Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1960 )

WILL WILSON AXTORNEYGENERAL Honotigb&q-~RobertH. c81dwe13, Jr. County Attorney '. Denttin County ~’ Denton, Texas .,. .. ., Opinion NO’.~ ~11-850 Re: ~WhetherDenton County ,6an cqpve’y certain, real property for. valuable’ c?nsideration directly without following aa- vertieement procedure of Art. 1577,‘?,A.C.S. ::Your :ieqqest. for .our opinion. a8 to- fhe me.thid which may~b;e‘fPllotied.by Dentdn Ccknty ln’c&reyUg certaln.kal property.reado In part 80 follows: : i “On Maroli 15; .i960, PFioej ,DanleX, Governor : oi’ the z3tate; 8otlng fireu8nt t0 AW.ole, 6673a, V.S.C.S.;, .oonveyed a ,tpkot of 2.06 aoreo of land ttiDenton County, Tex8e: Thle land wae orl&nally aoqulreil by the, County wlthtiut cost to the State, and the~title ‘was put in the State of Texas. It Wnow abandoned right-of-way. The ad,jolnlng and abutting owner to thie 2.06 aore traot is a single Indl~Wual, and the County now deairee-to convey ttiti: property ‘to this adjoining owner for a valu- able oonslderatlon, which la aotually the exchange or oonveyanoe of’ oertain properWee of hls,to the county,. ~ror road purpoees. “My ‘we&ion then, ia: Can the .County now convey this 2.06 acre6 directly to the adJoIning a~#$abutting owner, for the valuable oonslderation, or muot ire go through the alternative prooedure pro- vided Wider Article 1577, 80 amended, of advertlae- ment and pub110 auction. Artlole 1577, V.A.C.S.,aii amendkd Acts 1953, 53rd Leg.,.p; 447, oh, 133,‘provldes for Bale of any real estate of the county bjy pub110 auotion wlth~ apeclfio advertle~ing require- ments. The Aot 8lso etates:, _ _ - .1 . Ron. Robert I-I. Caldwell, Jr., page 2 (``-850) .'Provided,however, that where abandoned right-oft-wayProperty Is no longer n&eded:for hlghyay or,road purposes and the county decides to sell said right-of-wayprop- erty, It shall be sold with the following prlorltlea: (1) to abutting or adjoining land- owners;~(2) to the orlglnal grantors, his heirs orassigns of the original tract from whence said right-of-waywas conveyed; or (3) at pub- lic auction a8 provided above. a 0 .I' Under.the facts you have stated, there Is no constl- tutional problem raised. Attorney General Opinion S-93 (1953) held that the part of Art. 1577, as amended, which grants prl- oritles of purchase.to certain persons to purchase real estate from a county is valid $nsofati,asIt purports to cover abandoned hlghway,right-of-wayconveyed by .theState to,a county. Art. '1577;as amended, sets up priorities by which abandonedhighway right-of-waycan,be sold. This statute re- quires a public auqtlon with specific advertlslq requirements only.ln.easeeuch real e&tate 1s not to be sold (1) to abutting or adjolnlnglandowners;" or ."(2)to the cirlglnalgrantors, his heirs or assigns:. . ." i I It Is our o$lnlon that abandoned highway right-of-way ,conveye,d@y:'the',Statg to.a c~ounty.$n~,accordance with Article : .6673a;.V.A;C.S;,.may.be sold to tin&butting or'adjoining,land- owner pursuant tb Article L577``as amended,,V.A.C.S.,~wlthout following thoae~provisions of sald.statutewhich provlde'forad- vertisementand:publlc apctlcjn. SUMMARY A&ndoned highway right-of-wayconveyed by thenState~to Denton County may be sold to en abutting or adjoining landownerwithout following the p~vialona in Art. 1577, V.A~.C.S.,providing for advertisementand public ~auctlon. :. Your0 very tiuly, : '.. WILLWILSON Attorney General of Texas ‘.. JAO:bh .. Ron. Robert H. Caldwell, Jr., page 3~ OJW-850) APPROVED: OPINIONCOMMITT.EE w. v. Geppert, ChalrWW Jack Goodman R. V. Loftin, Jr. Phocion Park Iola B. WilCox REVIEWED FOR THE ATTOFW+GENERAL BY: Leonard Paesmore