OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY QENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

ltonoreblo @ls\a wolf 

_a 

thr abovr 

lalon l to rhothor 

Ceulrrloaor@ Court 

alril Statutrr reada 

‘The Commi8810nerr” Court ln any CouatT having 

l nopulstlon of nnt lerr than two hundred nlnstr 

thourand (%2!30,000) and not mom thm three hundred 

twenty thourand (320,000), aooordlng to the lart 

United Statrr Cenrur l SJ, by an order duly anterod 

UQOn tho mlnutr8 of 8cSd dourt rent or lot, dlrrot to any lmdowner in rrld bunt,, l nr traotor 
4 

. 

gonorablo Claud Wolf, page P 

8 

r&Or', uohlner;l or l qUlwOnt bolorglnq to *Old 

OUEtr, to be U8Od by 8aid 1andOWllOr l XO1U81VO17 

upon land rltuatod in raid County, in the OonatrUotlon of tOrraOe8, dlkO8 and dltohor ?Or th0 purpo8o 

of 8011 oonren8tion l nd 8011 l roalon prrtontlon 

and for thr purporr of oonrtruotlng rater tBnk8 

and roronolrr; prorldod that no ruoh tr&OtOr, grader, 

maohlnor7 or rqulnmoat rhall be rented or let at a 

time when the County I8 wing or in the need of the 

uao of tho anmo, and prorlded further, that tho 

@mount to be paI& by the landouner to the County 

for the uao of 8UOh traotor, grader, ssohlnory or 

l qulpaent ahall be agreed uoon by the Coeml88lonor8' 

Court end the landovner and 8hall be l peolflod in 

the order renting or ltttlng the aam8.' 

Artlolo 23720, Vernon'8 Annotatod Civil Statutea, read8 

a8 fOllOV8: 

‘Soo. 1. The vldoqwond and rapid extonrlon 

o? 0011 ororlon won our agrioultural and other 

landa, orurlng the 1rrOparablO varto of roll 

fertlllty, and 1088 of oroduotlro power, aurt be 

rooognitrd 88 the graTO8t monaoc t0 th8 OOntlnUlag u8ofulno88 OS thlr groatoat of our natural 

rorourooa; end a8 vitally l ffeotiag OOlIdttiOnl 

fundamental ln the l oono8lo urll-bolag of the 

people. 

‘Soo. 2. The Sta t@ l U8t rOOO&TllZO it8 rO8QOllrlbillty, @a tho ropreaontatiro of the popplo, for 

the oonren8tlon of rO8ouroo8 O88Olitld In the produotlon of nooorrary agrloulturrl produotr, and the 

oro8otlon of the pub110 uolfaro; and ourt provide, 

by unlfolr 90110108, for the oooperotion ln tho dirChargO Of ruoh rO8Qon8ibillt~, O? all OOWJtitUtlOnal 

rubdlrlolonr of the State. 

‘880. 3. The Countler of the State are herob 

declared to hare the authority to anploy, or permit 

to be employed, any road oonatructlon or other maohinary or road equipment in the rsnloe of 8011 oon8onetiOu and preYentlon Of 8O:l Wa8t8 throu h orO8- 

lon, whenever in the Judgxent of the County 8 omml8alonera' Court, entered upon the Minute8 of the Court, 

ruoh maohlnory or coulpment lr not demanded for the 

rorrloo ot bulldlng and the uokeop of the rOad8 of 

the County; and shall ororido for oomvenaatlon to 

the County Ro8d Fund, or the road fund8 of any defined 

diatrlot or l uthorlrrd rubdlr'alon in the County, for 

ruoh employment of road equipment. 
. I’ 

flonorablo Claud Volf, page 3 

l sto. 4. In thr aubllo 8onlo# of oonrerving 

the 8011 fortlllty of the 1tnd8 of the County, the 

COMlBi88iOYlOr8’ Court8 ah.11 tl6TO the luthorlty to 

~.ooootratO vlth the land ovntra aad trxpa~oro of the 

County la all Judlolou8 effort8 for the prtrtrratlon 

Of the QrOdUOtITent88 of th8 8011 from l Toldablo 

made, and 1088 of produotlrenorr of l grloultural 

oropa atot88try to tbo pub110 velfuo. through permlrrlon to ~80 the l aohlnory and tqulpamt that may 

ho aado atallablo by the County for ruch purport8 

under Wltton o:ntraot, and the County ah811 ttotlrt 

from l uoh landowner8 l .nd taxpay’rra oomptnratlon, 

upon tuoh uniform b8818 a8 may be doomed rqultable, 

tnd proper, for the oo-ooerttlon extended and 

8trTiOt8 rWdtr@d, all l uoh OoSMn88tlOn or fund8 

to the County to be pal4 into tho hoad and Brldgo 

Fund of the County; and the County Comalrslontrr~ 

Court may prorldt for payment8 Sro8 landowner8 and 

taxpayer8 of tha County at l uoh rtatod lntonal8 

and in 8uOh l mOUllt8, 08 ond When the County tbX.8 

are ooll8oted, a8 may be .qultablt, for the uat 

of the tqulwtnt for the vr&ectlon of lrnda rcalnrt 

oontlaulng lamaaaurablt injury through aoil trorlon; 

provldod that the Cormlrslonsr8' Court sr roprerontrtiTO thartof ahall not go upon the lrnd of any or-nor 

to lmrovt, ttrraoe, protrot, or ditch rooh land uatl1 roqur8toU to do 80 in vrltlng by ruch ovnrr; and 

