Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

440 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Hon. Y. 3. ooar Countq nttornoy Blaaoo County Johnron City, Terer Desr sir: This will aoknowled Y9u.r le8ter re partmat r0r s ?aalntalned are per aa- 00 la raid tund, .OO bond, zad in- ax WOE voted by the Ccunty 0r BlaAOO. Vha departmat pacssd on this questioa f;~me am shown la your letter dated Feb. 6, me cCUnty cdII8iOAer Or meOiAOt NO. 3 do& not think thet your.rullagir corroot, 441 Bo-. t. B. Gem, Page 2 - as ha ha8 been advised by prirete counsel that it ir nat Qorraot, and that t&a Cmnty fhmlasioner's Court hae th8 ri@t to use a pert oi aaid nooef in Co.z&issioner'sPracinat tk~~k~;teefor building end rYrintalaiagroeda . *I an asndiq you herewith a copy ot the order of the CuztiasionernCourt on Nomzbar lath, 1934 in this matter, in wkioh.said &lea- tion nna bald and notice thereor given tuhafbr the prmialone of soa. 9 Art. 0 or the Con- atitutlon of the Stats o# Texas, and ortlale 6790, Chapter 4, Titlel16, Rvoiovd Statutea or 1923. Vreoilict B'o.three nom hae a grojeat proooodlag in road buildi.qi:by ?T.3.~. crndit needs from WAS7 to sssist in said iC?ojeot iA boildina said road8 aad PaintafnlnG them. The ecarered que8tion he mi;;lta is: *Can the c~srio~erm court 0r Euuwo legally per&t the Cd6sionar OS Yreainot Ho. three to usb a part of ttiia zxm6~ in the blllding of said road8 In said pre- alnat by the U.P.4. Erojeot? Vhir, matter wa8 gamed on by i’h. Z. Fan- nbg and Srundy 'i;illianm, pour esaistantr, iormrly on Feb. 6, 1940. *AB pts will @IO rrtm the order dated Xov. 12, 1930 that the purpose of ttia tas wa8 Sor buildkg aad rPeitztaininCt&e publid roads of said 316~00 Cmnty, Texs?S,hence the Cmmissioner of mscinct Xo. t&so waztr to ~ADW if he wotaldbe psmltttd t3 URN a psrt or said noaey in building and maintain- iAs roedo 0r said prwaot x0. L5 under the If.P. A. Projeot now in probpess in Bald Pre- oinat xo..Three." On Feb. 6, 1940, In our optfiionHo. O-1844, iA 442- Hoq. V. B. Ooar, Page 3 t?nmer to the followin& pueationt *Can the Conmissionsrs~Court of Rlaaoo County'legallyloan $1500.00 trm the Blanoo County Special Right-of-rayFund to Road Prs- oinot No. 3P” it w IS held that *the Cotxaiauloners' Court or Slanoo Coun ;y oannot lawfully loan the $1300.00 taken from the llancoCounty Special Right-of-XapFund to Aoed Prea sat X4. 3-. titer aamfully reoonslderingt&o abov I amtloned question aad the taats as preuentod theer Iwith, we have oonoladed that opinion Xo. O-1844 uorrtotly anavmrs the sjmolfia question stated above. Eoxe ret,in asZi% for a reoonsiderationof this ogiA.oA a dlfietsnt question 18 askad and additional ioctt are presented, which were not ooneidersd~inthe OriC:.nd OpiAiOA. As stated in cur letter, w:&h is quoted r above, there is about ~24OC.OO in the Blanc0 County Speoial Road Fund, w>lch is znaintainsd by a five cent tax per hundred dollars per aMum. There 18 now about $lBOO.cO in sold fuad, after the payment of a $5OO.OO bond, and interest is paid. This tax walltoted by the OitiZOAS0r the entiro oounty 0r BLaAoo. The qusetion as now praasnted la 5s hollows: *Can the Comissloners Court of Blanoo logally psmit the Caamiaaioneror m3ci3ot Ho. thrm to uss a prt OS this mnsy in the building of said roads in said precinct by the PI. 2. A. Projsot?* seotlon 9 or Artiolo 8 or the Stats Constitu- tion reads as r0110wst me State tax 03 prctperty,exoluaire or the tar-neaessaryto pay the publia debt, and or t'%etaxes prorlddedSor the bsasfit of the public trS8 sohoofs, ahall never erceod thlrty- five cants or&the aA6 huAdrad dollar8 valuation; and no county, city or town shall levy more 443 HOG. v. a. c-r, hi73 4 then tnenty-Sirecents for alty or county pw’,5oses,a2a not exceeabg rirttte3 cants far roads and briQ?es, and not sxceedlq rift taen cents to pay Jurors, on the ona hundred dollnrs valuotlon, except ror the ,?ayzmntof debts incurredarlor to the ado9tIon of the awn&eat C8ptedttr 23th 1283; and fm the erection of pub110 