i OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS j AUSTIN I **SR~~ER SELLERS** 

gonornble

Donald Allmm ~ountgAuditor z&in Coilnty 1(xlIltze,

Texas
bar Sir:

on of road and four coiTtll.sliesting

an~oplnion

it8 YOU fOi?a. Z’U3iSi$3 nt3y under oonsidsrf th5sG mottorn has to a.0 with colsntyinto cogaissio~ors~pred by Art. 5, sec. 1~300 tha ho stota 0: ‘T8cmS. !fhLs 1;wy be

A130 is o hoori~~ of any !cind ncoeona~f to establish faots to shov vhat would bo for 

### ths c0nven1ence or the people, and, i? r,ot, what basis in fact rust bo shovn to jwtffy n raorgsnlcation.,, t

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lza, RonaldAll~&s,~

### Pags~~2

"The second matter has.to do with the dLvision of the road and bridge fund of the aounty betweerithe pour cGm3n.ss%Gners.Thus is covorea by Brt. 6740of’ theRevised CivSP Statutes df 15'25 Wioh provides thst suoh funds shall be equitably expanded snd t8a nearlyas tha condition and nooesslty of,tho roads vill perzzLt,Ft shall be expended In oath oounty~ cors;nisslouors~preair?ct in propozt2on to the omount oollcotzd in such proclnot..~Various oases have held that an equal ditision betl7oenthe four ooma~S8iOnCXW is IlOt pZ'Glp8T,

lSOkin3 PPGO,"Of Qth3X inequalities,where the valuotlonaQro disprOpOr- ~. tiomt;o. In this connection the Court would like to laiov

what prooeedurze

to follo?rin determining ._ a dfst~ibutlon of fUnds, and the factors which would enter into the es&ab&3hment of a dLvl.sLonof funds '. other than on Q b~sls of valUa.tion of,the precinots+ Is a hearing neces8sry,Andy

### if so, what facts are ptitennnt In con8idorlnghow the funds should be' divZded." Section 18 of AZ%LCIC v of ow State-Constitution 1588follocrst

"Raoh organizedGo&y in tho Stnte now-or hereafter exlstin& shall-be divided Prom tine to time,fos tine

convonienco of the paople, into pmcincts, no2 less tlisn'four and not more tha.n olght.. The presentCow&y Courts shall make the first dlvision. Subaoquentd.ivlsLons shall be made by the ~o3mkmiOn8rs~ court, provided for, by this CoustIt&on. In each ouch pl~eolnGt&ero shnll bo elected at OaCh bfOILUia1

OkStiOn, on0 jUStiCe Of th8 pOaoe. end one ConstablO, each Of uhom shall hold his Gffloe for tvoyonrs and until h%s 

### successorshall bog' OloctGd and qualificd;'~ ppovidod that In any precinct Inwhich thope may be a city of 8000 or more inh3bltants, tboro shall bo elected two justices of the . . peeoe. YGxh oouzty shall In like wmutir bo divided Into four Cozm&sionePs~ prsoif~:tsin each of whioh thera 3h.311

be elected by~the qualified voters thoreof, OM aounty comissfo~er, who shall hold his offtoo for twv;i

years and uutil his 8ucocssoi~shall bo bl&ed end qualified. The aounty oommlssionors so chonon, vlth the county judgs, as presiding offfoer; shall‘

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oompose the County Commlasioncrs Oourt, whloh : shallexercise ouch powers and jurledictioc over all county busfne38, a8 **is ~onforxod**  by this Con-~ stltutionand tho lima oi'the State, or as may be hereafterprescribed," .
In El-ii

case of Tuxner v. Allen, 254 S. W. 630,**‘ tb.0**  :,ilrt ofCivll Appeals in constrtin~ Sec. 18 of Art., V of the ;:&itution stntcs the fol2owlng on pace 6$x

