds loarul,agto tha County and Rued
Dicltrlot if&hway Fwl. Lik.ewlr* diotriots bau 4llgl-
bitt for ntroaotlv~ peymeat6 dat ?rw the deai8aadlon of
rraLd roads as a pati of the SW88 Bystem to January
2, 1939 88 Is provided in ruiwobion (af Q? rSotiua 6 OS
Howe ldll 688.
Purewant to luoh prori&nk thmra is mm oa head to
the oredlt of the above nawd rod di6trlOt8 ag8a%n mtm#
o? mosey npr*tiea* rotrosotl*e paymeuta mada by tha
state In ocmpliawa tith uuoh law, lt8lin iurther 0cmpl.b
awe such sum hers beoa ore,ditedto the Letoral Rwd hb
oouat of Edth County for the beadit oi Reed Dfatrleta SW.
2, 5 and 6.
Reduolng your qwatiou to $ts mi#@lW% ioOrm,m WII-
strue it to ba - -yfay?&&th a@uttty,t&B6 oouaty, UN fuadn
(uador option TJ* ai said bill) belsnpsiogto road dlstrieta
t3ltwted within said aount P* unless chew made Qoamew
SODIOaheraoter distingulshjw
I Mm from fUad* whioh tm gkn-
axany aUaaeted to spealfi~ reuip2eatn am? are rawrtid
60iay 88the ztrowrt~ of twh reolpl~ata.*a must00telod6
that tbb oauaqf Is wIthoutauthorityt0 use 8uohrtlnda inang
raannsrbth6rthaa thatvlcfab aill aonier a dirsotbaasfS*
upon the dlatriot entItled therato.
tieaall year attention to the laaguaga used ln gwma-
ga~&~,Sao$ion 1 ot Hoaos B1l.l688, ukSoh reada: in part,
* * l * st 1 8 r tt~th sr ae4amd t0 b 0 th 0 p 0u 0y
of the Btatm to take over, 8aqaIr0, purahase and
retain the Iat6restsad equities ofths variau8
bounties aad aa50a road dIatrIot8 in and to the
hl&waya a0tpraviousl.ytakenover, aeqfxirm'tid
purohaaed,st@ oowtItutlagonJattuary2 1939.a
pyt,of the 81ptem ai dea%#tetedStat0 hb?8y8,
And tt 18 hereby detsri&ned that tM fur-
ther &mi8lont~ OS this A88 eoastitute iair. jwt
and eqtitablsoaqen8atIoa, repaymmt r2d rti
buromat to 8-h oountlas and daffned rood die-’
trieta ani for their aid and aiuazlta ttha
!iRziz-Ln tho 6owtrwtIw of %at* h&zaY:: +*+
andbl.lydiaahox-g~s thole&ly %mp&d oblige- ’
tlolu ef th8 Btstste aompeasato,rapay8ndrv*
borw t&r agwalw of f&m %ato for aapwew Ia-
ottaT& at the iststanw aad uolI~tatlmt es ?iha
State a8 well attifa- uw lsta~ ter the
bea@& or tiwbstata =q (tM~rMwr~ itttrtt)~
If am alwr to us that th* wgl8htm Lot&&
toropayandraSmbwwd*fi~rwd~~cu~~u,
aountles, for thdx aid 8nd ewbtewe ia the wwtzaelfix1DoI
ofstab'~ Mdthet8$lZVw~~~~ths~m
dul8a-d ta *txta&ta ialr, just an& equit8Ue oupwmt;Lon
for suah ase%etanw,
subtteutl~ (a) or 6m0tion 6 dwm8 thr mfmotl prb
setsbad by the-LegZsl8ture to errsot tkEs .re at sna nlm-
burwmMt, Sn pmaeaph 3.theeof, sitar at~ible r0r
par$loipaffon~maohroMft aa had bwndes&nutad a part of the
State Dystm pdor to 3natlax-y 2, X939, it la gnnided - mf
suah Indelttdaw8, the prooeeda~ot aoh hata b80Stwti in
th* aowt.rttatiw a@ rmda whiah have ken dasi@atd a8 a part
of the State H&#tway Spitat, agter ~Soptenhr X7, 1932. aad
prier to Jawwg shall particrlpatw%tn8a%d County and
2, 19.959,.
