737
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable T. D. Sanrlng
r-
Dear Sir: OPlnlon lo. o-5959
1 7, 1944, you gave u8
oertain fach, d a8 follows~~
and rubdlvlslona oi
a dedioation of the
e use of the public.
near a tom, but others are
rated town. The taxing au-
e SUbdiVhiOE~8 80 that the
We011 DlaJ be a880888d iOr taX68
IWqU88t mm opinion upon the s0110vlLlg
Doe8 the 00mni88io~er8 Court have
ty to oancel a 8ub-dlvirlon lying
outride Of any inoorporbted tou’n?
"2. Door the Comml88lorler8 court have
authority to aancel a 8ub-divlrloxa located
vlthin the boundarier of an incorporated
tolmt
“3. Doe8 the olty, acting through the
HAyor and COrmni88iOllW8, share the tOVn i8
incorporated, have the authority to canael
738
Ron. T. D. -8%W- ?4W 2
a 8UbdiVIri0A OP plat 1OCat.d VhOuy Vithbl
the limit8 Of raid tOWAt'
Artialo 7227, R. 0. 9. 1925, ~akor provi-
810~ tar oa~oeling 8ubdIvI@m8 Aot IA an inoorporated city
Or tOVA, a8 iO11OV81
“AAT p W8OA,fil’I8,l88Oeia tiOll
OI OOP
p o r a tioOVA-
a hAd8 iA thI8 State, vhiah laAd8
ham boon rubdIvIded IAto lot8 aAd block8 or 8mall
8ub4Ir181on8, Bay makeapplioation to the ooa-
ri88iMOP8 OOWt Of th@ OOUAtJ Vh@Pd.Ki My 8Udi
laAd8 are looatod, for poml88lwi to ca~Oa1 all
or Amy portion of ruoh 8Ubd1Vi810~ OP 8Ub41VI8lOn8,
80 a8 to thrOV th. raid laAd8 back tit0 aOr.ag.
traot8 a8 it uirted before 8UOh 8UbdivIrIo~r Vere
ma40. yhui rush l p p llc b tlo n by the ovnor
18 aube
Or OVBW8 Of 8Uoh laAd, aAd it 18 8h0VA that a
eMMlhtiOA Of ruoh 8Ubdiviba8, or pOrtIOn thereof,
vi11 not lntorfero vlth the ertabll8had rIght8 of
say puroharer OVATE My portiori Of ruoh 8Ub41-
vi810~8, or ii it be 8hova that 8aid perron or
perMa agreed to 8uoh OaAoellatI0A, Mid oom-
mirrionorr oourt 8hall uitor a~ order, vhieh ardor
oa~ooling uld 8UbdIvl8f0~ 8hall be 8prUXd upOn
the riaUt.8 Of 8UOh OOUrt, AUthOrIring lUOh OVAOr
or OVA.,8 of mob laAd8 to OaAOOl the 8W by
vrlttm iA8trUmat de8orIbiAg 8uch 8ubdIvI8Io~8,
orytrt~thereof, 80 Oanaeled a8 drrignsted by
vhsll 8UOh cMOOllati0A 18 filed and
reoordod iia tha deed rocord8 of ruch oouAtg,
th0 tU a88088OP Of 8uah eOUAty I-11 a88088 8UOh
p r o p er tyl8 though It had never beea rubdivided.
WA 8uOh applLCatiOA I8 80 filed, 8ald O0Urt
8ba11 QaUIe aotloe to bo given of rush appllaa-
tlOZl bJ pUblhhiA# 8UOh lp p l~M tiOin A
8-a
neV8paper, publI8h.d IA th8 EAglIrh laAg~ag., IA
8Uah OoUAty iOr at lM8t thPM VOek8 PCiOF t0
lOtiOA thereOn w raid OOUFt, aad aGtiOa 8b11
bo takeA OII 8UOh POtitbA OC pOtiti0A8 at a
regular tom of rcld oourt. buoh AOtiOO, iA
lddltlon to 8ald pUb1lOatiOA, rha11 ooplaand any
pW8OA lAtrro8ted iA 8UOh lMd8 t0 appear at the
tlro rpeailied in 8UOh AOtiOO to protort If dorired
rg&in8t 8UOh aUtlCUl. If 8uch 18~d8 are delinquent
for taxer ?or w preaedlag Jew, or yMr8, and
8UOh application I8 graAt.6 a8 hereinbefore pro-
v&dad, the ovaeror oVner8 of 8aid lurd rhdl be
peraitted to pay ruoh de1FaquoAt tax08 UpoA aA
&Ore&g. ba818, the W a8 lf raid laAd8 had
AOt been rubdivided, aAd for the purpore OS
l88088iAg 1eAds iOr 8uch prrwding yeal' the
aOUBt3 &88088OC Of tU.S ahall bask a88088 8UCh
laAd8-Upon aA loreage ba818. Tbl8 lar 8ha11
AOt aXXJl;Jto aAY 1aAd8 or lot8 Included iA Sn
~aoorDorrted sltf or tovA.'