"33~section 18,;art. 5, of the Conetltution of this state, the **coinz1133ion3x3 ’**  ,court 1s vost;ed vlth authority to change and re-estahlioh *from time to time' county co~mlasioners~ preoincts 'forthe conv0nb3noaof iih0 paople.' It io o2ear from tl-ds provision **Or ’**  the Constitution that tho,countg corn**missionor3~** couzztin Tosas is given the paver and authority to change and ro-ostabliuh oounty oommisoioners*.precindtsat any time they may deem it to be for the.ccnvanLenoe of the paople to do so, and, whensuch authorLCp and power so conferred is ever- : ainod by thatcourt, Ux a&ion is not void.. The action ffiay

be reviewed or corrected, when erroneously or vrongPu2ly or improuerly exerctsed, by a ' properproceeding for that pu%~oae, but **‘ SLIO~I**  eotlon, though it anoun% to n gross abuse of the court's diseretSt8on,

and tiiough it, in eTfect, constitutes a lcSa1 fraud upon persons who msg be affeotcd by tha court's action, is not void, and connot boattacked or lnrpoaehed Cc&laterally.
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It is **2% a8**  **falloars:** ateted in ~%ewLsv. Harris, 48 8. W. (2d) 730,

"As applied to dlrfcrent **nltuations,** the phrase toonvenienceOS the pcoplo,' as u3ed in the **CGlWtitUtiOn,** may have different msenin@, but in OAX opinion it cannot properly bs construed as inpcging upon a commissioners* court the absolute duty of XIorrsng:iq tiltb~oundariesof **~0mls3i0ncI~3~** precincts, from tin3 to time, DO as to wcoril to ooch precinct repre%intationupon and power of conltrol of the commLsulo~.ors~

couri;in proPortion to their rospectlve Populations,voting strengths,:and taxtible valuations.

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i .' 1 gc~.,nkmaid +I*s,' Page 4

i' . 1 "See the cases of Duboso v. Wood, ,162S'.'Y. & a@ .'~ i yard'v.Bond, '10'2. W. (2d) 509, for sZ.milar holdings. : In vim~~of the fori?.;zolng It is the opfnion of this, l 1 departmentthat by vi3%ue of Sot. 1% of Art. V of the State t Constitutionthe

### Com*11xdoatms (Court is vestedwith authority. ! tochange and re-ostabllsh frolptim to time count% cgrnis3ion- em@ preoincts for tho "oonvonie'~ce of th3 people. ,. th3kXlGW Gfno 4' provisionin tineststutco or ths Constitution of thls Stat0 rai I q&ring a hf?aring to establish faots to show that wouLd be 

### for ,, I theconvonkmoe of the psople. The qusatisn is left to the sound discretionof the Comissimers~ Couxt, and they my dctamine thequestion in any mnner they am fit so long as tholr action doesnot oonotitutea gross abuse of their disorotion. Weara hemvlth enolosfxg a oopy of our Opinion Ho. O-5%7 for goup consideration. ve trust this mlmi0rs youcr? first qu0stlon. I Your sooond question is answered b$:'Opinioti l'ior O-1091, 5 e copy of vhbichis hereuith emlosed, wherein it holds:

. II

. ..*..the distribution of the monies in the ' county road and brid e fund'ia governed by artiolo 66753-10,Artioie.67 0 ond ths rule laid down in % the aas8 OS stovall v; Shivors,,~aupra. -. "As for that porMon.of the county roa~d Andy bridge fundconsisting of automobile registration Peas paid,into the fund of srtialo 6679, section 10, is controlling. It Is oux op5.nionthat in expondiq this portion of the fund for the purpos~3
. expressly set out tn section 10 of article 66759, the comissionms~ couvt of the oountg shsll regard the rmds,and highways of the aouutyas a system to be'built, improved and maintained as a who10 to the beat intcrostsana welfare of all the paoplo of the county arxlof alT the precincts of the county.
"In roapeot to tho county raised nonles, .thay must be ~judiciouslyam:doquitably~ oxpondod.While the sixtuto (Art. 6740.,supra) contbmgJ.utosthat the r~oticsnhnllbo oXpondcd. in each oo;misnion~srs procince In proportion to the amount ool1octe.din such prcolnct, the oozmlmlonora~ court is not ooupalled.to foXLow any U3thotuatioal fornula in dividlrq tho fund,
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