Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1941 )

OFFICE OFTHE ATI'ORNEYG~NERALOFTEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable V;ardlowLane
Dietriot Attorney
canter, Torar
Dear sir;
He aoknowlobgereoeipt 11requoat or xearnt
r4nto4 la Art.
hrt. 3 of Ohs
b0 '6Oll6tN6tiOR,
m4oabfnnlte8, gray-
ih6, OF in da
be r64eQ that mm8 graYa lrlll
006 but on the whole it will be
Oil 4na natulxl soil.
~Of\llaul( a6 in preparing the elsatlm papors
the wording of tho Constitution ad the 6t6tUt6
will be lollowed, but&one interested in the
,matterare very anxlow to have your opinion a6
to the validfty ot r&sing end using the funds
for tha above purpoao by thi@ means and hero 46b
od that I obtain an opinion from you cm the matter
before they heUI the aleotion."
SeotLon 52 of AJ-Oiole3 ai the ConstiButionoi Taxas pxw-
HonorableXardlow Lane, page 2
rides, in part, as foll0ws:
Wnder legislativepr0vislon any oounty, any
polltioel subdivisionof a oounty * * * mm or
hareai'tcrto be doscribed and defined * * * in
addition to all othsr dabts, may &sue bonds *
* * * in any amount not to oroosd one-rourthof
the asssesed valuation of tha real property of
suoh distrlot or territory * * + for tha ioll0w-
lng purposes * * * the oonstruotlon,xaaintonanoa
and operation of meoademiaod,gravoled or paved
roads and turnpikes, or in aid tharoof.'
The tams Qaoad4mlesd, graveled or pavedW have bean oon-
struad to lnoludo roads 00YEred with shall, send, olay or any
ohareoterof materiel so as to make a firm, hard and smooth
8urrta08, over whioh horeom end vehiolas may pass. stitoa V.
Sutton county, 272 S. iv.506; Gibson Y. Davis, 236 5. W. 202~
Colamen-FultonPeeturo company Y. Aranser County, 180 5. W. 316~
21 Ter. Juris. 671. In Xreneaa County Y. Colamen-FultonPesturo
Company, 191 S.W. 556, the Suyremo Court hold that roads pared
with “shell” would be "paved zwads" within the oonstitutiaaal
pravislonr Thle aasa affirmed in part 4 judgmant oft&e Comt
or Civil Appoals at Ssn Antonio In the oaso of Colamexk-Fulton
Pasture company v. Aransea County, MO 8. W. 316, an8 the rul-
ing of the Court or Civil Appeals approved by the Suprom Court
La set out in the follaring languagor
"We are of the opinion that appallsem have full.
authority to use the runas arising rNJp the sale
or the bonds to oonstruat,ms&tain, an6 operets
roada, whether they ba maoedamleed,gravelad or
paved, and es there was sufflolonttestimony to
ahow that the shell roads to be emoted were paved
roads, within the oontemplationof the Oonetltutlon,
the oourt properly rerueed to restrain appallsos
froptusing the money to oonstruot suah roads. 'To
pavo' is defined by Wabater'e UnabridgedDiotlonaryl
"'To lay or oovar with stone, briok, or other
materiel, so as to make a firm, laval, or OORYBSI-
ient aurfaoe Por horaree,oerrlegos,or persons on
root to travel on.'
Honorable Sardlow Lane, ya;;e 3
*The testimony shows that shell or mud shell
warill
make e hard, smooth road, that is durable
and lasting. The words 'paved roea* we think, am
broad enough to Inalude roads medo or shell or mud
shell. It oanntitbe supposed that the Constitu-
tion r;eantto confine the words to roads with solid
toppings, as asphalt or oonoro';s,beoause it is ~011
known that suoh mterfals ero never ussd in Texas In
building pub110 roads, but are used only in town8
end oltles. Yla0adamized end gravels4 roads aro men-
tioned, and then, 4s oomprehendlngall other roada,
the word *pevrd~ma used. We think eppelleos have
the right and authority to expend the money erlring
from the bond issue in the oonatruotlonand m4lnto-.
naaoe or roads built aa indloeted ln the to&&my,
of shell or nua sh.li. The avldonoa waa positive
that shall roads aro *pared roads'.*
In Olbaon f. Davla, 236 S.W. 202, the Court uaod thir
languegot
We think roads oororod with send clay or any
ohereoter of Baterlel 80 a6 to meko a firm, hard,
smooth surisce over whloh horses, sarriegor,auto-~
mobiles and other rehloles mep pass 4re alassed 68
-red rosa@, e# thet term is used in tho aonstitu-
ti0n ana amt0a.=
Brom 4ll or the ebovo, It is our opinion that tho road8
must be BQ oonstruoted es to be edequato, durable an8 penaenont,
4nd wo believe that lr the C~nmlsslonerm~Court find8 that the
road Bontempletedin your roqumt moots them requlronenta,then
the prooeede or bonds issued for the purpose of the *oomtruotlon,
melntenanos4na operetlon of ma06dami2eb,grclreied or paved roeaa
and turnpikes, or In elb theroy- used to build said roeaa.
Aeslrtant