Ron. ClaytonBray CountyAttorney Sutton Couuty Sonora,Texss

Dear Sir: opinionHo. v-301
Rex Reconsideration of opinions o-178 and o-7011,,

relative to use of cowthouae spaceby abstract firms in light of subsequentcourt decisionsand the submittedfacts.

Your request for au opinion of this office i.8 aubatantlally

es pollovs: “your opinion 0-178~ and ,o-7011,

lavalving the use of offices in the Courthouse, vas called to the attentionof the 4o~sal~n~s' Cowt of this county and they decided, In vi&f of TarpantCounty v. Rettlkln Title Co., 1% 9. U. 2nd **269,** vhlch vas **dsted** later thau your opinions, that, although they could not collect rent therefor, they could allocate to the County Clerk the office apace formerly uaed and rented to the only abstract company in the ooUuty for copying spaceby all abstract companies. As a result,' the abstract oon@any stilluses the same office exclueivelg,

keeps It lockedwhen not Ia actual use, and maintainsan office directory sign in the rotunda of the courthouseadvertisingtheir ~looation &nd the sales of Insurance,but nov pays no rent. Buch abstraot companymaintains no other office and conductsall business the?+e, both abstractand Insurance,and maintains a private telephone. Al.1 of thle I believe is contrapy to the Rattlkin case and, too, our County Clerk has sufficientoffice space to permit the

., s *

* Hon. Cla$tonBrag - Page 2, V-301

copylz$of records in the regular office a . 0
In Opinion 1yo.

o-178, rendered cm February 25, 1939, this departmentstatedt

“It is a matteD of common lulovledge~ that a courthouseia designed for public use and no one shouLUbe allowed, Or pepmitted, to occupy it exoepC the pub110 offlclalsnamed In the statutev” opinionNo. v-7oll, of this 6epaPtdmnt dated Ja~uaxy 25, 1946, in support’ of OpinionNo. O-174, statear

, “We know of. 90 aataarityi& the Conmlsaloners' Court to expend cmn8y ZuuQa for office equipmentend suppliesto be used ftr purposes 0tWr than County purposes.

“Vhe~ court fialceu w,dieisrl’

knovledge of the fact t&t vi& tie mouth and accumulation of the public p@$@ord~ the &bs&&ot companiesare a netseasmy IguiZUMnt of modern busine&m l&f% szrd, &e thPuns8lVeS

agentti of the **public** WhU’

waaabe srird

,copp the Peoordsas &@&a of the fIHJLtvidt~11 membera of the publlo.Wl;ePreceiv%ng **orders** far the prepardW.onof’ w~&bstPact. “‘The Court fuWheP takes .guiWisl notice that it h&a qevepbeen %he 6ustO&a in any county in thiti **tltetie** POP the’Qountato exact ~‘POPL

the abst?wa$ oolapsnies~ ~Wdi% reasonable1.186

of the public reowda either rent **OP** fees in the gu%sb of PeKll~ POP the right to have aocess to lpnd to *peat 81~8 copy the sam6, aa was well known to the plaintiffat the time the .defen&ant and the other sbstmct coHIpani~i3 went into business and made plant lnveatmnts.’

. ,.. .

:

,. .~. ..A

~1.,,,

‘,.

: Bon. ClaytonBray - Page:31V-301

.(. The court, in passing upon the Rattikin cas4, aupra, stated that inasmuchas the questionpresented ,vIanaw to our jurisprudence they would adopt the law of 8 foreign at+te amounceU In a Tenneaa4ecase, Shelby County v. &mphia Abstract Co., 203 9. W. 339, as the l&w in Texaas:

an& vhich is in part a8 follovs:

