Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1939 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Bon. Jamhe w. strawu,Maroh e1, 1939, Page e. Artiola 974, HevieedStatutes, provide8 the mathod of annexing territory to a oitp, and rurthar provides that "the inhabitantsthereof ehall be entitled to all the ri.ghtaand prlrllegec of other oltlzans, and bound by the sots and ordlnanosa mmde in conformitythereto and wseed in pursuance of thla title." Article 1135, Reviesd Statutea, sets up the maohlnery for annexing territory to toma and vfllafas, and conaludas ae followst -' *Thsnaaforththe territory 180raoeivad stml~ be a part or said tuan or village,and the ln- habitanta shall be entltlad to all the rights end prlvllegeaof other oltlzene, and bound by all the aots and ordinanoea made in oonrormlty thereto and ,passedin pursuance Cs this ehaptar.* Xn SndlnnaBallwayCo. vs. Iiolfman, 161 Did. 893, 69 X.X. S99, th5re w55 pro5ontad to the aourt a oa5a~vWm tti5 rtrestrallny oapany had &Ooipteda tranohlsoprovldlng that prarwkgerewit&la the olty llmit8 rhouldbo mtitled to in* transf5r. After tlm aoooptanoe of the franohhiaa, the olty lilts wore oxtended, and tlm street Milway oam- pany oontuulodtlmt it wa8 not requtiadto glvm free tlrar- Ser to panaengerrdthLn the annerodtorrltory,but t&at itr obligationwa8 llmltadto 9ars*n6orrwithintlm oity limits aa they oxletadat t,ln tiw 'thefranohlti*I8 lOo@pt@& Tliaoourt, in its opinloa,rldr =TJpm no view at the ONBO oan tb provla$oa 'rithl.nthe limit8OS tb alty' ba fnterpratd ts ha?5 baa iatodul onder tb# agr55mnt abra lo the proporltioamado by appallantto apply only to mob limitaa8 that fixed.* -her in sa14 opinion,the 8ourt usad the fOl1~ 1uUomP: rThl8 agroomont, am wo have men, ouumt bo hrld to apply only to pasekngerr *o am tmwwrtra on appall.ant'aoars withinthe old linito(d %lm olty, but must be 'heldto appb to and inaludeany and all plrmmgers a000 deatimtioa la within thm lirits of the olty aa they were sxtmdad by the amercltlOn or tb torrltoryin oontroveroy.Thin axtmai~n, aa we have said, by the nunlolpalauthorities, ~1188 the exerolroof govrrnmentalpowera. In 8 legal ~nae thr,oity ia a unit, althoughlta boun- darts8may be olumgmd irear tlu to tipr by lxtanllon, Bon. Jamee A'.Strawn,Earoh 21, 1939, Page 3. and all person5within the limits thereof as extended beo.omebound by, ard must yield obedience to, its ordinances. It oartalnly In reason cannot be asserted that an ordinanceadopted by a city must, in its operation,forever be confined to the limits of tha munlclpalltya8 they were at the time it ~ga pssed, and oannot beoome operative In territory ttereaftfhrannexed and -de a part of the eorpora- tlon. And with no more force and raaeon can it be mid in this case, under the olroumstanoea,that the agreement Or appdlaBt in regard t0 iSsUiBg tr0nefer tiokets to passengers1s not operativewithin the llmlts or the city as thereafter extended. fn support of thla proposftlon,see MoCallla v. The Myor et al, 3 Hoad, 319; St. Louirr, eta., Go. f. St. Louin,46 PO. 121$ Tam of Toledov. Edrnr S9 Iowa SSE, 15 11.U.SlS; Tom of Nllwauksev. raii- wama, 3.E wi5. OS; EO Am. & Sng. Enoy. of Law, p. .” In Moor. vu. Plott,8206S.W. 9S8, the Uourt cQ Ulvll Ap- Peale held~tbatthr right to vote 18 a privlleeoooniorred +by tin Coaetltutlonand 18 not to be taken auay'ueopt by olear ommand of law. WI therdore anaweryour Qtmetianthat tW irihabltmtr or theannexad territory,33 othotira quallfio4to Wte, may vote in a olty mleotlonhelA wltbln 1888 than dx mm&h8 titer thm tarrltory18 annexed. Iha lan@a~e Or th9 st8tote r&On to tin olty Malta a8 tlm y ldrt a tfhe tlm the 5lootlon iti hold, aId door not rater to tba city lirlt.8~a8 they my haV0 uletd at sum prior time. lour6viJrytraly ATl’ORSEY Cl- OF TEXA8