ATTORNEY GENERAL
OFTEXAS
HonorableBobMcCsmpbell opinionNo. o-3137 CountyAttorney Re: Where a couutypurchesesa Cnaanchecounty ri@xt-of-wayfora State ColzBnche, !cexas hi&way wholly within me comnissioner'sprecinct, Dear Sir: can the purcheseprice be pid by the whole county? And a relatedquestion.
Your recent requestfor an opinionof this departlaent upon tha questionsas are herein stetedhas been received.
The questionspresentedin your inquiryare as follows:
"1. Where the countypurchasesrif&t-of-wayfor State hi#nteywhollywithin one commissioner's precinct,can the purcheseprice ba p3ld~by the whole comty?
We restateyour secolzd qtusstlon as follows:
2. If the amwer to the above questionIs yes, out of what fuud or fuuds COP the said puroheseprice be psfd4
Article 667kn,Vernon'sAnnotatedCivil Statutes,reads, in part, a* follows:
Whenever, fn the jud~t of the'Stats Highways Com- missioh,the use or acquisitionof any land for road, right of my purposescl,timber,earth, stone, gravelor other am- terlal,necessaryor convenienttoaoyrosd tobe constructed, re-constructed, rmintained,widened, strai@ened or lengbh- ened, or land not exceedlngom hundred (100)feet in width for streambed diversion in connectionwith the locating,re- loeatingor conatructim of a designatedS&ate HI&way by the Stete HighwayComaissfon,the sema asy be e~uired by purchase or ~cadet!metionby the Cobnty~C~~~iSSi~nerB Court. Provided #at the County in which the State EQhway Is locatedway pay for same out of the CountyRoad and BridgeFund, or any availa- ble countytids.
"Any Co~asloeers Court is hereby authorizedto secure by purchaseor by condemation on behalf of the State of Texas, any new or wider rl&t of way or land not exceedingone hmdred HouorablaRob McCampbell,page 2 (O-3137)
(100) feet in width for streanbed diversionIn counection with the locetlng,rclooatlngor cc?latmlet1ox!of a desig- nated Et&a Eiginmy,or land or Lauda for lasterisor bor- row pits, to be used in the couatrwticm, recmmtructiou, or zdntenesce ofStsteHi@xwsys andtopeyfmthe aama out of the Cow&y Road end &id@ Fmd, or out og $n;ltpa- cfal road funds or any availablecomty funds. .
'ibeCountyRoad and Rridm Fund proper is derivedfrom the fol- lowing sources: county taxes,autombila registrationfees, and all fines and forfeitures.
Dispositionof that portiouof the CouutyRoad and BrfdguFund consistingof automobileregistrationfees is goveruedby Section 10 of Article 6675~~ Vernon'sAuuotatadCivil Statutes. The pertinentprovision of said Sectionreads as follows: r,** * . Bone of tha monies so placedto the credit of the Road and BridgeFund of a county shall be used to pay the selery or compensationof any County Judge or Couu- ty Commlssimer, but ell said mouies shall be used for the con- structiouand asiuteneueeof lateralroads in such county under-thesupervisionof the CountyRngineer,if there be one, and if there is no such engineer,then the County Com- missioners'Court shall heve authorityto commud ~theser- vices of the Dlvisim Rugineerof the State Hi&way Deprt- ment for the purposeof suparvislugthe construction and surveyingof lateralroads in their respectivecounties. All fuuds aLlocatedto the oouuticsby the provisionsof this Act (Art. 667!%-1to 6673-14; P. C. Art. ma) my be used by the countiesfn the peymsutof obligetions,if any, Issuedand incurredin the coustructicmor the im- provemat of all roads, tincluding State Highwaysof such countiesand districtsthareiu;or the improvementof tha roads couprisingthe CovotyRoad system."
The case of Stovallvs. Ghivsrs,75 8. W, (2d) 276, affirlaed (Corns.App.) 103 S. w. (2d) 363, on page 367 of the