OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

pinion or thlr a+ 

has bswx reoslrrd. 

operating 8n air 

that r0r thm purport 

ths 00mmfs8i0a.n' 

boaa or mob OOoptyI 

court 0r thfo county 

rr0m 

County 

you ah optnion a8 

BUI legally issue war6 JV.U'~60 Of FUl'dWdn& Md 

irport under th6 terms cb thfe 
.~ 

228 

Honorebls Fred T. Porter, Page 2 

"I think it has been held that authoriwtlon 

to Issue negotiable bona6 a008 not rgllov~ th8 

power 0r the county to ieeue time warrant8 and 

in this oonnsetion It will be notloed that ths 

statuts, seotion 2,says that ths county ma lrrsue 

negotiable bonda. 

m (2na) 694. 

Kocl vs. Pulte(Com. App v 10 

*Another ease i8 that or Phoenix Kutual 

Lita Ins. Co. vs. tcotilan 82 rea. (zna) ml, 

wherein It Is held that a oltp wa8 not liable 

on vendor lion aotes aesomea by the City whan 

purohaslng la&U fOr~UBe a8 an airport b8saU88 

the only negotiable paper on vhloh a olty oould 

beoome liable r0r airport pUrpOsO8 r0ua b8 

bonds votsd in aooordmos with the statuterw 

Artlolb 1269h, Vernon’8 Annotated Civil Statute8, 

read8 88 r0u08m 

"Sea. 1. That the goraring body or any 

lnoorporatea alty In thl8 State map receive 

through gltt or dedl0atlOn, ati i8 hereby anpowersa to aoptim by purohaser wlthout eondmtmation or by purohue thmugh oonthmnatlon 

proooealngs, and thanafter malntaln and operate 

a8 an Air Port traots Of land, eitherwlthin or 

without the oorparato liatits 0r 8Uoh alty and 

withln the aountg inwhloh 8uah olty 18 8ltuated, 

the land aoqulrea and held by any swh city 

never to at any one time l xoS0a six hundred r0rty 

aor8, ma the ch1n~iS8iO~SrScourt ’ or any 00unty 

may llkswlre aoqulre, maintain and operate ior 

like purpore traots 0r land within the limits 0r 

the county, not to exoeea at any one time a&x 

hundred forty aare6. 

"%!O. 2. For the purpose c$ oodaemnLng or 

purohaslng either or both, lands to bs used and 

maintained as provided in Seotion 1 hereor, ana 

improving and equipping the 8~0 rOr ruoh use, 

ths governing body of any alty or ths Oemmirsloners~ 

court or any oounty, rallfngwlthfn the terms or 

euoh Seatlon, may issue nsgatlable bonds of tb8 

city or or the county, as ths oass may bs, and 
229 

Honorable Fred T. Porter, Page 3 

levy taxes to provide f0r the lntereet and sinking fund8 of any such bon68 80 issued, the authority hereby given for the i8CiUanOe of such bond8 

an% levy and oolleotlon OS auchtues to be exerol8eU In aocoraanoe with the provisions of Chapter 

1 or Title 22 0r the RerislOd Civil Statute8 or 

lQfX3. 

"Sea. 3. lin dir Port aaqulred under lria 

by virtue 0r the t8I'SM 0r WI8 Aot (art. 1fibQh.) 

shall be under the management and control of the 

&JOQernillg body Of the Olty Ol! the C~i88IOller8' 

Ccurt of the aounty aoquiring the seme, ubloh 18 

hereby exprelrely authorieed and ePlpowered to Improve, m8lntaIn 8nd 00nau0t the same 88 an Air 

POrti, aad rm that gUrpO8e t0 XEK&C, Ma prOQid0 

therein ell nmmssary or tit impmvenmnte aa 

Zaoilitle8 and to fir rush reasonable oharger 

for the use th8reof as suah governing body or 

Co8miIs8loner8* Court ehall aoem rit, and t0 mske 

rule8 and regulations governing the u8e thereof. 

All proo8ea8 from euoh oharges 8haU be devotsd 

exalurrlwly to the malntenanoe, up-keep, improvement and operation or ruoh Air Port and the raailitie8, 6truotures, ana improvement therain, 

and no city or county shall be liable for lnjuries to perr0n8 resulting from or oaus8Q by 

any defective, unllaund or unufe oonditlon of 

any auoh kir Port, or any part thereor, or thing 

of any aharaoter tilereIn or rsaultlng from or 

aaueed by any negligenoe, want of &ill, or laok 

or oar0 on the part 0r any governing Board or 

Commlra8loner8~ Court, off leer, agent, senent 

or employee or other person with reierenae ta 

th6 oonstruotion, ImprovQDslnt, management, eonhot, or malntenanoa of any =oh hir Port 0r 

any struoturs, improvement, or thing aP any 

oharaater whatever, looate therein or oonneatetl 

therewith. 

