lionorableD. C. Grew OpinionNo. wu 505 State Highway.Engineer Texae HighwayDepartment Re: WhetherIIlghway Deportmentcnn Auotin, Texas opcnd highway funds for aeeoee- ments to,pavocity otroetoad- jacent to building0and oitoo owned and uocd by the HiGhway Department.
Donr Mr. Grow:
You roquecttho opinionof thic officeupon the,abovecaptimed mattar.
The 55th Legielature,1957, passed B. B. 179, presentlycodified In Vernon'8Civil Statutesa8 Article 6674~. Subdivisioh3 of this act provideein part aa'followsi II . . .conetructingand operatingwarehousseand other buildingaand facilitiesused In connection with the 'construction, maintenance,and operation of the state Bighwoys.. . .II
Prior to U&enactment of this specificlegislation,this office -haa for many yeare uniformlyrecognizedthe authorityof the Highway Department,in the exercieeof the broad generalp&we conferred upon it by law to construtit..and maintaina system of highway8 in the atate, to do thoae thlnge necessaryand Incidentalto that end. This is coverd'somevhatin detail in our OpinionS-105 referredto in your oplnion"request, a copy of which we assume you have.
The HighwayDepartmentdoee now hev& apeciflclegislativeauthority to operate,and maintainwarehousesand other buildlngeused construot, in the conetruction,maintenance,and operationof a .eyetem ,ofState HJ.&W(ICyB .
The conetructionand maintenanceof these warehouaee,eesentia1 ae they are to the efficientand economicoperationof aState :EHdgh- way Syetem,need not and shouldnot be consideredae isolatedfrom the.@.reetaof a city upon which they are located,nor did the Leglelatqe intendthat they ahouldbe. Free uee of the street upon which a warehouseis locatedand the right of egreesand ingreee therefromis nbcessaryto the operationand maintenanceof a warehouee. A well-pavedstreetadjacentto the warehousela desirablefor the convenienceof the HighwayDepartmentand its employee8operatingend using the warehouee. It ie, therefore,quite reasonableto say that HonorableD. C. &eer,'page 2~(WW 585)
the pro rata cost of paving the streetadjacentto a warehouseowned and operatedby the State HighwayDepartmentshouldbe borne by the Department.;A city.andthe generalpublic ts under no legal obli@- tion to atikne end pay this cost for~.the State HighwayDepartment. The Hlghway~Departkitis, therefore,authorized~topay its pro rata share of thb pavlng;ofthe streetattributableto the warehouse frontagethereon if there~isan available~approtiriationfrom which it may be ~paid. We,next considerthat question.
The expenditureof this motleyshal; not be conelderedas an expenditurefor highwaysdirectlycr per se. The authorityfor the expenditurecome8 from its capacityae a land owner. It can spend money for a street improvementlevied againsta trtictof land owned and used by the HighwayDepartmentin the performan ce of its duties just as it could repair the roof of a buildinglocatedon that lend. We understandthat this has be&your departmentalconstructionfor may years.
We are of the opinionthat this paving cost may be paid from' the appropriationmade to the State HighwayDepartmentin Item No. 23 of the present biennlukappropriation, tiie for the reason that the cost of tiiispavia may be consid&-& as an administrative ex- pense in conribotionwith,theestablishing,planning,constructing a?xlmaintaininga systti of State Highwaysas contemplatedand set forth In Chapter 1, Title 116 end Chapter186, GeneralLaws, 39th Legislature,Regular Session,and amendmentsthereto.
SUMMARY
The,StateHighwayDepartmentia..authorized to constructand operatewarehousesend other buildingsand.facilltiee used in con- nectionwith the construction,maintenance,end operationof State Highways,knd incidentaltheretoto pay B pro k&e share of the coat of paving~the~streeton which sukh a warehouseIs located, and the same may-be'pkldfrom.ItemNo. 23 of ~theappropriationto the State HighwayDepartmentcoveringthe presentbiennium.
. WILL WIxmN ~A!B!ORNEXGENERALQFTEXAS
: ;ifja~+ GENERAL
LPL:pm HonorableD. C. Crier, p&e 3 (WW585)
APPROVED:
oPlm0N COMMITPEE: