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OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN +-uwcw*ra -J--T-- s7 Honorable E. G. Xoselrr :,“’ Civil Dlatrlot D~llt18,Tear6 c&D cOr!dsS~OnerS' payrsmt of aF;praiscrs~ rees it reached after aypralsal but before contlemnetion? kttornuy to be ser lor work actunlly yerrortced.” o eoknowlcdge reoeipt ot your brlei xhlch aid- ed u8 mattorielly in Freparlng our opinion. he ue understtmd ft, this porticuler bond lseue m8 vote4 by the people lo Dallas County in 1939, the bond order ~..-- ---- -_. I .*-.. . . . . ...“_ proriding that - ” l l l the ~oceeds of said bon48 8hall be ~804 solely for the purpose of acquiring or purohaslng ?a$*or rlghte-or-way in respect of rosdr and highway8 - and the order rurther desorlbes tho propose4 hlgh- mm by nuaber, etc., ror iaentiri0sti0npurporer. In lrrl~- lng et our conoluslon we here eonridered Artlole 3, Section 52, am!? J.rtlcle8, Soction 9, of the Constltutfon of thr statc or Tpoxss, en4 elso krtlole lbeq OS the civil Statute8, whzch rrorlder - * l l l other expenses Incident to the 18sence of S~l4 bon48 rcaybe paid cut O? the prooee48 from t5r sale or the bondr * * *I. It 1s qulto obviour that the Coimi8slonerr'Court acrt perform its duties through subordlnatooffloers, agents 8``2 ezplogee8, end we are of the cplnlon that in oondwnnstlon procce4lnge for the acqulr!tlon 41 rights-or-v, all expenses in connection therewith can be pai4 out oi such bon6 issue; r0.r example, court COst8, lnoludlng witlieu fee8, en4 ti8o the -t of the award. Expert wltnensb8, In ord6r to testfry oozeernlng land rnlues must see the land In question ror lp - prlsi841 puIpO8US. They must be In d posltlon to testify con- etmlog the relue of any ruch land; that they Inspected same aor? eonddered the drsfDage ItMCtUH, fertility, 8hape of the laad, an4 whether or not the propose4 highway will 4Ir14e me l&.c tm or lroreseparate ports, a8 ~011 as numerous other eoadltlons that could possibly arlae by rea8otiof the aoqui- 8itiOll o? rights-of-wiy iOf highway8 on or (ICM)S8 any par- tldar tract of land. The cpqmtency and rcllablllty OS.suoh testbony would depend gretitlyupon the length of time and the thoroughness of the eppral8er*8,inspectlon. Therefore, rrom a pnctloal standpoint, such appral8ers mat bs en~loyed to q3tti8e a particular tract of land berm condematlon pro- : cc&3n.gs are lmtltuted for two reesone: flrrt, beoause there 8rr cnly fire day8 intervening between the order or the a00pL- tisionex-8' Court authorizing the condercnetion proocedlngr and t5e tearing before the S?eclel Comlssloners, curd,aecoll(l, bei cause neither the Comlssloners~ Court nor the attorneys ln- rtltutlng rult, or any oounty ofilclals, would be fully aJvlse4 or ham ~rflolent facts before thsn to intelllgentlf errlro at L conclu~lon concerning the edrleablllt~or condemnlug ``14 P-JF-tY. These epyrelsers would be erelleble to be used a8 wltaesreo not oily before the Speolsl Comnlssloner`` but before the County Court in ceee oi appeal. . w8 bOlfO~0 tb8.f th0 ab0TO ``S8Oeing rpOUid jU8tifr a oonolu8ion that the aonlco8 of Sppraiaorr would br In- OidOJBtal end llOOO88iW~ t0 th0 8aqUi8itiOn Of Tight8-cf-wsf. our OpiDlOLIthat th8 appraiser8 mny be com- ft 18 ponaatod OD a per tract or per day basis In 8 raaacnabl. OUU from the bond find8 whore Nit $8 lnatltuted after auoh appraisal or before iuch apprai8a1, or nhero a aottlomont 18 roached before the iDStitUtiOn 0r the trial or SDY COD- dolpnrtion suit necoasary in acquiring said rlghtr-or-way. See bslroaton county ‘18~Orasham, EEO 3. W. 560; 0ul.f Bifu- lithio COmpMf II* ~UOCOS C0Untf, 11 9. W. (84) SOS$ Rlla8011 *se Cap, 1.9. 1. E70. ThO gonOtcr1rplo 18 that the Comml88lonOr8' Court ho8 authority to employ attornov ror the eooompllahmont OS spo- clflo p~O808 authorized by law. Whore the Commlaalonera~ Court omplo~8 an attorney to lnatltuto and proaoouto oonbom- nation lar8ulta for the purpoao of acquiring rlghtrr-or-war Soroa8 8p80iri0 tracts, ana ior the purpose of tmlldlng apo- olflo hlghmra an4 ldontlflo8 suoh highmafr by rstor8ncoa to bluo prlntr, maps, auneyr and plat8 on file with the County Eagiaoor~8 orri00, and wherr tha ettorney 18 olao ohargod with oxaailnlng a oon4anaod ab8traot of such proportl, the prOpWatiOn of dOOd8 and other OODtZSCt8, It la OIlr OpiniOn that auoh attorney oan be oompenratod out of and ipornthr runda from the sale of auoh bondr. Tha case8 room to hold that an attorney amy be retained la apoolal oeao8 for apecl- rlo aerrloes, but that the Coudaalonora* Court wculd not beta the power to omplor an attorneyon o aslary basis for a~nloo8 neither derlnltaly requlrod nor parformod. gee Qrcoau ~8. Ata8coaa County,
32 S.W. 180; City latlonal Bank ta. Praalbio County, 86 S. W, 7761 Joner ~8, Voltamn, 171 9. W. 207. m the ca80 0r Oalreaton County ~8~ Uroa- ham, Z!EO8. lr.540, the court held that the Conaila8lonora~ Court had the authority to amplof an attorney for tho ap001- flc awn of $fBOO to oarrf out the procao4lng8 nocoas8ry to glro the county powor tc oonatruof a aoawall. We leo that the ConmlaaIonora* Court has authority to employ attorneys only for tho eoccaipllahmontbf apoclflo ObJeOtive8. Thoro- fore, we bol~oro that the attornor should be employ04 for a rp*oifIo M of nollryto lnrtItut8 and proraout8 oondom- nation lrrmit8 for the porOO88 Of DOQUiSi~ right8-Oi-uCit 8orom rpoolrlo tnotr ot land, 8ad thaftho 8ttornmy rhoold al80 bo 8@oyod for 8 rpaolflo 8um to examlao lb ltr a o tm, prop8ration of d08d8, md other 8ontraot8 In oomteotlon dth 8pooltlo traotr of land. Therefore, it I8 our oplalon that all thro8 quertloa8 rhould be umurr~d.Ia the litlrastlv8, lroopt that in queetlon m&or one tho attormr should be paid a rpeolrlo 8~01or no1107 rather th a l n mplopd on a 8alar;lba818. W8 8x0 ll8o saolorlng a 00 y oi oux Oplnlon-Rmbor Qbt, whioh 18 mentioned In your opPdon roquwt. vu-y frulf pourr ATTOE OSxERAI,OF TEXAS COB-8 ElIal. APPROVEDNOV 2, 1939 ALuJ-4.u ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TmS
Document Info
Docket Number: O-1379
Judges: Gerald Mann
Filed Date: 7/2/1939
Precedential Status: Precedential
Modified Date: 2/18/2017