..~. "We is11 to find any statutorypower grauted to the quarterly county court or to the couuty commlaaionera of Shelby County to lease any part cif

the: apaae in the offices dealgnatbdfor the uae of county Officials, and ve think it la eleax.?@tit 80 **au&i** authority data. The pow4r,-if e*a$ent, on exercise vould,ulvethe leaaee.tha=iRht to contml the apace leased to himpr 1% to the ekcluaionof otherme&era of the.~~io, and the leases cotid be mul V-III p: the serious &nbarraaament~~f othem whose ,I;lghtb to use the reglatryrooma ,+nd equip- *ntcaq0tbe denied. .'lp the ~abaen~e'oi.~r~~tl;tosyauthorlty no part of the rmiwi~ln~~t@&nt,~use as a registry of deeds and a% @rt~~of~~a,courthouae I)~J be leased to be~ua&~fo~..~.~eriod of months or yeas8 for p*dvate~-putl?~ea~~.~~~t~ bulldingsand the& equlgau4I3t~.are~ppb3.iCproperty held by the county,but in tzust for the public use. 7 B+C.L. p. 948;'gtatev. xiaxt, 144 zIpa.107, 43 H~.E. --i++, 33 L.R.A, 118, and note; 'i34c.3tur~v. Delrslb~~.Coqnty,

130 Qa. 488, 61 S.H. 23." A county h.$a

no power to le&ae,itrr property to private persons ln t+ abaenc4 of a oonatitut+nal y?r it8tut.o~pewvlaleti~~ kpreaaly Q1"iaplladlyauthoril;lpgE&in. ClaytonWay - Page 4, V-301


## it t0 a0 60. The BountyWldlngs are public prcsperty hela by the county,but in trust for the public use, and a board of commlssloneFs has no power, unless exp*esalydelegated to it, to allow such property to be used for any but 8 public purpoge. (14 Am. Jup. p. 208)

The law does not contemplatethe use of the o@uuty aourthousafor office space for privatepurposes. fn your requestyau state that the abe%ract company mattntalna

no other officebut **cotadwta its**  **abatraot and**  ~Znsuranee

bueineas in an offlae furnishedin the county caurthoucebf Sutton Cotuity.It is oaly incumbentupon the county to $u??nlsh sufficdentspace for record copy- %.. (Art. 1945, V.C.3,) ;tt is assumed that the offloe a? ~County

Olerk of Sutton Countyhas sufffia.eat offlge space to permit the copying of receMs in the aw ,afar office, and that the .same does not interferewit erthe business of said office. This being true, it ta the opinion of Chla Departmentthat tbie w~ulcX meet the Pe- " qUrremen0 eb the law. In the case ol Park%nt County V. Rattlkln !B%tla

Co., supra, there Was no cl&n as to the excludve use of the space allottednor was there any ala&m that the appelleedemandedmope privilegesthan any ot&@ oltlsen;whereas, in your case, the space allotted ia ezclsaive. To warpant the Commlsalone~at htlS.‘t in 8Uthol’iZing

the U84 Qf the @dffiC6 ia **qU46tim** far Q@IIJI~~

space, it must be qhoWn th#it it i# **Z&68%- easy**  **fop ti4**  efflce of County CZerlt te expixxxd

$0 oa;M, fer the voWme of basinasa. 

## Butto hme auffits%ent spmg vitill;Ln

the ofXIes of the County Clerk to **04x5** fQI: She r%asands OS those 

## desldngto inspa& aab cop racads bnd at the sa&e t+as @ant irXolvalvar u&e 0f tha MX%a% aga;~e

vlthln the Cmrtbeuae to a;n &atNmt u%@- pamy wrMkd sot ?m **Wtrc~anmtad.** In vlev OP the Z&w dLnn@amped iq the Taiwnt ti%bxtafidr case, azxd

,%W $Pats s,ubn;5t%ied,

dt Ir the op&tion of this I)egarQwW4t Wt *a 4rolualveusbe

of MX?.ae space In @a6 SU8t~ OCWi8y **catr74tfiU$8e tiy**  **eip a~!&%?iW6t**  **OO!@pSZy Wit&d**  **ZW,t b6**  **&%%tb& buo** *

**&a Gtbliwia#$aners** **’ Goupt**  **ma all08**  **@MI%-** $i$onal offioes to the CWnty %,~k, if needed, 1’ fern fmmishlq spasaoe

to %he genepal p@iLLa tza, %mapectand w r4~oz?d8, but Solely

not gr&M epac~e in f&* cdunty ooukthovseto an abstrW3t company for an offioe itswblah to con&et its

.:.

.,

. . . ..

Bon, ClaytonBray - Page 5, V-301

. business'

to the exclusionof all others.

BW:jt;vb;djm

,i :

” Yours very truly

ATTOFNEGENERALOF TEXAS

*

3 . .

~”

. .

.

.’