The 8bOVe Btrtute kU8 bun held to be vlth-
IA the ooA8tltutloAal grant 0s paverconferring upoa the Coa-
ai88iODW8’ COUrt jUl’i8diOtiOa OVW OOUlltJ bU8in.88. Bidelbaoti
V8. wVi8, 99 8. we (2) 1067.
fn dieOU88iZq) effect
should be giVeA
Vbrt
M order OS the Coml88loAer8* court OS thlVe8tOA muAty gruAt-
lng ore R8gle the right to ooavrrt back la tolo na sea part
of the u InelUded in a 8UbdiVirioA @at, the Court iA
Bldelbach 'I. Davis, 8upra, raid:
*It 8hould be berm In atnd thnt
M8OWAlt8 in 8tA'Ut8 and publla wkU48 My
be lltber of a pub110 or a private nrturo.
vhe~ th8 dedloator of aa addltian file8 a
plat dedicating 8tPMt8, ti1w8, aAd parkvay8
to pUbli6 U8e, the pUbllo in gOAe=1 leqUiFe8
M U8eMAt in the ItrOOtl, e11Oy8, and park-
vyr tb~r dedlaated to the pub110 u8e. But
per8OA8 QUrOb8in$ lot8 ill l~aOPdLUlCe vlth 8U6h
plat lequlre an additional right to the u8e of
8U6h 8tFWt8, r11ey8, Uid pUkVay8 by CWIOA Of
their COAtr8Ot Of pUrOha8e. IA thil a8a the
Origbl plat Of the kXIA8itO Of ban LOOA and
the vordr of dedloatlon vhiob laoompanled it
OOll8titUt@d l l'Op~8eAtAtlOA t0 pA’O8pO6tiVO
pUATChMOr8
of lot8 in the tovA8ite that the
8treet and pU’kVay8 8hOU1d b. kept ODM for U8e
of thr lot ovAor aAd the publio in geAora1. The
lXi8tOA60 Of such dedloated 8tA'Ut8 and parkvay
added to the Value of the lot8 pwohred by the
interveAor8 and other puroh88er8. And ia ac-
quiring thelr property in looordaaae vlth 8ald
plat u&d dedloatlon the intrrvsner8 had a right
to ?.l;r UpOA the l@lod rOp?e88AtlAtiOA tie
by the dediocrtor that the rtrut ad parkvay 80
dedloated to the prbllo vould never be prt to
my U8e iAGOA8htOAt vlth the U8e t0 vhlah they
vere dedlaated. 8uoh tight, it vi11 be Ob8OrVed,
aro8e out Of the OOAtMOt md 18 Quite 8eJWWtO
Hon. T. D. Sanei~g - Page 4
and di8tiAOt from the right inuring to the
general public by remon of the dedication.
It 18 a Veil-rattled ZQlb in Tua8 that the
tV0 Oh8808 of M88ment8, the one inuring to
the publie in goner&l by the Sili~g of the
plat and dadloatlon, and the other inuring
to lot puroharerr by realon of their aon-
tract, are repeat* and di8tinet rlghtr vhich
My OOui8t iA oontempOrMrou8 and haraonl0~8
OPbratlOA mad 0110 may be dertroyed vlthout
AbCb88ary ImpaIrmeAt of the other. That 18
to 8y, the proper pub110 authority a&y vacate
rad ClO8e, or Velinquirh, the publia balemeAt
vlthout impairing my private or contr~atual
right8 Vhioh ny OXi8t in the 048OWAt8 effect-
ed. . . .
“Ilhb tOVA Of 8UI LOOn i8 AOt md
never ha8 been a~ Incorporated tOVIA, and it 18
our oo~clurlon that the conmi8810ner81 court of
Otive8ton oouAty h& the pover, by virtue of
the rtatuto in Quertion, to rellnquirh the
public right8 IA ths rtreet md parkvay by au-
thOri8iAg Eagle, the laAdoVner, to rb8Oind the
dedication.
“But what about thd private or oon-
traCtUdL right8 in ea8bmeAt8t 0bvfous~y, 8uch
right8 could not be dertroyed, or in any va
Impaired, by the ordrr of the COlUi88iOAOr8 T
court. The intervener8 and other lot ovnera
had loqulred their lot8 long before the order
var entered. Their right8 hbd vorted end they
could not be diverted by 8UCh prooeoding. . . .”
lifeaA8ver your firrt qur8tioA, Article 7227 doe8
not authorloo the Comi88lonrr8* Court to CaAoel all or auy
portion of 8uth 8ubdlvi810~8 therein deroribed, but authorl-
co8 the owner to oenoel the 8ame in the manner therein pre-
rcribed,
SLnor hrtlole 7227 lxproraly provide8 that, "Thi8
law ahall AOt apply to Amy land8 or lot8 Included in en in-
corporated city or toVA', ve ui8ver your reoond que8tion, no.
VI do not u18vor your third question, be-
cau8e the matter involved doe8 not Comd Vithin our juri8dictiAA,
741
BOA. 2. D. 9an8ing - Page 5
and ve 8U8t thrUfOF0 U8~Otf'Ally deoline to OXPCd88 MJ
0plAioA about it.
Thenking you for your able brief, vhlah
Va8 lttaahed to your letter, ve are
YOW8 very truly
ATTomEY OEmmAL OF TExA3
TBDIBT
COMMl,-,-EL