, -

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN

Honorable T. D. Sanaing COUity Attornsg, HtInSrOrd COUntJ S~earmn, Taxas

Dear Sir1

on raquaat of Ootober 10,



### tlon may ba &an of tha ComdmTsxaa, pasaod 8nd *a- & 1932, 18 hera now

PRESCRIBINO DUTIES OF TH6: O?- IR REFERE;NClI.THKRPIGTO.

on the 14th **day or**  **Bepteabber,** lQ2Q, bald ti the Spearman **Indopendsnt Road**  aby the iO8UMo@ of bond8 in tha azount OS $240,000.00 wore authorlxad for the pux’posa of the oonstruotion, caaintmnnoa and operation 

## or a~oatlamird, (gnwld 

### or paved 

### roads 4nd turnpikea, or in 

### al4 theroof; and
**Whoroam, on the 2lst day of Maroh 1930, tha Oomdsslonars Court ade an order suthorlrlng tha fssuanos of $60,000.00 and later on tha 3rd day of Fobruary, 1931, the second awla of **bondm In**  **the naount**  **of $60,000.00**  0r 

### bond6 **were iasuttd,**  

### mnklng a total or $120,000.00 or **the )240,000.00**  **bond** 

### l **lttotion beine**  i66Ud, learln~**lipnorabl.** 

### T. 0. Anolng, palg 2

~110,000.00 worth of the boondo rhloh ha-0 not boon lo

### l uea~~and

w*Yhero~m, the 

### Commiooloaoro a0urO or 

### Xauaford County, 

### Voxmm,4oolroto anooltho $UO,OOO.OO worthof bondmwhiohhr*o.sotboon 18ouodg

"A8 I 800 the rttet 

## tha prrnnt ma8l8~:onon Court of 8alA Ooanty i8 

### ooaSroat8dwith thrn qtlootlon88



### .l.Dl& tko 

### Caaaluioaera Coart 

### oa 8hohtm ~oreul(L:4~~tho authority to uke an4 

## entar or raoord 

### l

aoh o r6o r2

*******‘ r.**  **It idh**  **order ia**  **~Oid,~ “** **th.~** 

## OIB**th. bal**  

## MOO 0f #tbi)er9 iB th0 MiOUnt

## Oi $l~o,OOO~OO l 

### till **bo** 

### imao ud 8oldt
-8. If raoh bond* mannet bo 

### lwaad, tlna 

### m&xlb tko 

### Oomlmloau8 Qourt o oll anl **lootlon** 

### inl ala rod airtriot t4 

### detordno whather or mat ths 

### balumo of 8aoh road bond8 8lW.l **be** 

### rerokd or eulwlld?

*Still 

### I toorth 

### quootloamuot lm l 

### mtar~r

"4. If an 

### l

leotlon lo omllo4 and the voter8 

### l bnuld 

### vote agrlnot oona~lllng the bond8 orduod 

### loouoain the 

### ori&nd l 

### leotloa,thma 00uia the **Com&oslonero*** **Court** losuo the balonoa of oald 'bon&o an6 

### l

.Ll ma=?
I. + .Ieo llnd no **provl8lon in**  **tr.a law,**  **either** at tn.3tlm

ths above or&r w18 entorod, or at the preeent time, authorlrlng ths Coxnl8olonsr8~ **Court** of n OOUflty to entar an order revoking or o8noellng a logally authorized bond 188~. **Court,** The Commlaolonsro~

bolng a oourt of llmltod jurl8dlotlon, 18 mnlln~d otrlotly 

### to tha **authority** oonferrod upon that **Court** by the Legiolaturo.

In the **oaoe** of Orr, et al., T. bGsrs, et al., 47 9. W. (Ed) MO, the **Taxarkaua** Court of Civil ~ppeal8 said:

ì* l l The bonds arnnot bo rwobd or oan**oelled by**  any

lgonoy

**unlooo Cha**  **porrr to**  **do** l**o** 18 oorUorr~4 by l~glolatlvo authority, and any doubt am 

### to the l

xlotonoo or 8uoh power 18, under rolllatabllahmd rlnolploo, re8alrad against it.8 exl8tsno o. l lî P

Therefore, in reply to 9uootlon N0. 1, it 18 the oglnlon of this deprtzmnt that the Commi88loner8 * Cour8 0r Enn8ronl County, **Toxm,** had no authority to **antu** the order revoking or canceling the 4120,000 **authorire** bonda.

