Bonorable J. C. Obvdf
County Audltor
Viahhltr Pallr, Texrr
nion of thlr depart-
I) been reoeirrd. Ve
s.
am0 v*8 toted In Pre-
7, Texar, in the mount
ose or oanrtruotlon, maln-
uaadamized, grarrlod or
Doe8 the Commis~l0~r8’ Oourt have author-
ity to do thtework in the mm@ unnec th8t thex
provide for other improvementa mad oonetruatloa
vork on the aounty hlghway 6~etem iarteed OS ark-
lng ior bide Iroe private OontrfWtbIg oenoeraet’
538
Honorable J. 0, Gew4~, p4r #2
Authority 16 gIoen by Seotlon 62, Artiole S, of
the Conrtitutlon, to eng oounty, my polItica 8ub4lvl8ion
of the county’, any number of mlfoinlng oountle4, eta., aot-
Ing under legIalatlve provl8Iba, upon a vete of a two-thlr48
maJorIt o? the qualIfIe4, rerident, propert tupayerr of
the dletrlat or tbrrltorj to be affeote4 thereby, In dlitlon
to all othrr aebta, to lreue bonds In any mount not in es-
aeao of one-fourth of the r8seaeecld rrluation of the real
property o? rush 6i8triot or territory, ior, among other pur-
poaee, the follovingt
‘The oon4truotlon, aalntenanae and operation of
maoaUulre4, graveled or pave& road8 ati turnplkee,
or la aid thereo?.’
Your flrrt qur8tIon relate8 to the right of a rod
dlrtrlct under thr prorl4ion4 o? the ConatItutIoo and purouult
\ to aa Aot o? the Leglrlature, to devote part of an lsrue of
bon&r, 8.uly tote4 by the taxpayer4 OS the roe.4 dlstrlot, to
the purohare a? road ma6hlnery.
Ir elementary
St that the fun48 UsrIve from the
8ale o? bend8 uy not be 4lrerted fro8 the purpomer 8peolfle4
b the prope8ItIon submitted to the rhotocs. Aranrar Gouotr
~4. lklWan-Fultoa Partun Coapmy, 191 8.V. 666; Heathma tn.
Slngletar~, 12 6.U. (2d) 160; BuggIn ~4. BaQen, 269 S.W. 204.
It follon that where a aemrture from the pmparltlon
appearing on the bdlot paper lr alleged, the on17 quertion Ir
vðer the expenditure oonteplatad Ir within or without th@
propo4ltIon on it4 true con4truetlea; or, under o*r wrtloular
@et of faato, whether or not the puroh84e o? road oaohInery
would be InoIUeatel and neoe8rsry to the oon4trwtIon. lulnte-
nanoe and operatlon of roadr. Mcme ve.. mallsn, 844 8.W. 2B6.
Construing pr ositiont to thle end, It has been he16
by the oourts that %oa“g n IncluUer a bridge OOn8tltUtIng a
neoeeclary length in the coa4, an4 that *turnpIkesa means barb-
rurf~e4 roaQ4. Amnsar Gouaty va. Colman-tulton Pasture
Caaginy; AU-8 v4. Wullen, rupn.
By an analogy of re&ronIng this deprrtaent hae held
that ‘A rumry 18 neoeeaar~ in the laquI8itIon of a rlglrt-of-
ray”. (Opinion Bumber O-962). Also, that right-of-way agent0
539
Ronorable J. G. GoMy, paee #S
a8y be pal4 from the bond fun4 (Oplnlon O-1379); that bond
aoney may be use4 far frnolng land soqulred for right-of-vay
where bonds rem toted for the purpose of puroharing rlght-
of-vay for the u44 of the State HIghway Department In bulld-
Ing state derlgnated highways. (O?lnIon G-2460).
I? the Commlsslontrr~ Court exerclrer thrlr option
to oonrtruot tht roads contemplated in 8614 $46,000 bon4
i44US themerlves, 8&t 8tiprrvlse meme lnatea4 at hiring a
private oontraotor, then \ue believe that there 14 no doubt
that road maohinery bought ior ths purpose of oonstruoting
u14 mlntalnlng these partioular road8 would br lnoldental
an4 neoeasary In carrying out the purpose for vhloh the bon48
nre vote4 - that Ir, to oonstruot m4 maintain pub110 roa4s.
Therefore, It 18 our opinion that money derived fro8
the 881s of bonds nay be used to purohaee road maohlnery to
be ua?4 In oonrtruotlng an4 maintalnlng road.r oontemplated in
ma14 $46,000 bond leeue.
In anmvering question nuaber tvo, ve find th8t Artlole
23686 of Vernon’s Annotate4 Rev1884 Gltil Statute8 of Texas pro-
vides that exaept In oa8es of publlo oalamity, a oontraot oall-
lng for the lx p enQltur e
of $2,000 or more from oountf fun48,
must be rulmltted for oompetItI+e bI4r upon publlohed notloe,
an4 the oontraot w8t be let to the lonrt urd beat bidder. A
oontraot requlrlng the expendlturi of less than fi2,OOO end more
than $600 must be let at oompetltlre bid8 by the Qotmle8loner8’
Court, exoept In o&se of public neeereitr or pub110 oalul,ty.
The purpose o? thtee ~rovlrlons 24 to enablt oountien te ob-
tain the pertomantre of any publlc vork at the lowest poerible
oort to taxpaycrr. Rowever, the CoauI8rIoners~ Court her the
option a? carrying on the work itself an4 the provirlone of
Artlole 23688 @a not apply to any work done under the direat
aupervIrlon o? the County CoeaIsslanerr and pal4 for bt the
day. Gul? Bitullthlo Compen;l ~8.. Rueoes County (Coamiarlon a?
Appeals) 11 9.U. (26) 305; 11 Tex88 Jurlepru4enoe, 843.
Therefore, it 1s our oplnton that the Gomml8elonerr’
Court har suthorlty to do this vork In the 8aae manner that
they provlde ?or other lmprovementr end oon8truotIon vork on
ths oountr hlghva,y sgetem in8terd of asking for blde fca
540
Bonoreble J. C. Oowdy’, page #4
prlrate oontraatin6 ooncerns.
Trulrtlng that thla anawes your quertlons, w are
very truly youra
ATTORNEY QDWtAL OF TEXM
APPROVEDJAN
21, 1941