Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1959 )


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    AUSTIN U.TEXAR
    November 18, 1959
    Mr. D. C. Greer              Opinion No. W-735
    State Highway Engineer
    Austin, Texas                Re:   The extent of the
    restrictions to be ap-
    plied because of the
    words "District Office
    buildings" in the rider
    to the Current General
    Appropriation Bill (H.B.
    4, Acts 56th Leg., 3rd
    Called Session, 1959,
    Cha ter 23, pages 442,
    Dear Mr. Greer:                    591P .
    In your request for an opinion you state as
    follows:
    "On:+of the riders in the State Hlgh-
    way Depar.Ln!ent'ssection of the.current
    General Appropriation Bill states as fol-
    lows:
    "'None of the funds appropriated 'to
    the State Highway Department may be exPended
    for the'construction of any District Offi&
    building ata Cost exceeding Sixteen Dollars
    ($16) per square foot in constructioncosts
    including engineering and architectural fees.'
    "In carrying out the duties and responsi-
    bilities of the State Highway Department under
    law to construct and maintain a State Highway
    System, it is necessary that several different
    kinds of buildings be constructed and utilized.
    The Department maintains District Headquarters
    at 25 locations in the State. At each of these
    locations, it has proved advisable to construct
    warehouse buildings, shop buildings, equipment
    storage buildings, laboratory buildings, and
    service station buildings, in addition to an
    office building which provides space necessary
    Mr. D. C. Greer, p?,;Se
    2 (WW-735)
    to aar.?yon the major portion of the office
    work required to be done by each District.
    It has proved necessary and advisable for
    the Department to construct certain buildings
    at local Headquarters within each District.
    These buildings usually provide warehouse
    facilities, storage for highway equipment,
    servicing for highway equipment, and some
    office space for the supervisory personnel.
    At some of these locations, buildings are
    constructed to provide office and working
    space for Resident Engineers and buildings
    for laboratory work. Other miscellaneous
    buildings are constructed from time to time
    to meet the needs of the Department in carry-
    ing our its assigned responsibilities. Some
    of these buildings, by their very nature, are
    c?leaperto construct that an office building
    cdouldbe, while others require a specialized
    type of design and construction which make
    them more expensive to build. Examples of
    the latter are our laboratory buildings, two
    of which are presently in the planning stage.
    ,,
    . . .
    !'Wefzl that the specific wording of
    the provision restricts its application to
    the District Office buildings and that it
    would not apply to the other specialized
    structures we construct. We have discussed
    this matter with members of the Comptroller's
    staff and they are inclined to agree, but
    feel that they cannot pay for a building cost-
    ing more than $16 per square foot until the
    provision has been so interpreted by your
    Department. . . .'
    In 39 Texas Jurisprudence 137, Statutes, Section 105,
    we find the following rule stated:
    "One of the primary and settled rules
    of construction is that words in common use,
    when contained in a statute, will be read
    according to their natural, ordinary and
    popular meaning."
    This rule was followed by the Supreme Court of Texas
    in Texas Bank & Trust Co. v. Austin, 
    115 Tex. 201
    , 280 S.W.
    .   .
    Mr. D. C. Greer, sage 3 (WW-735)
    161. I!ebelieve that the natural, ordinary and popular
    meaning of the words "office building" is a building of of-
    fices or rooms in which administration is conducted and
    office work is done. It follows, then, that district office
    buildings would be those buildings at the District Headquarters
    of the Texas Highway Department in which the major portion of
    the office work is done.
    It is our opinion that the statutory language quoted
    in your letter was not intended to apply to warehouse buildings,
    shop buildings, equipment storage buildings, laboratory build-
    ings and service station buildings, but that it does apply to
    ali district office buildings which provide space necessary to
    carry on the major portion of the office work required to be
    done by such District.
    SUMMARY
    The words "District Office building"
    in the rider to the current General
    Appropriation Bill (House Bill 4,
    Acts of the 56th Legislature, Third
    Called Session, 1959, Chapter 23, pages
    442, 591), do not apply to warehouse
    buildings, shop buildings, equipment
    storage buildings, laboratory buildings,
    and service station buildings, but they
    do apply to all district office buildings.
    Yours very truly,
    WILL WILSON
    Atto ney General of Texas
    BY %-au
    JH:mfh                           Jay Howell
    Assistant
    APPROVED:
    OPINION COMMITTEE
    J. C. Davis,Jr.Chairman
    Raymond V. Loftin
    Grundy Williams
    REVIEWED FOR THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
    BY: Leonard Passmore
    

Document Info

Docket Number: WW-735

Judges: Will Wilson

Filed Date: 7/2/1959

Precedential Status: Precedential

Modified Date: 2/18/2017