? -
R-906
: .
-E A-rrom GENERAL
~FTEXAS I
Au- II,TRXAEI
PRICE DANXEJ.
*-lx- oI11s2mAx?
_.
Hon. Alfred 1. ClJae 0p1nlonHo. v-429
Crimlnel,Dlstrlbt Attorney
Fort Worth, Texas Re: Authorityof the
Colmn.lsslonecs' cmrt
to promulgatetraf-
'Sla regulationa.
DsePblr:
We refer to your recent letter to thla Depart-
mont whlah reads In part as followa:
%eotion 31 of the TrafficRe&ulatlon
aa enaotedby the last Leglalature,reads
as follows:
"'SootPan31. KICAL TRAFFIC~-colVrRcL
DEVICES. (a) Local authorities,in theti
respectivejurisdiction, may place and rain-
taln eny treffla-control devioesupon any
highwayunder their jurladlotlon aa they may
deem neaesaaq'to ln&cete.and carry out the
provialonaof thla Act, or local traiilc
ordinancea,or regulate,warn or guide traf-
fic. All such traffla-control.tlovices here-
after ereotefl shell oonf~rm to the atate
HlzT Department18mama1 md apeoltloa-
.
"The trusteesend patronaof a aahool
known as Indian Oaks, an unincorporatedoom-
munlty,have requestedthe Commlaalonera
Court of TarrantCountyto enact‘or prss ea
order or rebtrlatlonfixing the legal: rate
of‘apeedin the aahool done at 20~rilesp&r
hour. The State'Elghway patrolmenhave ae-
aured the patronsof this schoolthat if the
CormlaslontwsCourt would enadt sucrha regu-
lation or order that they would enforoe it,
but I am in doubt as to the aizthorlty OS the
Comlsaloners~ Court to paas any sort of an
order regulatingtraifio,especiallyif they
undertaketo attach to such order a penalty
for its violation,and if they have no au-
.
. .
J
Eon. ATfree H. Clyde - Page 2 (V-429)
thtirltyto pass an order or resolutionfix-
lng the rate o? speed or providinga,penalty
for its violation,then I em fearfulthat the
ofilcerasking en arrpatfor the vl@at.lo~b?
auah an order would not be protaoted and
might be aoed for false lmprlaonment or M-
laxiul arrest. I would thereforelp p r eo la to
an opinionfrom you on,the followingqq*r-,
tlonr:
“(1) Where Subdlvlslon(a) of Seation
31 Baya %6cal authorities,in their roapio-
tlve jurlsdlotion, ray place and maintain any
trafflo-oontrol devloeaupon any hlghWw’u+r
EF urladlqtlp~~as they may deem neoelrrary
n&ioat0 and 6arry out the provlrlonrof,.
thld Aot, or Xooal tiiaffl6 ordln&noor,"ito,!~~
would the term ‘Looalauthorltlra~IaoluAoa ~
Comlrrloner~tCourt, or doel it have ro?o&
enoe only to looal autWrltlea havingLe@ala-
tlve aothorltyrueh aa City Counolli,Boarde
0r Aldermen,eto., whioh have LeglalatSvo poW
era. It has not been my thoughtthat a Car-
mlrrlonerr~.Courthad authorityto enaot aq
rort of trriflo regulationsand afilx a pen-
alty for violation
9 of suoh~trafflo regulatlonr.”
The Bogulatlonjffafflo Aot laqueatlori 18 aen-
ate Bill Ho. 172, A&a o?~the SO-+ Leg.,..R.a., 1947.~
Artiole2351, V.C.S.,among other thhga, pro-
Court shall "exerol8e gon-
vides that the Commleslonersl
oral oontrolover all rqds, highways,~ferrler,ana
bridgesin th+.r fJou+y. ..
Beetlen12 of the’ Traffic.Be@latloa~Aot 18 a8
?&wl:
'aeo. 12. "Looal Authorities. helj
oounty,muxloipal,and other looal’boardor
boQ having authorityto enaot law* relating
to tbfflo under the oonrtltutlonandlawr ”
of this atato.7
In Texas Jurlsprudenoe,
Vol. ,il,p. 563,~wo ~
find the following:
“Cduntlea,being componentpartr of the
atate,have no powera or duties exoopt thoao
. .
.’ .
Eon. AlfredH. Clyde - Page 3 (v-429)
which are clearlyset forth and definedln
the constitutionand statutes. The statutes
have clearlydefinedthe powers,prescribed
the duties,and imposedthe llabllltiesof
the comlssloners~courts,the medium throw
which the differentcountiesact, and from
those statutesmust coae all the authority
vested In the counties.. . The corisslon-
em ' court is not vestedwith eny generalpo-
lice Dower." (lbphaaisours)
Article6663, V.C.S., la in part aa r0ii0w8t
"The admlnlstratlve controlof the State
HighwayDepartment,hereinafter calledthe
Department,shallbe vestedin the State HQh-
way Conlaalon, hereinaftercalledthe Oonla-
rlon, and the State Highway lbginear..'. i'
Artlele 6673 providesthat:
"The Comlaslon is authorizedto take
~~~~~ mainta$nthe various State Highway8
, . . .
