Hughes v. County Com'rs' Court of Harris County

35 S.W.2d 818
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 21, 1931
DocketNo. 9576.
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 35 S.W.2d 818 (Hughes v. County Com'rs' Court of Harris County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hughes v. County Com'rs' Court of Harris County, 35 S.W.2d 818 (Tex. Ct. App. 1931).

Opinion

LANE, J.

We deem the following statement of the nature and result of the case sufficient to present the matters presented on this appeal:

The road or street referred to in the record as Yale street was formerly and originally a public road in Harris county, Tex., extending northwardly and southwardly. Subsequently and many years since that part of the road lying north of White Oak bayou fell within the limits of the city of Houston Heights, which was thereafter incorporated, and such part of the road became a part of a street in said city and was designated as Yale street. At a still later date the city of Houston extended its corporate lines so as to include the incorporated city of Houston Heights, and that part of said road lying north of White Oak bayou and within the limits of Houston Heights became Yale street in the city of Houston. Still later that portion of said road lying south of White Oak bayou fell within the corporate limits of Houston when such limits were extended, and since said last extension both those parts of the road that formerly were in Houston Heights and that south of White Oak bayou, are now Yale street in the city of Houston.

In October, 1929, both the city of Houston and the county of Harris, desiring to have Yale street improved, same being an extension of the aforesaid county road, entered into a written agreement whereby the county through its proper officers agreed that on proper estimates it would contribute the sum of $25,000 as its part of the cost of such improvements, and whereby the city of Houston agreed to pay the balance of the cost of such improvements over and above such sum as might be raised from assessments made against and paid by abutting property owners and railway companies; the costs assumed by the city amounting to approximately a quarter of a million dollars.

After such agreement was entered into, the city and county jointly advertised for bids for the aforesaid contemplated improvements of Yale street, to be submitted on the 20th day of August, 1930, wherein it was stipulated • that such bids would be jointly opened and the contract jointly awarded in the name of the city of Houston and the county of Harris, in accord with the contract entered into between the city and county.

After such agreement and advertisement were made, the commissioners’ court of Harris county, in conjunction with the city council of the city of Houston, began to lay out Yale street to a width of 120 feet, and the commissioners of the county set aside $25,000 out of the road and bridge funds of the county for the purpose of assisting in the contemplated improvements of Yale street, in accordance with the aforesaid agreement.

That part of the original road outside of the city and that part now known as Yale street within the city forms a connecting link between West Montgomery road, a county highway leading north and northwestward to the limits of Harris county, and on the south and east with Washington street and Waugh drive, which connects with the Washington county road, a cardinal highway leading northward toward the cities of Hempstead, Austin, Waco, Dallas, and others, and through Waugh drive with the Westheimer and Richmond roads, both of which are county highways leading to the west and south limits of Harris county, and with the old Spanish Trail, a cardinal highway leading toward San Antonio and important points west, and with the Galveston road, thus affording to the citizens of Harris county residing within and without the city of Houston direct interconnection between the county highways above mentioned without requiring, in most eases, the use of the more congested streets of the city of Houston, the use of which is fraught with danger, inconvenience, and delays to the citizens of both the city and county.

On the 1st day of August, 1930, after the calls for bids, as hereinbefore stated, were published, Taylor J. Hughes filed his petition praying for the issuance of an injunction to restrain the county commissioners’ court of Harris county from entering into a contract with any contractor for the construction of the contemplated improvements of Yale street, above mentioned, which were proposed to be done under and in pursuance of the aforementioned agreement entered into between the city and county, whereby the county agreed to pay $25,000 as its part of the costs of said contemplated improvements.

The county answered, admitting the contract with the city of Houston, pleading it, asserting its right to have made the contract, also declaring its purpose to enter into a contract with a contractor on satisfactory bid for the paving of the portion of Yale street within the city of Houston, and of contributing the sum of approximately $25,000 toward the payment of the cost of improvement of said *820 street, either by paying it to the contractor or by paying it to the city of Houston, and announcing its purpose to carry out the improvement program unless restrained by the court. The city of Houston intervened and adopted the answer of the county of Harris.

Both defendant and intervener made general denial of the allegations of the plaintiff’s petition.

On September 3, 1930, the cause came on for final hearing before Judge Allen B. Han-nay of the 113th judicial district court, who, after hearing the pleadings and the evidence establishing the facts as stated in our preliminary statement, held that the^law and evidence was with the defendant and intervener, denied the injunction prayed for, and rendered judgment accordingly. Plaintiff, Taylor J. Hughes, has appealed.

The trial Judge, upon request therefor, filed his findings of fact and conclusions of law, in which he found that the matters and things stated by us in our preliminary statement had been shown by the evidence, and that the law was with defendants. The facts as found by the court are in no wise challenged by appellant.

Eor cause of reversal of the judgment, appellant insists: Eirst, that, under the Constitution and general laws of the state, counties of the state as governmental agencies have no jurisdiction whatever within the territorial limits of incorporated cities and towns, whether incorporated under the general laws or under the Home Rule Amendment to the Constitution (Const, art. 11, § 5), nor have they any dominion or control whatever over the street and public thoroughfares within such cities and towns; second, that the county of Harris has no dominion or control over such streets and thoroughfares under and by virtue of the special road law of Harris county enacted by the legislature on the 5th day of March, 1913 (Loe. & Sp. Laws, c. 17); and, third, that Harris county has no lawful right of authority under the Constitution and general laws of the state, or under the special road law of Harris county, to expend county funds for street improvements within the corporate limits of the city of Houston, acting with or without the corporate sanction and co-operation of the city.

Considering the contentions of appellant in the order stated, we readily concede that Harris county can have no dominion or control whatever over any of the streets or public thoroughfares within the corporate limits of the city of Houston without the consent of the city, provided such streets or thoroughfares do not form a part, at least, of roads that have been or may be laid out or constructed by the county of Harris, or under its direction, or of roads existing by dedication prior to being taken into the limits of the city.

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Bluebook (online)
35 S.W.2d 818, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hughes-v-county-comrs-court-of-harris-county-texapp-1931.