Elowersr, wo oall **your** attention to the raot that in 1958, the Leglalaturo paseed a law 8attlng up prooedura whereby 8uoh road bond8 oould be legaLly **reroked** and oanoelad. Chapter 31, Aot8 **1938, 3rd**  **C. S.,**  **iutlole 764a,**  **Vunon~o ‘** **hmotated Clrll**  **Statute8.** (Pirootlro **data, Sopteabrr**  **ar, 10%).**  

## hia Artl01e reads, in part, aa r0u0w8:

*+ l l doetloa 1. Ia’ the event any road

b o~do voted 

### or luuador l4-portion or ouoh **road** bonds voted 

### or authorlmd **by** a **oounty,** polltioal subdlrloloa or e~rin~e diotriot or the 

### oounty, rmaln unsold 

### at the tlmo of 

### pao8age of this Aot, then the Comaiooioner8* Court aa -3 upon it8 own motion 

### or upon petition or not 088 **than** rmy (50) 

### or P majority 0r tha qdirid prowrty taxpaying votor8 thoroor , **am** shown **by the**  **rsoordo of**  the oounty tax ooll~otor, **8hall order**  an sleotlon to determine whether 0r not broad baud8 shall **be reYOked**  **01** 0anoelled. Aoh llaotlon shall be ordorod, hmld ana oonduoted in tha 8amm form and mannor aa that 

### at which eu0h b05d8 war0 orlglnally authorized. I( . .IBy the authority of thim 

### l tmtutm, tha **Cornmimmlonorm~** Court, mmy, upon lta own motion, omll an mlmation, or upon thm petition 

## or rirty (SO) or a mjority 

## 0r the qualiried property taxpaying votorm, 

### shall o rder anl loatlon. Theruon, in reply to your third qumation, we lro of the opinion that it la In the 4Imormtloa or thm Commlmmlowrm * Court whether 

### or not they oall 

### mnl lootlon to ravokm or mmnoml maid bond.. However, 

## ii rirtr 

## (30) of the **qualiflod** property 

### taxpaying rotara or a maforlty of the qadirid pmpmrty taxpmyln6 **votmrm,** pmtI8loa thm Court, it **WOUND** bm mandatory upon them to oall much aa 

### l lootloa.

In nply to ~ummtlonm **lfom.** 

## a md 4, wo qwte 

### from th0 Buprmm Court of 

### Tuam, 

### la ttm 

### oam of City of Howton v. YoCraw, lls 8. w. (au) lRlS:

ì* l + It m4oma to ba 

### fieldin the JJJJ 

### or City ofAu&in v. Valle,

l**upra, Cohen**  

### v. **city** 

### oi bumton, 

### l

uprm, utd ~lmQin&StItrmr Road Building 

### co. **v. Clammtmin,**  Tu.C~V.ARR. **?a a.**  **1. 819,**  that, 

### where**authority** 

### to **immue**bosdm 

### la8 **bon oonferrd** 
on a gotam% body by mn 

### l lmotIoa ordmrmd and hmld rOr that pUXpOJe, muoh gorernlng body mmy mxmroImm auoh authority and 

### l~aaa muah bonda within a rwmoa**able** tlnv 

### after muoh elsotloa. On thm other hand, 

### thorn.mW 

## authoritiem, in eiioot, hoLd that the Guomtioa am to what is a reamonablm or unrmnaonmblm lmn&h of tlim oannot always ba detormlasd by thm lmngth 0r tiso mlonm, but that all of the murroun4Ing r80t8 and olrournstanomm mumt bo taken into oonmldsration. In the 

### oaae at bar 

### tlu orI&ml 

### l leotlon to Imaum thou 

### bonda

### waa hmld In 19JZ7. About **mix** ymarm later oa **August 86,**  **1933,** at **an** 

### liaotIoa **ordared** 

### l nb &oLl in thm olty on the qwatloa, thm puallfled property taXpayIng **rotor8** thermoi again 

### l **xproaaod** it **mm** their domlre 

### that **tlmmo** 

### bond8 mbuld k 188~04, awl thm olty &Ju 

## OOll8tNOtd,atO. The ordInmno* prorldlng ror ttm IJ~UMO~ of thamo 

### bond8 waa pammod on January 3, 19S8, l llttlo aor. thmn four ymmra **Uter** the 

### llmotlon Or august 86, 1953. It thum appear8 thmt not 

### ten yeara, but only a little morm than four year8 harm elapsed 

### llnom thm 

## 18e l xprmmmlon 0r the qualiriea property tarpmylng votera on the queatlon. We 40 not under**mtand** that the Attorney tinera lrmn contandr that a~ unreamonable length of tills **ham** elapsed mlnoe the ehoti0n 0r Auau8t is, 1933. Furthermore, wb hold, 

