OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Honorable J. 8. O'Neall 

County kttormy 

sulaher County 

Tolls, Taxes 

Dear Sir; 

Your lsttor of rm3 

this deprtwat on the abws 

I 

aOuatie8, 

have 8nauera4 

be aura ot aa 

t now runs U3 all la Randall 

slag rua on bleek llas rhiah 

yarb tmlarr tbe north kae 02 

on the 'mmlrh line or Ratoaal.1. 

*Xt is de&red to leave 1% 418 It ir, ae to 

looation, bet to row a road dirrtrfot taking 6QW 

tire mile8 off the muth ~14s of Randall Couatf and 

tb 8tUW 0rf the nOfib lm Of $~i8h6r, @2&d the 

balaaos beta& in Amatrea$ Cbnntf to htW0 mid 

Arnstroag Couaty take ear@ of that. A plat of propose4 road herewith. 
Honorable if. Ii. O*PeaZl, Fege 13 

*Art. 778a, pr0riae8; 

**That, pursuant to l uth o r ltoonfermd y by 

Seotion 58, OS Article 8, of ths Conatltutlon, any 

number or adjolnlng counties are hereby empowers6 

and authorized to Iaau~ bonds in any amount not to 

aroead 060-r0urth or the l a a ea a ed valuation or the 

real property of the territory Inoludod within auoh 

oountI88, end to lary and colleot‘annually ad valorem 

taxes to pay the interest oti such bonds and to provlda a ainking fund for rsdemptioa thereof, for the 

purpose of the oonatruotlon, malntenanco and operation of Jnacadamiced, grateled or pavod roads and 

turnplkaa, or in a%d tharoof. The phrase *any nuaber 

of a&doininR oountloa* aa ursd In this Aot shall ba 

conatruad to maan two or more counties coatIguoua to 

each other.' 

oh. 601 

(Acts 1931, 40th Log. 1st C. 3. P. t18 

“I am unable to rind the above pU66tiOn ape-. 

oirloally passed on but the 0888 or T. k P. Ry. Co. 

vs. State 4S S~-S-6tS which was roveraod and ronbond 

by the 8upromo Court (68 .8W-8-81) IWIU to audaln 

the ~gsatioa that 8914 atatuta oon~arna dlatrlata 

r0nua by whole aountiea ana does warrant the formtion of anmller road dlatrlota as de#Pred.~ 

wI hand you plat ol the proposad -r&ad and road 

district and 411 thaak you.tor your early answer 

since the coamltteo above rUarrad to am very anxloua 

to know the r lght anawar~ 

*iSavIng expressed a doubt as to the present law 

authorlzingg auoh rcwl dIatriot f ha% requested them 

to await your reply before oIroulatIng a petition. 

-xi your aaawar Is nadgatIv*, thsn'would you auggaat any other route than a l p~oial‘aot of the loglalaturo, authorizing such read dlstrlct.” 

Ilouse Bill No. 91, (&tlol~:P 778a-778p, Iacluaive, 

Vernon*s Annotated Cl~il Statutes) Acts o$ the 40th %!@alature, 1st Called .~eclaion, 1987, Is an ActiauthorIzIng tha 

creation or road dlstrlota oomprlslng two. or mcr.e adjoIning 
Honorabl6 J. 8. O*N6all, Faga S 

oountlsr pursuant to Section 68, Article 8 OS the Conatltutlon; prsacrlblng tha method for the orgadnatlon al such dlaQ-lots.; authorltlng such distriota to vote and Issue bonds ter 

road bullding and maintsnanoe purpoaeaJ requiring auoh dIatrIota 

to at&o In general term the road or rosda to ba oonatruoted, 

sne tha amount and portion to sach rood from th6 proceeds or the 

sale oS bon&at authorizing such dlatriota to purchase or take 

aer Improved roads already constructed by any county or road 

district Included-therein; proYIdlcg for the salaction of a 

treasury or depository for suob dIatrIot, enaoting provlaIona 

Inoldent and nsoeaaary to the subject and purpose of the Act; 

providing that if any portion of the Act should be held unoonatltutlonal the re~alndsr .aball not be InvalId, and deolarlag 

aa 0mer:genoy. 

ft will bs noted that Section 1 or the above ntentloaad 

Act (Art1016 778a) providea that "The phrase *any number of AdjqInIng countkes* aa~uaad ln this Lot, ahall $6 construed to 

mean *two or more countiaa contiguous to each other.** Apparently 

it was contemplated b9 the Legislature that when any number of 

adjoini~ counties created a road dlatrlct-as prodat in th6 

above mentlonsd.Act tha whole, or rather all of the county or 

each adjoining county participeting therein was.to be inoiua64 

and no prwlalon waa'amde shore a portion of two or amro,dlff6rent a4 ol.nIng countl6a could oreate a district under th6 Aot, OF 

a por$ i on of one county and all of another or more counties 

oould oreate a dlatriot but oalytvo or more adjolnlng oountfoa 

where all ot each OopntY VJM Included could or6ate .a.diatrict 

under the Aqt. 

Arter carefully oonalaarlng the Aot,as a whole, we 

roapeotfully answer the above stat& question in the nsgatlra. 

We have carefully oonaldered the case of &ate la. Taxas h P. R9. CO., et al, U$ 6. W. (84) 81, which Is referred to 

In your 16tter and are of the opinion that thle oaae does not 

apeoIrIoolly pass upon the qu6stIon hsrc involved. The only 

quoation In this cash was sihsther or not th6 Leglslaturs had 

,&ten authority to road dlatrlots, ocmpoae~ of two or mom oonnties, to levy and collect a bond tax on rolling stook and Intangible aaeets of a railroad, In aooordsnoe with the oaluatioa Md6, 

es preacrIvaC by law, and duly spportfoneU to a county, aa such, 
Honorable J. H. O'Aeall, Pa@ 4 

~hi0h ‘16 &ra0ti in the di8trlot. we hare reiied to rind any 

oaae whare the oourte hare parrad upon the above 8tatod pueatlon 

or a olmllar ques;tlon, However, a8 abort etated, ra are of the 

oplnlon that the above msntlonOd statutes do not authorize the 

areatlon or a mad dlstrlot from part8 ot two or more oontlguoua 

oouutier. 

Tours very truly 

APPROVED DEC. 12, 19U 

/E/ ororer %llere 

FIRST AfSISTANT 

ATTORWiCY G ERERhL 

AW:R8 

‘APFROVBD OPIHION GC+&ITTEE~BT B.U.B. CFfAfR#AB.