Section 0 0s Artiole8278, V.?.C., provider in
part aa r0ii0w8:
.
"The State Highway Cotiaaion shall have
the power snd authorityupon the baais of an
engineeringand trafficinveatlgatlon to do-
te&no and fix the raxlmm, reasonableand
prudent~apeedat any road or highway lnter-
aOetiOn8; railWay grade croaainga, NJ?VOa,
hills, or upon any other part of a highway,
less than the lnsxlrur~harelnbefore fix&d by
thia Aot, taking lnto~aoncileeratlon the ridth
and condition0s the paverrnt a,neother clr-
aumstaneeao n lueh portionof said highway
as well aa the usual trarfiothePeon. That
wheneverthe State ElghVayCommissionshall
determineand fix the rate of speed at any
said point upon any highwayat a less rate of
speed than the maximumherainbaforeset forth
in this Act and shell deolarothe maximum,
reasonableand prudent speed llmlt thereat
by proper order of the Coalaaion enteredon
its minutes,auoh rate ,o?apood ahall beoo8e
erfectlve,andoperativeat aaid pdlnt on raid
. .
;
Hon. AlfredM. Clyde - Page 4 (v-429)
highwayswhen appropriatesigns giving
notioe thereofare erectedunder the
order of the Comiaslon at suoh lnter-
sectionor portionof the highway.
"Tht whenever the govern$ng bodies
of incorporatedcitiesand towns in thla
State within their respectivejurladlc-
tions determineupon the basis of&m en-
gineeringand trerric inveatlgatioti tbet
the maxImumreasonableand prudentspeed
at any lnterseotlonor other portionof
the highway,based upon the intersectiona,
railwaygrade arosainga,curves,hills,
width and oondltlonof pavementand others
conditionson such highway, and the usual
trafficthereon,is greateror leaa than
the speed limitshereinbeforeset forth,
said governing bodies shall have the pow-
er and authorityto determine&nd declare
the maximumreasonableand prudentspeed
llmlt thqreat,which shallbe e??eotlve
at auah lnterseotlonor other plaae.”
We concurin the 8tateNentln your brief where-
in you say that:
I. . .~thesettingup and maintaining
0s traffic controldevices ia an exercise
0s a generalpoll00power and la veated
eitherin incorporatedoltieaAndytowna
throughwhich auah hlghwayapass, 'a in
the State HighwayC0nlsai0n, and 00ore
not'be exercisedby the Comlsslonera
Court unless such power was grantedby the
Constitutionor statutes. We are of tha
~pialonthat the controlovep roa&3, hl#h-
ways, eta., as set forth in Art. .2X11has
to do with the oonatruot$on,slrdmalntenanqe'
0s such roads and does not authorizethe
Comlaslonera Court to set up ruler and ro-
gulatlonefor the uae b? the same."
Therefore, in view 0s the r0regoing, it la the
opiaionof this Departmentthat the term "loos1authoi-
ltlea" as uaee in this Act, does not lnolude,Corrlaalon-
ora'.Oourtabut has referenceonly to these local author-
ities such aa City C6uuollsand Boards of Aldermehwhleh
have loglalatlveauthorityto pass an ordo* regulating
HOB. ame M. Clyde - Peg0 5 (v-429)
trsrricand 8rrixing R penalty,and that the Colpmia-
slonerslCourt of TarrentCountydoes not have the
euthorityto pass any order regulatingtrafficin the
oountyand asfiringa penaltyfor violation0s auoh
regulation.
We appreciatethe brie? submittedto this
office elong with your retiuest.
,smy.~. :’
The term "locelauthorities"aa used
'in S. B. 172, Acts of the 50th Leg., R. s.,
,1947;'e008not .inolueeCommlaalorieri5a Courts
but had referenoeonly to thoae~looal gut&r-
ltlea ,auehaa.CltjrCouncilsand Bbarda of
Aldermen,whloh have 1eglalatlVeatithorlty
to paas'anordq regulatllyr~tra??i and,a?i
r’iring an@ the C~aaionera~
a penalty~,
Court of TaPrantCounty does not have the
authorityto pass an ardor regulatingtrar-
?lo.in the couuty' or part of the aountjand
sr~lxlnga pepaltyfor vlolhtlonbr,su0hce-
$ulatlon.
Very truly'ypura
ATTORlUEGBlfljW~C9,
TRXAS
m,~~~&,
Bruce Allen
BA:djn 'Aa8lat~t
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Combined Opinion