Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1968 )


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  •                                January 10, 1968
    Honorable Glendon Roberts                    Opinion No.    M-189
    County Attorney
    Bandera County Courthouse '.                 Re:   Right of County Commissioners
    Bandera, Texas 78003                               Court to erect cattle guards
    in lieu of gates under Art-
    icle 6704, Vernon's Civil
    Dear Sir:                                          Statutes.
    In your recent letter to this office, you request our
    opinion as to whether the County Commissioners Court may erect
    cattle guards in lieu of gates under Article 6704, Vernon's
    Civil Statutes.
    Article 6712, Vernon's Civil Statutes, provides as
    follows:
    "The owners of land across which a third
    class or neighborhood road may be run, when the
    right of way therefor has been acquired without
    cost to the county, may erect gates across said
    r-d when necessary, said gates to be not less
    than ten feet wide and free of obstructions at
    the top, U
    Section 4 of Article 6704, Vernon's Civil Statutes,
    provides, in part, as follows:
    "The Commissioners Court shall classify
    all public roads in their counties as dollowsn
    *      *      x   *   *     *   *   *     c    f   *    *
    "4 % Any county in this State containing
    a population of less than ten thousand (10.000)
    inhabitantsI or any county with a population of
    not less than twenty-one thousand, two hundred
    -898-
    Hon. Glendon Roberts, page 2    (M-189)
    and sixty-five (21,265) nor more than twenty-one
    thousand. seven hundred and eighty-five (2x*,7851,
    according to the last prec,eding Federal Census,
    may by J majority vote of the Commissioners Court
    thereof authorize the construction of cattle
    guards across any or all of the first class,
    second~class, or third class roads in said
    county, and such cattle quards shall not be
    classed or considered as obstructions on said
    roads.
    "The Commissioners Court of any county
    cominq under the provisions of this Act is
    hereby authorized and empowered to construct
    cattle quards on the first class, second class,
    and .third class roads of said county and pay for
    the same out of the Road and Bridge Funds of
    said county when in their judgment they believe
    the construction of such cattle guards to be to
    the best interest of the citizens of said county
    As amended Acts 1965,, 59th Leg.; pa 1499. ch.
    650, 0 1, emerg.eff, June 17, 1965."   [Emphasis
    added,)
    In your Letter you provide the following two facts:
    (1, The road involved was acquired at no
    cost to the county,
    {2j Bandera County has a population of less
    than ten thousand IlO,OOOB inhabitants,
    Upon examination of Articles 6704 and 6712, there
    exists a confl,ict as 'between the power of the Commissioners Court
    to erect cattle guards under Article 6704 and the right of the
    landowner to erect gates under ,Article 6712, Vernon's Civil
    Statutes,  This conflict arises when the landowner has erected
    or wishes to erect a gate and the Commissioners Court wishes
    to erect a cattle guard.
    -899-
    Hon. Glendon Roberts, page 3 (M-189)
    Prior to,,the enactment of the language specifically
    dealing with cattle guards in Article 6i04. neither the county
    nor private individuals were authorized to erect cattle guards.
    Article 6712 concerns the right of a private individual to erect
    a gate. Moreover, cattle guards were deemed to,be road obstruc-
    tions. Therefore, in recognition of this, the Legislature specifi-
    cally worded the language in Article 6704 to repeal that in-
    hibition:  Attorney General's Opinion No. O-4695 (1942).
    It is our opinionthat when it enacted the language
    specifically dealing with cattle guards in Article 6704 in such
    a way as to be conflicting, inconsistent or repugnant to Article
    6712, it was the intent of the Legislature to repeal or super-
    sede Article 6712 to the extent of that inconsistency or con-
    flict. rirst National Bank v. Lee County Cotton Oil Co., 2'50
    S.W. 313 (Tex.Civ.App. 1923). affirmed First National Bankof
    Giddinqs v. Lee County Cotton Oil Co., 
    274 S.W. 127
    (Tex.Corrm.
    App. 1925).
    Although the Legislature did not expressly repeaY
    Article 6712 when it'enacted the aforementioned language in
    Article 6704. we are of the opinion that Article 6704 controis
    over Article 6712 whenever the Commissioners Court authorizes
    the erection of cattle guards pilrsuant to its terms   Our state-
    ment rests upon the principle that the latest expression of the
    lawmakers will be given effect.   53 Tex.Jur.Zd 149, Statutes,
    8 101;
    II
    .   .   .
    "A statute does not, of course, abrogate
    or affect an earlier law where there is no con-
    flict between the two, But an act that is la&
    in point of time controls, repeals or supersedes
    an earlier act. in so far as the two are incon-
    sistent and irreconcilable and cannot both stand
    at the same time    . . .Ij 39 Tex.Jur. 139, Statutes
    § 74,
    We hold, therefore, that whenever the Commissioners
    Court authorizes the erection of cattle guards, as provided in
    1   ,
    Hon. Glendon Roberts, page 4    (M-189)
    Article 6704, the right of a landowner to erect gates under
    Article 6712 is superseded,
    In answer to yourinquiry,  you are respectfully ad-
    vised that the Commissioners Court has the right to erect
    cattle guards when, in their judgment, they believe the con-
    struction of such cattle guards to be to the best interest of
    the citizens of said county, and if there is a conflict. this
    right is paramount to that of the landowner's right to erect
    gates.
    ' SUMMARY
    The provisions of Article 6704, Vernon's
    Civil Statutes, control over Article 67.12,
    Vernon's Civil Statutes, to the extent of any
    conflict between'the power of the Commissioners
    Court to erect cattle guards and the power of a
    landowner to erect gates.   In event of a con-
    flict, the right of the Commissioners Court to
    erect cattle guards under Article 6704 is para-
    mount to'the right of a landowner to erect a
    gate under Article 6712, provided that the
    CommissionersCourt  believes the construction
    of the cattle guard is to the 'best interest of
    the citizens of the county.
    I.
    k
    truly yours.
    rney General of Texas
    Prepared by Alan Minter
    Assistant Attorney General
    APPROVED:
    OPINION COMMITTEE
    Hawthorne Phillips, Chairman
    Kerns Taylor. Co-Chairman
    -901-
    .
    Hon. Glendon Roberts. page 5 (M-189)
    W. V: Geppert
    John Banks
    Dyer Moore
    Mark White
    A. J. CARUBBI. JR.
    Staff Legal AssIstant
    -902-.
    

Document Info

Docket Number: M-189

Judges: Crawford Martin

Filed Date: 7/2/1968

Precedential Status: Precedential

Modified Date: 2/18/2017