clad Dlatriat rrigbuayPnM as of th8 data of the da84pnatIorr
OS said road es a part of the hat6 6t8tw ' * *~*~+Dal%&
that Latttrvalbotwun tb dwigaation of the mad and t&a tinrs
whan HOUSE Bslx 688 btmm crifeetlra,rwloua wantIe and de-
fittadroad diatrlttta ooatixmed to d2aakar@e and pay oblkatlcwia
areatad fox the oortietruatl~~ awhrosbo, atitheStat@ QQP-
elder%ng Itettlf iledly tiblirusted to repay suoh eountls~a and
define& mad distr 9 ots ror the fuals tsosxpeaded, it authorlwd
rstroaatIre paymats by tha Shard ei Cwty and Diptrlat R-d
Indebtednsse ta aoeosrplishtbhiarain%-nt. sn sosardww
with the info~matlaa.tq3atained la your letter, we as~um that
saeh fuat28.es are nus unedited to the VariOW dsfiaad rmd
dl8trlot8, above anumsratad, In the Latarel Wad Awount &
this eoun&y, relpreaentauuh iu@a as are prcprldadto be!peid
pttmt8tttthereto~ It sews, Mmrafore, that there oati k
little doubt Mat that thee h&a ore tha
l3lstrfats NOB, 2, 5 t3na4, ~3 *rotidr10t I% RB:$wt
to di8bur8#bmtttby ths OOUtI8yfor say puxpwe othar th8a the8
witlath
rcouldocmmr 0 dlreot bermfit upon na texpaysxa living
within sUO~ X-OSd dfSCri4!88-
-
In paragraph 5, eubaeotion (h) of %otioa 6, vw find
the J,,egi8lotuM*~ia8truotioM tutto hrrvfun&s rmining in
the ZatsrcllR&a&PunCi 8hal.fbe QIabummd, and tills apparent-
ly the langaaga use4 pertain8 aerlgto fund8 of 8 county rc
malnisg in suoh fad, we think the Intention vms oleerly
The pertinent pert of the law
r01l.ouat
“?titU%t MtSBiaing in the &tOraf Read ?tUld Or 84
oountyaitor the paymat of aaIdri@t-of-wayob;Li-
gattioea, lasy b8 used by the aounty unaer the airee-
tloa crfthe eomals8lcumrV court for-any oae or al.1
or the ta11miag 9mpo*e*t (ft) fCU’ the ~4tqUiSitioa
ef rights-ot-wey fur ooanty latarsl road@, and for
the psyeantoilogal ObalI&st.I~ In-d thdor
litSOO&tZ3tOtl8th8tth~8&&i~~ ZUWeairsrr(lthB
faotthstd~in~rord~trIO~'LuQaet~ paror to a&
Iroli~jrSallooeted to it unaer tJn ~iShf%~S or thI.8hot, 8nd
baaed that power properly in the hands of the Cad8810mr8~
kurt but It fuxthm rociwad, ad ia rrldrnt la Wetlon (bf
Nhare'the term *ro8d dlstriOt* is usad for the Slrst amI oaly
tlmo In that puregraph, that the only oontlttuiag reaponatbil-
ity of the xv&idd&at&at WaP to ratirr swh bond0 08 had buM
authorired bJ tb te~y0X-U liti- Vd.tbilh 8Wh h?bI& e#.
t&t the eonstru~tloa and Lpprovemmt of hterkl road8 rJlae
Within SUob adined iUe8 Wasat& Oui@wOn Oi the eOUn$y xn
the abaonao of eprrolalaatian by tha taxpsyors living tit&in
that 8TIS 8UthOl’i%i~ th iS- of beads for thu purp8s
Of 00MtWdittg iS$*rOi FOBaS WithiR Ou8h #SW&V. mmh read8
as exist within a rowi dlotrlet that ham not been buIlti
with fuztdsprovided bx the rosd aiBtriOt8 A8 8~6h, oaapriw
a part of the munty lateral ~64 ayetom nbieh shwld b8
paid for with 00tttttgtunas, IItthirr%lWtSIIB(I,
fUn%S Blell-
tioned in your letter represmtt a repqmat by the ,P;tsfe
G@
p~anegezppandedby the taapayom of those dlstrlots and the
benlilt of auoh repayment, urrderthe term of the Aot, $8
intutaea tar the tarpyere l.ivLkwwithin the arm, aid6it
is OUT0pinion that auohbetirita sh0d.a be eonfermU d.Immt-
AouordiJlslJ. we must ad&Se thrat,in OUT op%nion,
the county fs~withuat snthoritp to we the funds apeaI.flaal-
1~ urrrdlted to the mrloua dsiimd road dlntrlets by the
ter&saZ 6hb A6ttWaaf &~r@444 uollptthat rhiohrouZd
uoafer 8Ulrae6 buwit upon the taxpywa llvlm3tithin
t&we pertfwlu ddimd road districts,and in haroloBy with
eu4hoonetrwt~eRw48l6v~4t~tth4 wM.lltyoem#t 4qJedl
ro8.u uistr;*6 aoa.7~ pux4uaRt to th4 option prcJvlU*U La
STation *IPi paregraph 5, subaeotlon (h), ~eot1o.a 6 of Wu8e
Bi.ll686,
By /a/ Cluenw E. Craw
c1alwn0. k. tirm
Aarlst8ut