Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
Iionorable Frank Ff . k&-ray
County AttorneJ
CarBoll Qount~
Panhsndle, Toxar Opinion No. O-8806 Dear sir:
ROI The mathorlty of the County
Commlr8loIl6rn' court to mo- QUire hIId ior the dl'lkinIL6~ oi Nate hl~hwa~r. ,( that the 8tato Iilghway Dsparttaent a drainagO dltrh whlob and the property owner the rlghtr-of-way, . m&Ataln*& oonvenlent to any road to be . the same my bo’aopulrod by pureham or . . .) oondemnation by the OOUntJ 0011&8~iO?X6~’ QOUXt.” (Undersoorlng OW6) *2 Hon. Irnnk B. U.cmy, page 8
It is, therefore, apparmt from the Artlole just qtiotad that the nroesslty of auoh land or right-of-way must first be In other worbr, datermIne& by tha Etete Elghwag Commi~aion. tha authority to detarmlna whether or not the land la nao- esaary for tha propar maintenanoe oi a State highway is in the State iiidhwey Cozraaisaion and not In the oomlaaloners* oourt.
Artiole 6074n, Vernon~a Annotated Civil Statutes, also provldao that boforo a oounty oan aoquira land Sor euoh pur-
0868) a request must ba mada by tha State highway Comlaalon. F he oounty &oar not have authority to purchase or condoms if&n& for State hi&way purpow% on its own bahalf. O*KooCa VS. &ldSpeth County, 28 g. ‘h;. (ed) 626.
You are, theroiore, advlsad that the oounty oommlsalonsrs~ oourt aannot eoqutra land for dralmga purposes until it is 6*- termlned by the State tighuay Comu~larlon thatsuch land ia nso- eaaary for the propar 8aintenanoa of aald highway. You am further advlard t&t tho oouuty must also bo requaisoted by the State Hl&hway Commission to ooqulro aaid traot of land before it ha8 authority to 60 80. I? it does not have auoh a roquaat, it is not authorlash to prooure land ror Mid pUTpOa6.
Ho sincerely trust that the above fully snawera your lnqulry, wo are
Y0urs very truly ATT@BWKGEXSfW,OFT~S RHC tN