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



### Bonorrbls Oeargr County Attorney Jonea Count7 Anron, Tex~r
Dear Sir: 

### P. Huaron

a6 

### follows In thI6

money6 3aId Into 6Sia fund 6hall be expended In eaoh wcclnot aocorllng to the amount collected from epch zreclnct unle66 In the 6OUnd dlecretlon of the oourt 6 neceesIty 6XiEt6 to extend said , fund In another woportI.zn due to oondltlonr of rO&d6In the VarIoua precinotr. The court Is 

### In queetion a6 to what 16meant by 'neceeslty' and whet letltude they are allowed In exeroltlng their Judgment.'. 

### *f;

Ronorablo Oeorge 

### P.Ituaron, pagr 2



### Fromourunderrtrnd~ng of the faotr II 

### rtatba In your letter, the fecr 

### derIVea from automobile reglrtratlonr **in** 

### Jon86 County are now

### being alvldea ma dietrlbutrd to thr roveral prooInot6 Inthr proportIon mentloned by you. Eaoh 

### oommirrIon6r then ependr the amount allooatrd to his orsolnot 

### -withIn thr bounderlee of 6uoh pr6OinOt.

After providing that th6 automobile rrglrtration fee6 whioh **the** oounty 16permitted to retsln rhall be plaoed 

### to the 

### ore&It of the Roadand BrI4$e 

### tLna of the oounty, Seotlon 10 of Art1016 

### 6675a, prerorlber 

### the di8206itiXi of u gortlop 

### cf the Road6ndBridge Fund8.6follow6 :

(I** l None of th6 monlcs so place3 to the oredlt of the Roe.dandBridge Fund of I County 

### rhrll bewed to pay the relary or compensatlon of any County Judae or County Coami6- 

### slomr, but @ll-sold abnlcs-rhrll 

### beused for the oonstructlon andnalntenanae -?I Latera road6 In 6u.choountr **under** th6 rupervI6:~n of 

### the CountyEngineer, If there be one andIf thers I6 no 6uch engineer, 

### then the Eounty CommI66Ionsr6~ Court rhall have **authority to**  commandthe aervlces of the Di~??aIon Engineer the St6te Highway Depertmcnt for the ?urpoee 

### of rupervislng the oonstructlon ana eurvsylng of

of lateral road6 in their respeotLv6 counties...,
:

j ou red In the oonstruotlon of the Inorovement 0: sil roe4s. Includln~ State KIuhweYs of 6uoh gountlex anddirtrlct6 tk.ereln: or the im?rovement of the rcsds car?rinlni: the County Road BPB- &g. 1
ArtJole 5740, Vernon’6 Annoteted Civil Ste,tutes :roVide6 a6 fO11OW6:

“TheoommIe6Ioner6 court aktll see th?t the rO8d and bridge fund of tk6Ir county Ic Judlcl@uely end equitably extended onthe roads and bridge6 of their oounty, and, 6.6 nearly 6=the oondltlon andneceesity of the **rends** will -:>ermit, it 6hall be txzlsnded In eaoh oounty commisrlonarr pr6oinct In >ro?ortion to the amount oollooted In 6uch oreolnot. Moneyu66d In building permanent road6 6h611 fIr6t be U6ed Only on

### flr6tRonorable 

### George P. Hudson, page 3

or eeoond-olaee 

### roade, and **on** 

### thoeo vhloh l 

### hall have the right ofwarfurnI6hed free of ooet to make 68 etraight 6road 

### a# Is waotIoablr and hcvIng 

### the groateet 

### bonus offered bythe oltlrrne of money, labor or othrr property.’
While the fete from automobile regletratlone are 

### plao6a Inthr oounty’e Roadand Brlagr Fund, the expsndlture of thIe portion 

### of eald fund Is not 6ubJeot to the rrqulrement of Art1016 6740, 

### that *It ehall be,expend& In eaoh oounty oommI6eIonere preolnot Inproportion to the amount oolleoted In euoh preclnot.’ ThIe provIsIon In Artlole 6740, ha6 rcfercnoe only to that,.portlon of the Road and Bridge Fundderived fro& county taxer. A6etr.ted In the 0888 of Stovall V. Shlvere (Clv. **Apg.),** 76 8.Y. (2d) 276, efflrmea (Con. App.) 103 8.w. (26) 363, **at** page 367 of the letter oplnlon:

***As** to that portlon of automobllr regletratlon fees 

### retained by VanZandt oounty, artlole 6676a-10, Vernon’s Ann. Clv. St., sxpreesly provider howsent shell be expended, and for that 

