695 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OFTEXAS 

AUSTIN 

GROVERSELLERS 

ATTORNEYGENERAL 

aM a&o your kttrr o? January W, 19415, 8tatioSthe purporr for 

*hiah the eoo11ty lntandrd to UBO tb monof, ar followe; 
696 

Mr. A. J. Riley, pge 8 

dat4& ~~~~~~~ Uth, 1945, th0 BOd mmhnd W the de8irOd i&ation, th6 prrtinont p6rt boiag aa follim3: 

"ran reoontly approved a alalm of Van Zendt 

wty tofor addltionrl'St&t~ Aid On their Road Dlrtrfet fto. 1 Bonds dated 8-1-U. In ajqro~ing this 

oiaipr we also paid to th4 LotOl3d Road AcOoont af 

ya &a* County #S3.83O.S9 Npnsonting ratroaatlvo 

payiornts due on that iSSUe* 

*on 00t0bsr lo, 1999 Van ZPodt County rotod to 

pm&&a the roada of DietrUt Xo. 1 and ismwd Van 

&tat Coonty.RQad Bonda, Serbe ‘A’ Uatod 10-10-29 

to ibad Dit$triot No. 1 to aoweneate them for the 

Road Distriot Xo. 1 Bond* outstanding. ror that 

roamn the above iaenti0Bod iUd8 mm0 credited to 

the &torsJ Road Aoaount or Van Zenat County and not 

to Road Dietriot XO. 1. 

I. * 1 

"Th4 Couuty*e p8rt ot th4 rowlroa4nt6 for thi8 

fisoal ~a0 ia W4,bSbA3~ and an the credit to thalr 

hto&sl Road Aoaount waa not more than that twoant. 

tho~sntire balance W(LB credftod to the 6inking funds 

or their County Latorelkoad Bond iam io aompl~- 

anoe with Saotion 6, Sub-mot&n ‘8’ or deenat. ~1l.l 

x0. 89." 

The portiaeut pat Ot Mb-notion h, Station 6 of C&p 

tar SE4, dot8 48th Lsglalatun, RSguLar timion, 1943, road8 86 

r0uws 2 

w?~df# rcmain~g in th4 Lateral Road Puud of any 

oounty, after the palsant of aaId right-of-way obligatlona, shall b9 un& by the oopaty for payfog the amturing prinofpall, tntersst, and ainkling <und roqufrsaonts, duo by tho oounty'ia that flmaal y44r on bonds, 

warrants, or other avidanoaa or lndobtedmtm rt&ohrsre 

legally fsauwl by suoh uowty or road dlstrlotm prior 

to January 8, 1939, the pWti8 at *ioh were actually 

4xpend46 in ths oonetruotion or lapro+~~nt or lateral 

county roads. Psyment 't0.b mado ratably upon t% 

prlnoipal and iutsre6t. on th4 patwing road bond obliptlon# of said county Sor ~8uoh flati years. m.y 

funda rdmlning in the Lateral Reed Fund of any aoctnty 
697’ 

situ the payaent or mid prlnolpal, lntbreot, and 

siak&ig toad rugalrm4nts due or aaturlng in t4t 

Slnoal year 011 bonds OL! warrsnte walah wore logally 

Iaiue& .by m&oh oounty ~2 soab dlatrlot &or to. 

Juuury 8 1939, the ptoeQcrdS 0s. whloh ware aOtUa1l.T 

l X~&U%C&. fm the fBOUOtTU48~Ott OT &SpOVeiI+t Or lateral 

oouhty zoad18,uay be tmed by tin eoanty tinder diraotlon 

of t4 C&ml~elc~ne?r, Uouxt for any one or a&l oft the 

rollowfng purpoaem,~ (a) for the.aoqtWlt~on 01 rlgbtof-ways for .aoaaty laterd roads rod la tR0 gayaunt 

or loge1 obligatlonr j~~oarrad tharafor prior to January 

a. 19391 (b) ror the donrtruotlon or lmpro*set of 

oouaty merax rosas; .Cok ror the pur0~80 of ou~plaaonting ruadn.appropriated by the 'Clnltad Statea Oororni04a.r0r plofks progrs0~ bdninL0tmion~ trishr~ay 40notruatioa; and owh ot4t grarrrto of B~Saml Bbnda as 

ray 4 010da avaflable to the oountieo 0r this atate 

r0c -46onty letoralrood eoonotruatfon~ ants (4%) for the 

purpo8e4 oi ooope~atlrrg with the Stats Bightmy Dapartmod Ma t4 f4daral ao*4rnm4nt In till4 c4netrliot~on 

or tua-to-mark& roads. * 

w# thlak it noosooary firat to amlyau and sot out in 

detail the purposea for whloh the money in t4 Lateral RoaA &x&d 

may be ~oxponded by a oounty: 

(1) The Eirat money arlooetsd to a county mast be wed 

to pay t4 prlnblpal, lnteruat an6 sinklug fund requ&enwats of 

bonds and umrranto lrewd prior to Janmry 3, 1939, t4t ware 

aaetually expend&d ln aoquirlng rights-of-way for State detilgncrted 

hlghuago . * 

(8) Any money roaw4lnlng la oeid run5 titer raauiro- - 

aunt (1) hae beea set, amat be PI)ed rio. pal th6 prtaoLpa1, iMx~eo8 

aud slukln$ tuad raqulromanta due by t4 oounty in that rl~oal 

yeas, rhloh weru 188~l by t4 OOuobY ptfOr $0 Janaary 8, 1939, 

and whiah usra used for t4 coaMmtotlon aad lmprovuaont of 

oounty lateral roads. 