build&s, streets, 3ewera, water works and other penauent Improvements, not to exoeoa txmty-rive cents on the one hundred dollars oeluatlon, In any one year, end ercept 88 i8 In this Constitutionotherwise prorlded; and the Legislature iunurp aleo autbor- Ize an additionalannual ad valoren tax to be levied and colloated ior the further nalntenance 02 pub110 roads; provided, t&it o ?saJorlty or the ~daziriea property tax-pagily:YOt8X-S of the caznty ootlng at an elsotlon to be held for thot purpose shall vote such tax, not to exceed rirteen cents 02:the one imndred dollars valuation of the property subject to tnxatlon in suah oountp. And the Le&lsZdturomay pas8 local la&s for the ~alntenance or the SublIo roads and bI&ways, without the local ilotics required for a?ocIal or loesl lairs. (Sea. 9, Art. a, adopted election lrorenber t, 1906; 3roolanatfon Ji3uary 7, 1907.)' .%rtlale6790, Vernon’s Annatoted ClrIl Stat- utes reads as r0llms: *The ooxif:~sios3rs aourt shall order 8n eleotio3 upon presentationto it at any regu- lar session or a petItIon sIgned by two hundred ~u~iiriea voters and property tax yapere or the county, or a 3etItIo3 of arty person8 So qual- fried 13 any politfaal subdivisionor defined dlstrlot 0r the oounty, requesting said court to order an eleatlon to deternine whether eaid court shall lerp upon the property within mid territory a roed tax not to exceed fifteen cents on the one hundred dollars worth of groptrty, under the provIsIons of the azzendmnt or 1239 to the Constitution oi the State of Texas, 444 Eon. V. B. Ooar, f’a~o5 ado#,ed in 1890. Snla aomt say aot on suah petition without notice; end nay zake an order ior szoh eleation, flxlng the amount to be.larled, not to exceed fiftaen cents on the one hundred dollars, the eleatlon to take place of any tine thereafter,not less than twenty nor zmre than nhety dcye irou the slate 0r making the order thorefor. Upon a petl- tioa a:gned by a uajority of tho qualified tax pay1zz.g voters of any portion of any county or of any polltioal subdirlslonor any aounty, to said aaurt req.wLting that such portion of oald comty or polltlcal subdivision shall be oreated as a derlned dlstrlot, the said court ahall declare 6uuh territory a defined dir- trlot aa apead the order ror same upon the tinuter or oaid court; provided the petitioa aroresala shall derice by metes and bound8 the territory desired to be 80 incorporated la suoh def’kied dIetrIot.* The orUer of the ooxznbaioner6~ court bearing date of ??ovexaber12, 192Q, ordering an electian to be held for the purpose or aetetiing whether or not a spealal road tax of five cents on the one hundred aol- lars worth of gropertp skould be lerlea upon all the property oi Blaneo County, Texan, subject to taxatloa, Sor the :-urpoee or building and maintaining the publfo roads in said county was held under the provisions of Section 9, Artlole 9 or the Co1L8tIttltlOn0r Terar end 4kticle 0790, end rehaa as roii0398: %?ECiAL EOAD TAX XXTICN, Borezaber12, 1930 *On this, th.elEth day of November, A.D. 1930, this aourt be& 13 regular seasion, nith all zenbars thereof being present, uaae on to be considered the petition ,of ifape Smith and Two EUndred Berenty-thme ;273).&hers, re- property tsz p@.ng voters of Bl63eo County, T~sis, praying that an elz+ationbe held within and ror Blanoo County, TOXE.S, to doternine whether or not a meclel roaa tax of Fin, Centa on the One Zundreb ($100.00)Doll&m worth of property siiallbe levied upon all the poperty or Blanoo 445 lion.V. B. Dear, Page 6 County, Taaa, aubjeat to taxation, for the purgoee of build- nnd zmlntainln$ the publie mea l.ri said al8nco county, Texas. “And It appearing to the acurt that said petition Is, signed by the required number of property tax paflingvoter8 or skia County1 It Is therefore ordered by the ocaart that an elea- tloa be held wlthln and for raid County, on the 6th day of December, A.D. 1950, whloh aak Is not lese than twenty, nor more than ninety days from tha date of said order to tleteaa&nh whether