### rea8on It Is obvloue that artlole 6740 

### ha6 noapplIcatIon to same.'
Art1016 66758-10 etatee that such funds shall b6 USCd

### *for the construction 

### andmaIntenrnor of lateral roede in such counti,’ or ‘In the payment of obll~etlone, If any, Ireued ;nd Incurred In the oonetructIon or the Improvement of ~11 roe c nIn the county. c

#
ThereeponeIbIlIty for the proper rxp8ndlture of these funds, therefore, neceeearliy re6te upon the ooma16610nere1 court. In thle connection WCouote further from the oD:nIon of the CommleeIon of h3?eele of Texer, Sectlon A, In the Stovall v. Shivers 08ee, 66 follrnrr:

“Byarticle 2342 of the Revlsed Statutee, It I6 provided th6t the several oommIealon~r6, together with the oountp Judge, shall 001c306c the ~commI6eIonere court.’ Suoh court Ie ms~nIftetly 8unit, and I6 the agency of the whole county, Therespective mrmbere of the com~I6eIonere oourt are therefore prIxLarllr repre6ent~tIve6 of the whole oounty, and not merely reprc6entatlve6 of their 

### rerpeotlvo preolnotr. Theduty of the oommIeeIonere court Is to transact the buelnees, protect the Intcrestr, 6nd oromote the uelfere of the oounty 66 awhole. Amongthe 3owere conferred upon.



### Honorable George P. Hudron, page 4

ouoh oourt by l

rtiale 2351 cre the following: 

### Theportr 

### to lay **out** 

### andrrtabllrh, change 

### andUlraontlnuo roads and

### hlghwayr, the powerto build brldgtr andkeep them In **repair,** 

### andthepower to l xrroira general oontrol over all 

### roach, hlghwayr 

### ferrIcI, and bridgtr in thelr oountire. #her 

### hate the powerto Levi atax not to rxoeed 16 otntr on

### the $100 valuation for road8 and bridgea. This fund 18, of **oourm,** 

### for the benefit of all roads andbridgea of the 

### county. These provlrlonr of the lttw, a8 well a8 other6 whloh might 

### bementioned, clearly oontem?late thst the copmisricntrr owrt of te.oh county shell **regard**the ,roadr and

### highways of the county ac asystem, 

### to be laid out, changed, rt~alred, improved, and melntalntd, a6 far ae practlonl, a8 a whole to the btrt lnttreets andwtlfert of all the peoolt 

### of the county. It ir clearly conteeolsttd thet all roadr andbridge8 

### of the county ehcll be telntalned, rsoalrtd, end improved when necessary, 8.1the aondltlona mayrequire, regardlena of the oreoinct in v5lch oeAe meybe looeted 

### sofar a8ths fund8 vi11 equitably 

### Ju6tify. this 

### being true, ve think that aoommlssloners oourt cannot voluntarily dieable itrelf from performance of thla gencrel obllgatlon 

### byarbitrarily dividing the roeA end bridge fund sccordlng to soat fixed rtsndard, end apDortlonlng aeue to be ex~endtd in anartlcular preclnot, to the detriment of roadr and bridges In other precincts;”
tilnlon !:o.C-1091 of thl6 dewrtaent, holds that Article 6C75a-10 c=ntrcle the ex:.enbiture of that 3ortion 

### of the Ropdenc!FrlCge Fund derived from automobile regietretion fees, end thet in exqendlng the seat, the commlesloners’ court ehall resard the roaCf end hlghxeys of the county ae a cystem to be built, lzzroved enCmelntelned as awhole to the beet 1ntertFts cnc?welfare of ell the r;eoTle of the county and of ell t3e precinct8 of the county. Ktare enoloelng htrewlth a copy of said ocinlon for your 

### :nrormc.tion and oonvenlenot.Ronorablr Oeorgr P. Hudron, page b

You are rerprotfully l dvl66d thst lt 18 the opinion of thlr department, under thr faotr rteted, that thr aommirrioner 

### oourt of Jon66 

### County la not l uthoriwil to alloaate the automobllr rrglrtratlon ire6 to the verlour preolnotr 

### In thr proportion -rtctrd In your letter If ruoh an apportionment would rerult In one prooinot being able to maInt6In abetter ola6r of road8 andhighway6 than other preolnotr. The60 runa8 6h0ula be exp6ndrd In ruoh amanner aa to give to the’ oounty a8 awho16 

### aunltoro ryrtem of 

### roads andhighway6 without rcfrrenoe to preolnot liner. This rerpon6lbIllty **rsrtr** upon the ooPilnI66lon6r6~ Court and murt be determined by them In l ooortlanoe with all the raotr and olrCum6tanoe6 involved.
Very truly your6
ATTORNEY

OENEFUL

OF TEXAS

EP:Jr ( ENC:1 

### By ~~~f.11 Asrletant

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### APPRDYED

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