>roTld.d further, that tho COM~88lOlIOr8' Court 

or rtprratntrtlrt thtrrof .hall not be requlrtd to 

do 8uOh la?roTln tarracing, protectlag, and dltohlng ~I1888 ruoh 8, ourt aha drtonlno that l uoh work 

18 of 8-t qubllo benefit and l ald Court tltOt8 to 

do the vork.’ 

noward County ha8 8 popu1btion of 20,990 lnh8bltantr 80- 

OOrdlng t0 the 1940 hd8ral Cen8U8 thertforr, Artlolo 166a4, 18 

not apn1lcrblt to raid oounty. A&101. 23720, rupra, authorizer 

the rarlour oountltr through their Oommiasiontra’ court8 to employ, 

or oermlt to be omployod,any road oonrtruotlon or other maohlntry 

or road oquloment In the 8enloo o? 8011 oon8snetlon 8nd prerontion of a011 raett tbrouQh troalon, whenever in the Judetnt of 

the county oommlrsionerr oourt, entered upon the alnutes of the 

oourt ruoh maohlncry and equlpaent is not demanded for the rcrrlce 

o? building and the ubkeep of the road8 of the county. The Tarlous 

Oomml8rloner8' oourtr rhall alro proTIde for ooa3enratlon to the 

oounty road fund, or the road fund8 of any deflnod dlrtrlot or authorized rubdlririon in the oounty, for suoh employment of road tqulnment. 

Art1018 23720, further wotidoa that the oo8ml88lontrr' 

oourt or any ro~rtrtntetite thereof rhall not go upon the land of 

my owner to laprort, terrace, protoot, or dltoh ruoh land until 

rocwtrteu to do 80 In writing by auoh owner. The OOmmi88lOnU8 
4 

I. 

gonorablo Claud Uolf, pAgO 4 

otu,rt ma7 prorldo for pamoat from lanQouatr8 and t8xpaJorr 

1~ thr oounty rt ruoh rtatod lntorra~8 and ruoh amounta, 88 

and when the taunt7 taxer art oolleoted, aa may be l qultablo 

for the uat of the l qulpment for thr proteotion of land8 agglB8t InJury through 8011 l o r io n. 

Ye quote from 11 Tax. Jur. b6S a8 follo~a: 

‘Countlea, being tomponcnt part8 of the State, 

h8Tt 110 QOWer8 or dutlha txoopt thoro Wh~Oh Al-8 

olsarly ret forth and defined In the Conrtltutlon 

alId 8t8tllt.8. The rtatuttr h8Tt oltarly defined 

the pouetra, prororlbed the dutlor, tab importd the 

llabllltlo8 o? the oommlrrlonor8~ aourta, the aodlum through vhloh the dlffrrent oountlor sot, and 

from thoro rtetutcr murt oomo ali the authority 

Tt8tOd ill the OOUntiO8. 

‘cOMBi88iOllCFl’ OOWt8 are OOWt8 Of llmlttd 

Jurlrdlotlon, in that their authority trtrndr only 

to oattorr Qtrtalnlng to the general velfaro of the 

rO8ptOtiTO ~OUnti.8 and that tbtlr QOVOr8 Art Only 

there @IX'prt88ly or lr~lledl~ conferred Up08 them 

by law, that la, by the Conrtltutlon and 8tatUte8 

of the Strto l l l ” 

After a oartful rowoh of the l tRtutt8, we hare boon 

unable to find any 8t8tUtt that either l XQrO88ly Or by ImpllOatlon author1288 the COmml8slOntr8' oourt Of Any OOUllt~ to 8Ot 

l rldo any portion of any taxer of the oounty for the rpoolflo 

purport of doing lndlTldua1 farm tcrraolag or OOntUrlng with 

road maohlntry ovntd by the oounty for the purporo of maintaining and bulldlng oounty roada. ~tr@foZ’O, the abort at&ted qU88- 

tlon 18 re8oootiToly anrverrd in -the negatito. 

Trurtlng that the foregoing fully anawtro your lnqulry, 

we art 

Your8 Ttry tNly 

ATTORKZY OEIIERAL OF TEXAS 

AM: JO 

ArdOll W1111M8