or not d spsaial road tax of Five aenta on the Om -ihndred($100.) Dollars worth of property shall be levied upon all the property of Slanao County, Texan, subjeat to taxation for the garposo of building and malntalnlng the pub118 roads In Blanco County, Texas. Said eleotion ehall be held and notice thereof p$ren under the provIa3na or sea. 9, Art. 8 or the Constitution of the State of Texas, and Art. 6790 Otipter 4, Title 116, Revised Stat&em of 1925, and only gialiried voters who are proper- ty tax payers be allowed to vote at said elee- tion. *All voters deaIrIng to su3?ort the 3ropo6- Ition to levy said tax shtil have prrlttenor printed on their ballots the words *For the Tax* and those opposed shall have written or printed on their ballota the word& .Againat the Tax.” Said eleotlon shall be held at the usual voting places in said Blanoo County, TaraS, and the regular atpointed and prment acting oftf- oars or eleatlona shall hold said eleotion. *The mannerof holding aala lleotloztahall be governed by the laws goreming general eleo- tlonr in this State* *A copy of this order signed by the County Judge of Blanc0 County, Texas, shall sane al a prsper notioe to be pr.lbliahedln a newsgap8r 44 lion.V. 8. Gear, Pa<* 7 published in said Blanco Comty, Te~ae, and ehall mua copier of eald notlce to be post- ed at thraa pub110 places la said aounty, one of which ahell be ot the oourthousedoor thereof.” As above stated, the purpose of the election was to determine whether or not a speolal road tax of flvr cents on tha one hundred dollar8 worth of prop- arty should be levied upon all the Xoperty of Dlemao County, Texan, eubjeot to taxation for thr purpoer of building end rnalntalniagthe gublio road8 In Blanoo Comty, ond said eleotion resulted in the faror of levying eaid tax. The paragraph in the above quoted section or the Cov&.itutlou providing for tha levying oi 8 tsx sot to exceed fifteen csnte on the one hundred dollar veluatlon of property rolat2lg ts tha nalntenence ot ;ubllc roads ~2s not a pert of the ori&nsl section; It moo added by ammd~e& in the yenr 1890 for the evident.purpose oi oonferring upon ooimties the po;ier to lay cut, construct owl malntnln better syetem at publlo hi&weys than they wre able to do uudar the rortrictcd taxation before protif.eQfor. It would be a narrow lnterDrstF.tlon to hold thcttthe people edopt- lng this smenduent to the Cozstitutfon had in ?iew to provioe a fund to be used only in repairingroads already laid out, instead ot the evident and broader policy to oroate a better end core extensive system of sublic hlghaaya. The gurposs of the Legislature ln naking the auenduent wtm to lnawaos the oapacity of the oounty to maintain a systen of ?ublio roads and the word Walstenancem must be held to include all the things neoeesnry to be done to accc#nplln$ the purpose. D;tUS CO’VNTYVS. PLG’iXAh,01 2. 6. 222. The above mentioned tax 16 lerlod by the Oouu- ty for the gsnsral purpose of building and nalntaining the public roads of said aounty and is not rsstriated toanypsrticular road or portion of the oounty. a~-eot the opinion that the tex money lst- ~:i’e ied and colleotcd for the g,:eneral purpose of building 44 lion. V. B. Oosr, Page 8 and maintaining the publla roads in aald oounty under the protialona oi Section 9, Article 8 ot the Constl- tutlon and Utlole 6790, nay be exgs.Med by the oounty oomwlssioners* court for the urpo5.eOS building and mlnteinlng the pbllc roads In said oomty a8 said court my in ita discretion determine. Thererore, you are respectfully advised that it la the oglnlon oi this de~artmnt that a part of the above mentioned money map be expended for the purpose of building and maintaining public roads in Preolnct Ro. 3 a8 the oomisslonera’ court may deternine. It 1s to be e>eoliloallyunderstood that vie are not passing upon the authority of said oountp to pap bond8 and interest thereon out of the above nention- ed fund. Trusting that the foregoing ful1.yanswaro your lnqAry, we remain Ywrcl very tmly AX!: ob