Aooord~ to t4 luformatlon turalohed by the Boa+ of 

Counts and Dletriet Road Indebtedties. 8afb Board allow4d Van 

@adt-County )H3,837.59; t4 oowt needsd #S&656.35 to meat 

'the requirements numbemd. (1) and 4 8) above. The Board stat&l 

t4g t4y Bad oredit~d,thu,ehtire amouut to the sinking fuala 

Or t4lr county Latefal Road Bond lOau40 for the pllrpooeo set 

out abovo as (1) and (2). 
ft la our opialoa that the ~e,qulrsaento set out above 

a* (1) ma (8) are mandatory and the aotlon 0r the Boardo in the 

matter waa.oorre~t, and Van Zandt County, therefore, doss not 

ham a balanao rsmalning in the Lateral Road Fund to be wed for 

w P-9-*. 

We xow anawar fha puestlon an to whether Van Zandt 

Goulkty nay &wruuy p&o* fund6 0r the Uteral Road Fun4 in the 

County Road arib Bridge Furid. We bat. been unable to find any 

s~~~oifie 92wislon In Chapter 384, emapt ths followl~: 

“lx the event that the fllndb 80 reoelveh by tbo 

oouxty from the Latmal Rosa Ae00unt are in exoo8a o? 

tho amount required to !af~t the prinoipel and interest 

of ~it8 maturlas road bon4 obllgstiona tot the naxt f&G. 

oal year, the Comialosioxer8 Court W slsab to Lse auah 

exe968 wrmy alloaated to it rIyIpI; tlm Lateral Road Aacount, ati in l uoh evatat, it shall notWy, in wrltln~~, 

the said Boar&, oil its oloetlon to make use b? ealil 

money. Yhoreupon, aaid Board shall ramit 8alQ balmoe 

to be utilized for euvh pur9oeb to the, County Tmasuros 

of rrroh osunty, sal% akami~ to b# dsposltsd by tho County 

Treasurer Zn aaor'danoe with law end the PLUM) shall be 

utllised bg tha oowaty, aot%r@ through the Colas;leslonera Court, Per the aonetruotion of lateral roads. * * **.,. 

, .P PT. 

The abova pzovleLon is indeflnlte and ot little help in 

answerlngth* Qustlon; howover, ln othof parts or the Jiot we rind 

rsierenoo aabe to the term "Ldwal aOad Aooountw or %atorsl Road 

Pund." At page SO1 o? Chapter J&O, we flnd the fol&orin~r 

rr* * * the Board shall oradlt the Lateral Road 

iroootlnt of each oounty or defiwd road dletrlot wit& 

the net balenoe aontrlbuted by auah oounty or road 

district toward the retlxumemt of Bald ellgfble 

obllgatlo58, and eald funds 80 eredltod to any oouaty 

or betine road diotEto$ SMJ be amd or upended by 

the oountlcts and hidud road dletrlota for the per908s~ euthorlsed 15 fhls Seotfon. * l *" 

8ootiox 9 or the Aot wt4kee it a rel0ny ?o~ the county 

judge or oountg ~onrmlselonero to use any of the money in the Latsrel 

iioad Aooount-; for anp 9ur9oposoe other than thoae,authorlsed by this 

Aat. Ta~&~t.he pr’b~ialona of the hot.ae a whole. and the taot that 

panal provision ir orado for mloappro9rlation o?~ t.he ?unds, IW am 

of the opinion t&t ths.Leglslatura did not lntead that tbQ,atan?y 
:+: 6gg 

appr6pPlated mdev tba Aot to bo used bxtbe Comiiasione~a~ 

Court8 in their d~aoretlon for the row pu2pOaea, listed aa 

(a), (b), (0) and (d) on po80 502 6f the prinbad Aot, ahoqld 

bo.oo411Inglad with the ~oouuty~a aepaxwte funda. Wo are, 

them.r0m, 0r the opinion that the mow eppraprlatad to th0 

oountt.8 rmdarr a.+l A& tinnot be mid into I@ Couxty RWd 

and Bridge Zhaad, but oonxtrmlng the Aat as a @poZe, and takix& into oonaideratioalso..publio poliay, ire WnL the funda 

alloQ&+d by the Board of County and DistFlat Ind~btsdneaa 

should be kept in a separate fund by thq oounty. 

IO J~IJP letter or JanrUrm 18, 1945, you at&e that 

1: van Zmflt County plane to ua* the money reoeited SWm tba Board 

or county and Diatrlot Road Indebtedness to pay outstanding 

'. obligations againat Van !&ndt County Road and Bridge Fund for 

i:.',~,., Iollohlnery plardla8.d ill 1944. The Aqt is plain and l thorises. 

~. only obl 

: : lu the’ La atlona 

'& 

laaned prior tb January 2, 1939 tb partlol~ts -i macl Aooount. 

-: 

nimr0~ any obligation Umumad 

ix 1984 oannot participate in said funds. 

Yauralrezyg?ul~ 

AFTORRRY - 07 TXAS 

BY