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 notmom 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 anddltohor ?Or th0 purpo8o 

### of 8011 oonren8tion l nd 8011 l

roalonprrtontlon and

### for thrpurporr of oonrtruotlngrater tBnk8 and roronolrr; prorldod that no ruoh tr&OtOr, grader, maohlnor7 or rqulnmoat rhallbe 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 ahallbe agreed uoon by the Coeml88lonor8' 

### Court end 

### the landovner and 8hallbe 

### 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** oroduotlropower, **aurt** 

### be rooognitrd 88 

### the graTO8t monaoc 

### t0 th8 OOntlnUlagu8ofulno88 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 Stat@ l **U8t** rOOO&TllZO it8 rO8QOll

### rlbillty, @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 Stateare

### herob declared tohare the authority to anploy,

### or permit to be employed, any road oonatructlon or other maohinary or road equipment in the rsnloe of 8011 oon**8onetiOu and**  preYentlon **Of 8O:l**  Wa8t8 throu h orO8- lon,whenever in the Judgxent of the County 8omml8alonera' Court, entered upon theMinute8 of the Court, ruohmaohlnory or coulpment lrnot demanded for the rorrloo otbulldlng and the uokeop of 

### the rOad8 of the County; and shall 

### ororido for oomvenaatlon to the County Ro8d Fund, or the road fund8 of anydefined diatrlot or l

uthorlrrd rubdlr'alon in

### the County, for ruoh employment of road equipment.

### .I’

flonorabloClaudVolf, 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 l uthorlty **to** ~.ooootratOvlth **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 pub110velfuo. throughper

### mlrrlon to ~80 the 

### l aohlnory and tqulpamt 

### that may ho aado atallabloby the County for ruch purport8 under

### Wltton **o:ntraot,** and **the County**  ah811 ttotlrt from 

### l uoh landowner8 l

.nd taxpay’rraoomptnratlon, 

### upon tuoh uniform b8818 

### a8 maybe 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 ahallnot go upon the lrnd of any or-nor to lmrovt, ttrraoe, protrot, or 

### ditch rooh land uatl1 roqur8toU **to do**  80 invrltlng 

### 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 ourt aha **drtonlno** that l uoh work 8, 18 of 8-t qubllobenefit **and** l ald Court tltOt8 **to** 

### do the **vork. ’** 
noward Countyha8 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 tobe omployod,any **road** oonrtruotlon or other maohlntry or road oquloment In the 8enloo o? 8011 oon8snetlon 8nd prerontion of a011 raett tbrouQh troalon,wheneverin the Judetnt of the county oommlrsionerr oourt, entered upon the alnutes of the oourt ruohmaohlncry 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 Inwriting by auoh owner. The OOmmi88lOnU8

### 4

I.

gonorablo Claud

### Uolf, pAgO 

### 4

otu,rtma7 prorldo 

### for pamoat from lanQouatr8 and t8xpaJorr 1~ thr oounty rt ruoh rtatod lntorra~8and ruoh amounta, 

### 88 and

### whenthe taunt7 taxer art oolleoted, aa

### maybe 

### l qultablo for the uat 

### of the 

### l qulpment for thr proteotion of land8 a

### gglB8t InJury through 8011 l o rion.
Ye 

### quote from 11 Tax.

### Jur. b6S a8 follo~a: ‘Countlea,

### being tomponcnt part8 of 

### the State, h8Tt 110QOWer8 or **dutlha txoopt**  thoroWh~Oh Al-8 olsarly ret forth and defined In the Conrtltutlon alId8t8tllt.8. 

### The rtatuttr h8Tt **oltarly** 

### defined the pouetra,

prororlbed the

### dutlor, tab **importd** the llabllltlo8

### o? the oommlrrlonor8~ aourta, 

### the aodlum throughvhloh 

### the dlffrrent oountlor

### sot, **and** from thoro rtetutcrmurt oomo ali the authority **Tt8tOd** illthe 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 Orby 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