Hon. Vernon D. Adcook Opinion No. V-975.

county Attorney Dewsoa County Re: The euthority of the Lamesa, Texas Comols~loners ’ court to cl080 a publio 

### road in the oounty uuder Dear Sir: the Ilub8itteQ raota.

Ye refer to your letter from whtih we quote in pert:

“ltnclosed are copies of prooeedings bed **in** oonoeotion with the oloslng of a certain public reed in Dawson County, whioh had previously been opened under Article 6703, et seq., R.C.s. This roed has been used and maintained by Dawson County for several years. Lend adjoining the road on one side is owned by R. F. Berron; land adjoining the road on the other side ia owned by Urn. R.CXllgore. This road when opened was hid out uith onehalf~ the road tsken irom the seid two traots ot’ land, the divieion line faming the oenter of ’ the road. “The petition to olose the road use #Egned b H.P.Barron end other8 but not by Nrr

. R.0 .Hilgore. Mrs. Kllgore Is opposed to the closing of the road. end oontenda that she had no notice and did not realize there uaa a petitan **pending** until eiter the Commissioners ’ Court order bed beoa passed olosiug the road. **She contends**  mlso **thet** the road ha8 been gred**ed** and s@iotaLned by the oounty during the 16&i three yerm and that it hw been ueed by her .snd others oontinuou8ly during said period. “From questlouing members of the Commieslonera * Court and the County Judge, It rppeara that the order was Wade rite* the Court heard l&r. B8~on explain to them the **reasoM** why he wanted the road olosed.

**‘ Your**  opinion is requerted 18 to whether

### Hon. VernonD. Adooak,peg0 2 (V-975)



### or sot thir 18 

### a valid order,and

## ubthbrIt legallyclorer thla 

### road." The sukaltted oopy of the Petltlan 

## forClorl6g Public Road addre88ed to the Comml88looer8~ Court. of Dawron County, tiled on **September** 7, 1949, snd rIgn8d b9 

### li.F.Bmronand ten other8 read8, In 8ub8t8n8er 88 tollow~:

"We, the undersigned oltlnen8, tneholdera, realdlng In the preolnots through whloh the following de8orlbed road doe8 run, ray that 8 public road 

## ofth8 first ola88, 10 ieet In width, be olo8ed In said oounby, b8vIng its point8 of beglnalng 8nd ending a8 rdi~8: (describer bound8rles o? entlr8



### The rubalttedcon ol the Publio Ro8d Rotloe, Clorlng ROti, 284dlag In 8ub8t8M0, the 88H 88 the 

### rbovoquoted petition, is doted September 7, 199. It la 

### signedby It.F.Bar&oa sad the 8bm ten other8.

The 8Ub8lltted aworD. 

### attldrvitread8: "I, H.F.B8rron, one of the rIgnor of the wlthiu petition, upon m9 08thr 8tate thet ootioea o? the Intended 8pplIO8tIOn for the C1081lQ of raid nev road veXWpo8ti8d for at le88t twenty days 

### before the tlr8t day of the term 

### of the Cow&ssloners~ Court atwhleh thir petit&on **Ir pmmented,** **exolurite of**  **the day**  **of PWtiry,**  

### 88 iOllbU8, to-Wit: 

### *Orn 8t 

### the CourtHouse door inLne88, DIV~OB 

### Coutkg,Tex88. One at the routh end of PrOpOSedro8d to olo8e; end one at 

### theNorth end of the 

### proporbdroad to oloee, two other pub110 

### plum8 in tk rUHinit.y **of** 

### the route of the propo8ed nev reed. H**.F** .Berron Subscribed and sworn to before 

### me, thl8 16th day of November, 1949. E~l:~F~,""~:;y (SEAL) Dewson'County, Texas" The oopy Of the COmmiSSIO~rS' COLWt'8 8CtIOnIOU. Vernon D. Adoook, Pago 

### 3 (V-975)

b8 l **tid** pd?itiaO which fOu 8Ubit lW8d8: 0. "lu R B !l%at the Ionoreblo **C0~l8810~0r8** Court ot,Dmon CoOntT, 2eX88, wt In nguler 80081oa thir the 10 day of Ootokr, A.D. 199, with 

### the following mubUm pX'48Wlt, to-Wit: 

### 11. 1. NRFJDCS,CountyJiid@,Pn8idiw. %a.-, t%Wi88iOllbZ', PMOfMt NO.1. Y.T.BNRUROVX, 

### CowlL8lowr, Proolnct lo.2. **ALTON ADDISON,**  **C~rrionbt,** 

### ?n01not 10.3. **m& o** **’ m,**  **C&&OiOti~;** 

### PlVOilh% **z6.l).** H(IRIPD

EIJNPm, Oount9 Olimrk rod Dt-Ottlolo Clerk of the Catralonen' Court. Tbo following bu8lIMrr b&q tranrroted:

.
. . . *Petltlon #208, for thb 010813 of 

### bMb110 ro8d ktrsen geotion 

### 6, Blook 8ad 

### 8ootlou 1, Blook 

### 35,I r, II., I. ;.TB:rk **bd**
**~~ ‘** **8; 188**  **~8Ollt.d** tothe Court l nd thb Coo& voted unmlmourly to cl080 arid **robd, rti**  

### the **road** 

### 18bon now orderedoloae'd." ArtiOlb

### 6704,**1O~OB ’** **O ciril**  **8tOth.8, mail** **’ .8**  

### '$hd tb 0osi881our8' CotWt 8hd11Olr881i"f 811 pub118 **Pbti8** 

### 18 tlui?OOollti.8 l 

### ti mtid.8 ti part 08 fOl1Orn: "Fine **Cl@88** 

### ro8d88hdllk olorr

## 0r all ob8truot10n8, rnd not be 1088 than forty 

### (40) foot nor 80x-e then OM hundred (100) foet.ride.' Artiol8 2351, V.C.S., prorid thrt eeoh oom8i88iOUbr8' OOtlX't 8h811:, 

### "3. L8y out 

### 8nd .8tablirh,ahalyr l 

### ti disoontlnu8 pub110 

### road8 8nd hFghu8y8

. . .' -ha818 8ddad) Art.1018 

### 6703,V.C.S.,lnaotrr88 the qnbrtlon 

### at herd 18 oouoernbd, plWid@r :

"The OIWIIi88iOM~ OOlU’tOh011 Older

. . 8nd dlsoontlnu8

. cry 

### roadvhenher it shell b8 doe& &dient

. . . 8nd.

mm. verno8 0. Adoook, pege 4 

### (V-975)

no Ontin Tint or Ss00nd 0168s road shall be di8OOntinUed OXOOptupon v8oation 

### or non**use** 

### for **a** period of three years
. . ." Weoonstrue this **Stetute** to mean that the court may di8Continub a Food by (1) a vaoatlon 

### older, OT (2) where there has been a non-uoe of a three-year period. The thme-yesr llmltatlon applies only to non-we 8nd not to 8 vaoatlon order.

Article 6705, V.C.S., provide6 In part: 'The ctxnmlsslonem court shall in no lnstance great an order on 8n applloatlon for eny new road, or t0 di8ContinUe on Original one
. . . unless the applicants have given at leaat twenty days notice by written advertlsement of their intended 8ppllcatlon, posted up at the court house door of the county and at two other public place8 in the vlclnltg of the 

### routeof such road. All 8Uch applications ah811 be by petition to the **OOlSU1S81Oll%rS** oourt, signed by at least eight freeholdem In the precinct in whloh such road Is desired to ha made or discontinued, speclfgfng In such ro;;tlon t\e beginning and termlnatlon of such

. . . Article 6703 empowera the Compll88lonera~ Court to order the diaoontlnuence 

### of any public road. Article 6705 provldes that 8Wh oourt 8hall in no in8tsnce grant en order on 8n iCStloR to di8OontfnUe 6 road UtieSS the notice pro0 or that statute 1s met. so while ths oommlssioner8~ Court **18** given power to act upon It8 ovn motion (which point 18 not ROWbefore U8), it ha8 the 

### powerto rot upon the 8ppllcatlon of fraeholders to **di8OontiUe** a pub110 rosd, Subject, of oour8e, t0 the provisions of article 6705. Cornpam: Aoblwon v. Uhaley

;~‘;,;:~,T;~~6~3.2,7 &;'~;O%t:~!i~

Consideration hasbeen given to that restrlction In **Article** 6703 which provides "no entire first

. . . olaas road ahall b8 dlsoontlnued except upon vacation 

### or non-uee for a period of three year8." Prior to the revlaion of the law8 In 1925, that restrlotlon v8s found In Artiole 4713, R.C.S., 

### 1895, end in Article 6902, R.C.S., 1911, but read as follows:.

lion. Vernon D. Adc'ock, Page 5 (V-975)

'Tooentire 

### road of the first

. . . cleaa ah811 hereafter be dlaoontlnued except upon vacetlon by ordera of the Cwmlssloners court or non-we t lad

(JJnderscorl& L$. of three **geer8.** lr Bxceptlng the undencored vorda, that entire **statute** wse looorporated in Art1018 

### 6703,R.C.R.,1925, $ T with Arti 

### 6860-1-2-76B.C.8 lrst sentence of Article 

### 6f0388 &%*ln% authorlzed.the Commlasloners~ Court to o 4?= the dlroontlnuenaa of roada, we think that for the rea8on alone the word8 "by ordera of the commls8loners Court" tollowlng the word "vacation" In Artlole 

### 6703were deleted in the revision. In 8hort, we 

### an of the opinion that the three-year provision In thet r88trlctlve olause doe8 not restrict the power of the Commlssloner8' Court to pass a vacation order whenever it shell ba deemed expedient. Ye view the order granted in the proceedings sub8Iltted as being in substanoe and leg81 effect suah a vaoatlon.

