WILL 

### WILSON AXTORNEY

GENERAL Honotigb&q-~Robert

H. 

### c81dwe13, Jr. County Attorney '. Denttin County ~’ Denton, Texas .,. .. ., Opinion NO’.~ 

### ~11-850 Re: ~Whether

Denton County ,6an cqpve’y certain, real property for. valuable’ c?nsideration directly without following aavertieement procedure of Art. 

### 1577, ‘?,A.C.S.
:: Your :ieqqest. for .our opinion. a8 to- fhe me.thid which may~b;e ‘fPllotied.by Dentdn Ccknty ln’c&reyUg certaln.kal property.reado In part 80 follows: : “On Maroli 15; .i960, PFioej ,DanleX, Governor i : oi’ the z3tate; 8otlng fireu8nt t0 AW.ole, 6673a, V.S.C.S.;, .oonveyed 

### a ,tpkot of 2.06 aoreo of land ttiDenton County, Tex8e: Thle land wae orl&nally 

### aoqulreil by the, County wlthtiut cost to the State, and the~title ‘was put in the State of Texas. It Wnow abandoned right-of-way. The ad,jolnlng and abutting owner to thie 2.06 aore traot is a single Indl~Wual, and the County now deairee-to convey ttiti: property ‘to this adjoining owner for a valuable oonslderatlon, which la aotually the exchange or 

### oonveyanoe of

’ oertain properWee of hls,to the county,. ~ror road purpoees.

“My ‘we&ion then, ia: Can the .County now convey this 

### 2.06 acre6 directly to the 

### adJoIning a~#$ abutting owner, for the valuable oonslderation, or muot ire go through the alternative prooedure provided Wider Article 1577, 80 amended, of advertlaement and pub110 auction. Artlole 

### 1577,V.A.C.S., aii amendkdActs 1953, 53rd Leg.,.p; 447, oh, 133, ‘provldes for Bale of any real estate of the county bjy pub110 auotion wlth~ apeclfio advertle~ing requirements
. The Aot 8lso etates:,_ _ - .1

.

Ron. Robert I-I.

Caldwell,Jr., page 2 (~~-850)

.' Provided,however, that where abandoned right-oft-way Property Is no longer n&eded:forhlghyay or,road purposes and the county decides to sell said right-of-wayproperty, It shall be sold with the following prlorltlea: (1) to abutting or adjoining landowners;~(2)to the orlglnal grantors,his heirs orassigns of the original tract from whence said right-of-way

was conveyed;or (3) at public auction a8 provided above. a 0 .I' Under.the facts you have stated, there Is no constltutionalproblem raised. Attorney General Opinion S-93 (1953) held that the part of Art. 1577, as amended,which grants prloritles of purchase.to certainpersons to purchase real estate from a county is valid $nsofati,as It purports to cover abandoned hlghway,right-of-way conveyed by .the

State to,a county. Art. '1577;as amended, sets up prioritiesby which abandonedhighway right-of-waycan,be sold. This statute requires a public auqtlon with specificadvertlslq requirements only.ln.easeeuch real e&tate 1s not to be sold (1) to abutting or adjolnlnglandowners;" heirs or assigns:.
. ." or ."(2) to the cirlglnal

grantors,his i I It Is our o$lnlon that abandonedhighway right-of-way ,conveye,d

@y:'the',Statg

o. a c~ounty

.$n~,accordance

with Article : .6673a;.V.A;C.S;,.may.be sold to tin

&butting or'adjoining,landowner pursuant tb Article L577~~asamended, ,V.A.C.S.,~wlthout followingthoae~

provisionsof sald.statute which provlde'foradvertisement

and:publlcapctlcjn.

SUMMARY A&ndoned highway right-of-wayconveyedby then State~to Denton County may be sold to en abutting or adjoining landownerwithout following the p~vialona in Art. 1577, V.A~.C.S., providing for advertisement

and public ~auctlon. : . Your0 very tiuly, : '.. WILLWILSON Attorney General of Texas

‘

.. JAO:bh
.

.Ron. Robert H. Caldwell, Jr., page 3~ OJW-850)

APPROVED: OPINIONCOMMITT.EE w. v. Geppert, ChalrWW Jack Goodman R. V. Loftin, Jr. Phocion Park Iola B. WilCox REVIEWED FOR THE ATTOFW+GENERAL BY: Leonard Paesmore