## ama matter 

## or law, tbut the lays. or a 11tt1. Lwre than four yeera user the 

### r:lOts anil clrcu:nstanceo of this oase is not unruauouhbia. In this ccnneotlon, we OHAL attautlon to IA!!* f.lct r.rwt during a pirt of t:.13 tlae the c0untr.y end city were in <rant fLnnnoln1mtroam. 

### Further it 1s shown that during **mOJt Or**  thla tlma the olty hma **been** negotiating with the federnl gorsrnment ror J Imdmral grant to ala it in bullding a olty hall. This foboral grant hma IY)W boon (panted in th **SUP** Or $su,ooo. tiethink that, whoa the olty had J roamonabla hopm of ao ourlng lo large a **grant,** It **was** 

### JuatIfIod la waiting for tht event.+ * +*

[Indoor

### tha **faOt8 @Ub&i$%e&in**  **your rmquamt,**  **JiXtJOn** yoara

have l hpMa **mlaoo** thm bonds wora aathorILed. It **ham JlWJyJ**  bmon tha oontmntlon of thm Bond Dlrlalon of this Dmpcrrtment that bonda 

### thlaold l bould iwt bm Jppi%wJd boomum in u=JJJOnJblJ langth of tti hd l**lapaed** alnoa tha authority to lamurn them waa granted by thm quaUfl@d property taxpmging rotmra of thm dlmtrIct at an Jlaotlon hold for **that purpose.**  NJ bmllatm 

### that tlm authority im 1OJt

Ofbeoomea izlo perativa if it **is** 

### not lxorolaed bythegm.min& body 

### within a roamonmbla length of tifmm mftor l uoh Jlmotlnn. Wa alao bmllarm that In llxtmen pars the projoot rhlmh tha~.votJrg bad In mind 

### had bomn 00ap1Jt.6 with tha **pl?OOMdJ from**  th. bondm **IDJUJd,frCUE** J Tmdmral grant, or rrom aonm other 80ume, or that the COJ **rojoot had**  boon 

### abandoned. Wo **bmllmrm** 

### that tha faob that tha 

### aaloaera~ **Court** Jntermd 

### tha order oanomllng the authorization of the **bonds** 

### aftar $180,000 had bean lamuad an4 aold, although aaia ordu was roia, **uopld** bo Jriaanoo or tha raot thmt 

### the 

### purpoao rorwhich 

### the bona8 were l uthorlxmd hmd **bama** wlotmd, **or** that tha projoot had beoa abandoned. ~43adsit thpt ii th0 

## qdiri0d voter8 voted agalnat oanoJlIn8 **and** revoking the old 

### bonds It would rtrmngthmn 

### the propoaItIon that thay oould bo iuumd 

### at this lat. btmi but ii the qaaliilad 

### property taxpaying 

### rotors had wanted thm bon&laauJd, 

### or had thought tha 

### pro+& had a& **been** momplmtod 

### or abandoned, they oould ~JTJ m~ndmmusod thm Cm-&maIonsra* **Court** 

### at any 

### time during thm 

### airteenyear8 to .laaue the bonda.

Thm oa808 0itd abort hold that thrao (3) 

## anaiire (5)
yoarr 

### la **rwt** an unmuom blm **lapso. T~J**  

## city 0r **Xouaton cnmJ**  rinda,
am **8** amttor or law, that tha lapam 0r a llttlm **tvr*** **than** r0ur **gears,** under thb **iJOt** and olmuaatanoJa **0r** thmt amam, **iJ not**  **an unreason**  able length **or thJ,**  **but wo**  believe that l

## lxtoon (10) **Years iJ**  **an llzu-JaJon~blJ**  lapse 0r tim **based** on the surroundln8 

### racta and air**mua8tanoJm Jmt**  **out In**  **your roqummt.**  Thermforo, your second **and** fourth **qUeStiOn** arm answer& in the nsaatlrm.

**I,+. JusgJJt**  **that lr**  the road 

## distriot de8irOs t0 imtlum nmw bonda for tha purpoaa 

### 0r the oonatruotlon, LnalntJnanoe an4

## Tom ruy traly A?mmuTopImAI#

orTEKAB