Under the teats sut$uitted it ap or8 that the road In question **we8** 4n entire public **roa**r, cl688ltied 88 tlrst-cle88; that the petltlon to 01080 the entlra road wea signed by at least eight fr8eholders In the precinct In whloh 8uCh rood ~88 desired to be discontinued; and that epplloents hed given et lerrt the twenty daya notice end posted 800, all ma required by Article 

### 6705. There having been oompllance with the provl8lona of Artl018 

### 6705,It 18 our opinion th8t the Corl88lorWa' Court ecting **under** that **atetute** end its authority granted in Article 

### 6703,had the power to grent the order In question in the 

### mannerand 

### at the time it did. A.G.Cplnlon V-443. The low doe8 not require thrt per8onal notice shall have been mamod on anyone, it provider only 

### forposting of three public notices for at least twenty days.
$03 to diacontlnue However, further with respec~t to the power of a Conznlaslonera~ Court under Article f or oloae any public road, we quote fropl Co1uzis8loners~ Court V. KSise 

### 223S.W.2d 840 **(Tox.C~V.APP.~~~** 

### , **error** 

### m. 1 *tPw :

"The pow& conferred u on th8t (Commlsaloners') court by Article 

### ti 703of our**Revised** Statute8 to disoontinu8 a~ public road OOnWt be oowtrued 88 8uthorlzlng the 0108ing or 

### obstruction of a roadway In the we of whloh re8identO the-on have 8 n8ted Pl'OPerty right;

### own theLegl~lrturo or tbirbfrtohrrno OUOhpO'VOl,. %b oontorrbd **mr to**  diroontinw a publio 

### mad

fG th. Oibd Ot&Ut@ 18 **~OtriOted** 

### to rbendgluent% **th0** 

### OVWtJ **Of it8**  **D~iKhtO-** 

### 'MOO0 aa 8UOh pu 110 hlgbvey,Ordd008 not 

### lnolude 

### thbright to den7 it8 u80to the owner8 Wer~an.‘ (Wordin par’

Thi8

### holding

18 

### followed

in

### $eoFerleaa

viDa*@, 147 s.y. 

### .2d528 (Tox.Clr.A~.l~l).

Themtom, in tb lightof ~rtlole6703 

### aa ooa

### rtrubdIn the alab Cm80 the offootof the order ot the COWi88iUl~PO '

%iiih&waon Countyin queatlonwee an rb;endonment

br the oounty of them8lntenenoeof auoh entire flr8t-olaarpub110 road, to rollatethe pnbllo from ohargebf ralntalnlngthe roti dl8OmtlIUWd la l oooxdaaoe rlth the DrOri8iOllO of h't101086705 

### l

nd 6703. 

### 20x88 Co. v. Te%erkanoI8oh.bhoD8,

### 18.W.2d 928 3&%%f 

### ? roadIn 

### the8enne 

### that f&&B8'Lt. tie to perOOn8tltl0 m89

### h8vbTOOtbd

### ~Z'ight8

. 3
Tour aeoondqwatlon ~lnrolre8 **mtter8 oowern**  

### iagprlrrte 

### righta,

### thedstealnrtlon ofwhloh

doe8 

### not 110vlthln

%a proiino~0r thlr 

### 0??100.

I I i

. ==kg

. . *_ :.?hidh

## 8Ub8ittbd

&t., th. Ol'dW

Of8 Qbmmlr8lonen' 

### Court'to **dirOo&iluw an**  

### en- 

### -tlrb ffl%t-ol@OOpub110 lWd, gl88OdWdOr ruthorltyof Artlole 6703, V.C.L, 

### and lu ~tM&f"' 

### withArt10106705, Y.O.S., 

### woo

Thb bt?Oot 

### of ruoh 

### O&Or ma8 On 8b8ni;ykay iald oouut

. It did not~ofthb 88lntenbnoeof



### deuyit8u8e

## tomr

### bonatieW89 

### harehadTBatedFlight8 

### therein. cmlaslonerr' Court T. 

### Xairer 23 b.W.2d 

### 82pjJieoFarlrne

T. DOTtO. 147b.Y.2d 528.

-. ,. 

### Your8Tbry tmlf, 1