**OFFICE OF**  **THE ATTORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  **TEXAS AUSTIN** 



### BonorabloThomas**A. k** **’ hmat**  **Oountf Attornel**  

### LfbortyCounty Llbortr

, Tsrar IMar 

### Sir

r

oarcfullyeonrl stat4 in JOur

P, or IR thb 

### d.WrnaQltr &see 

### fry 

### part of the rxpwiro of 

### bulldlngaaao.
*In 0n8wc to 

### p,w quertten at ffrrt t,toM fou In an sit-hand oplnlaa that I t&l not FhWc that th6 **Oosmi86~~nsrs~ Mart**  **ha4** tiu **autherlty to**  a0nrtruat said **Lwy** beeauae **It 4X&l**  a0t **ia Uy**  **wry** 

### pwtaln to **OounfiJ %miRorr.**  **rsmrsr, sine0**  

## 324Honorable Thomas **A.** Wheat, Pace 2

that time, I have 

### ha& the opportunity to briei this gueotion and my opinion ;e still the earn0 - that ie tbo County would not have the power or authority to oonetruot or pertly oonetruot or proolde funds for 

### the conetruotion of a levy 

### as deearlbed 

### In your queetlon, unless tkere Is oreated 

### a &ry Ioprorement Dietriot under end by virtue of **Worielone** of **Chapter** 6, of Title 128, of the **Revised** Civil Statutes of Texas, providing for the cetablleiment and oreatlon of Levy Impror*meat Dletrlote. In other worde, the kgielnture has invaded 

### thie field and provided under 

### what oondltkme euah pub110 

### funds m~y be used for 

### She purposeof crertinglerlee along nerlgable 

### streamsand Ln 

### add.itlon thereto in Chapter 1, of Title 128, we **find** Artiolo 802a, whloh 

### provides: ulUFon 

### mA after the taking effret of this Aat (epeik:ng mbmt the Letry Iaaprorelneot Dietrlot Aot) it ehall be unlavful for 

### any **person,** oorporation 

### OF Levy Improvemeat 

### Uietriot, with**out** first obtaining approval **of** the plane **for** the same by the 8tnte 

### ReolamatAon Engineer, to aoaetmot, 

### attempt to oonetruot, oauee to be conetruated, aatntnin or oauee to be malnBlned, mylevy or other euoh improvement on, along or near, any stream of this 

### State whiah is eubjeot to floods, freehuts, or aver-floue so farle to oozitrol, regulate or otherwise ohnnge the flood water of luehrtresn; 

### and any pweon, corpora- 

### tlon or Dletrlot violating thla leotlon or this Act em11 be deemed pulltr OS 

### a mledemeanor and upon 

### oonvlotlanehall **be** 

### punishedby a fine of 

### not ex0eeaing 6100.00. 

### . .I *Then the Aot (toes en and provides that euah Illegal oonetruotlone am **be** an)oined by the 

### Attorney Oeneral. gf think that eny inqlriauale who may 

## aeetre to have the levy oon~tmroted 

## 00uia only conetruot it out af tholr private funds, after they have **first** obtained the approval of the plane **for** same by the State Reolametion FtnnlnOOP.Honorable Thomee A. #heat, Page J

And after thle 1s done, I am still of the opinion that the County oould not have any authority to appropriate money for the oonetruotion of same. The only way they oould partlolpate in the same la by creation of a Levy Improvement llletrlct. It Is the law o? our land that Counties and Oome&eeionere9 

### Court only have euoh powcre 

### as are 

### l

peoIally oonrorred upon 

### them, and unleee there 1s a provlelon in our Oonetltution 

### or Wiatutee provldbg for then to have a oertaln power 

### they do not have It.

“I have aleo 

### studied Chapter 6, Title 22 o? our Satutce and I do not tnink it throws any light upon the Iml)Jeot. *Llkcwlse, ArCi 6830 of our Statutes providing thnt County Coeueleslonern Court 

### may build lcvlce or seawallt 

### but it only appllcs to County Comm~eeLoncr Court of ~luntlce 

### and. muniolpality authorities a? 

### our Cltlee boracrlng **on** tfre aoaet of the @ulf or 

### Hexloo.OS oouree, tLlc would not 

### apply to Liberty County.*
Artlole 8028, vernon ’e 

### Annotated Texas Clvll atat

### utee, reads am rollowe:

***From** an6 after the taking effcot of this hot it shall be unlswful for any pereon corporetion or levee Improvement dietrlot, wI{hout flret obtalnlnq the 

### approval of plane 

### for the eeme by the State keolamatlon EnKinecr, to oon

### etruot,attempt to oonetruot, oauee to be aon

### l truutea, -2ntain or oauee to be mclntalncd, eny levee or other euoh improvement on, along or near eny 

### etreRe of 

### this State vbioh Is eubjeot to floods, frcrhete or overflcve, so 

### aa to oontrol, regulate or otherwise onan(jc, the flood 

### waters cf euoh 

### stream; an4 

### an? person, oorporatlon or dIetriot vlolatlng this eeotion of this Aot shall be dceemd guilty OS a mle6emeanor, and upon convictlou shall **be** punlehed by a line of not exoecdfq one hundred dollars. bnd in the event any euoh etruoture 3.n about to be oonetruot

### cd, 1s oonrtruoted, **or** mcIntained by any pereon

### Ilonorablo Theam A. Uhbat, **PagO 4** 



### or 

### sorparr6lon

vithoutapproval of tho 

### plner by 

### tho StateRoohutlon Eztginrrr, it 

### rhallbo tho buxFy oi the **Attorney** 

### @moral, on the nquort of Oh0 s'ateFaol~mationEnguaror 

## to file ru3.t in one OS tho dir8riot 

### courtaal barlo 

### Couet~y, ia uhlch the oonur of such oultr lr hereb? fixed, to .nJolo the 

### conrtruotion or 

### emlntomoo OS rueh 

### rtmoturo. **Proridod,** 

### that the 

### prvrlrionrof thlr erotlon 

### challnot apply 

### to dama, oanalsOr 

### other lmproromontssatlo

or to be 

### mdr by lrrlgation, vator 

### impcorenents or irrigationlmprotemonte made br ind%ridualror 

## oorpo~a1;16n~.'
Ye have oanfully o oeolder od the l 

### Oatuterpoiatti out by JOU; WI harr aleobeoa **\rmblo to**  **?%ab** 

### W,~etatutory authorityvh%oh rould authorisothr '@ma%8rloaer8' QQur8 t0 

### l xp0ab 

### 00untymtbf0r 

### th0 prvp0000 inpuma Ob0ut. It 

### iol 

### ettlodl&V t&alt the 

### o om4iso~oar rsí eours 

### bar only onohpowerml authorit;g atI tho 

### rtatutrasld %artitutlon oonfo~ upon it, 

### oithor 

### oxpreml~ 88 br nrsoaauy kBpl~oatlon.

It 

### is ow cplnlon

thatyorharr 

### aornotly.aemwr04 the quort1on. Your8 very tm1y Am ’QnxET- OF ¶mM

Pr /eiP-;d

### Wm. J. Panting Irosirtant 

### UJPIwl

*='RO'JEDMAR .28,1941

-d-dATTORNEY GENERAL OF ~~~~