*Sea. 4. That in addition to ena oxelualQe 

of any taxe8 which may be levied f% the intereet 

an% slnklng rund or an bold8 i8Slted undw the 

authority of tbls Act f Art. 1#369h.) the governlng boay of any olty or the W1unl88loner8' Court 
Iionarr,ble Fred T. Porter, Pags 4 

Of NIY 00 UA ty, falling Within the teL?mll hereof, 

may and ir hereby empowered to levy and oollaot 

a speolal tax not to exoeed for any one year 

five cent5 on eaok One Hundred Dollars for tb 

purpose of lnprovlag, operating, maintalnlng and 

oondu~tini: any Air Fort which much city or oounty 

map ao ulre under the pr0v1slo~ of thl8 Aot (Art. 

126Qh. 7 and to provibe all suitable atruuture8, 

and taoilltles thereIn. Provided that nothing 

in this Aot (Art. 1269h.) shall be oonrtrued as 

authorizing any city or oountp to sxoeed the 

llmite of lrdebtedness plaoad upon It under tim 

ConstltutloB." 

The tkmmirelo~ert~' Court her the powor to lnsur 

indebtednesr, not only to the extent of the revenue8 ai t&e 

oounty during the term8 Of offtioe of 8uoh aOmmlssloasrs, 

but also to the extrnt of oontraoting away revenue8 whloh 

will be oolleoted during many yoara, and to eridenoe the 

indebtedness by intereat-bearing warrant8. Unlikr bonds, 

Interest-bearing warrante mep be issued without the authority of ths texpaying voters. The power oonfsrred upon the 

Commissioners' Court to ltasue bonds in certein Instanoaa 

ia an additional pcsverg it does not aMti the utiating enthorfty to inrue non-negotiable oounty warrant@ tar the BIPED 

purpose. 2mre is eaid to be no entiagonluo betmoon tha 

power of+ the Gommlaslonerr' Court to Imue, ri thin 1ewh.l 

llmlts, oounty warrants In payment of pub110 Improvements 

and the povierto issue county bonds ror euoh purposer. The 

two powsm relet6 to making ime of the oounty *a orsdlt in 

di6tinotl.p different way8 and evidenolng its debt by inPtrumente of clearly dtfrerent nature*. In many oe88Il it 

is posefble for tlm Commia~ione~s~ Court to eooOmQli6h the 

desired improvement within the limits of the oOunty*a general poner of taxation by a aweller ezpendlture than i8 

ordinarily Ln view where a bond issue is proposed, iud without the need of resorting to bonds. nit3 ~80 or vfamanta 

oannot, however, be availed of in order to oiroumvent the 

leas govsrnlng the lseua~oe of county bonds. (Texas Jurisprudenoe, Vol. 11, page 663 and,the authorities oited therein). 

XB the oars OS Adams, et al v. MoOill, et 81, 

140 3. w. (2d) 332, amow other thing@, It was held In 

eifeot that in determining the power oi' the county to issue 
Honorable Fred T. Peter, &go 5 

time warrant8 payable over e pericd of gear8 for the conatruotion of irnpmV@IIeBtS On a oounty livestook end agrioulturalexhibltlon building, it could not be considered 

that there was an ettempt to pay for the bIprOVellHBt8 by 

the lasuenoe of bonds on the theory that after the iss~anoo 

of time warranto, the werrents would be refunded by the 

le~~anes of negotiable bonds. Cnder the statute authorizing a county to provide for an annual exhIbition of horticulture and agrloulturel produota, but not expressly 

conferring povmr to lseue time warrante to pay fbr the 

improvements oonstruoted for euoh purpose, the county had 

Wimplisd poweP to lseue time warrants payeble over a perlod 

of years for the lmprovenento on llveetook and egribtiturel 

exhibit bulldlngr. k oounty, subjeot to the sxpmea mstriotlons imposed by the Conetltutlon and gsnerel Inwe, 

has power to lseue time warrant8 ln payment Sor Improvements 

it iti expreslrly authorlaed to dnnistrebt, provldod the applloabla mlatlonr ta the issuanoe of’ suoh wan-ante am 

observed. 

In view oi the foti@ing authorities, tho above 

eteted queatlon la reepeot~nUy answered in the eifizmative. 

Provided, however, the oounty does BOt 8xooed the limaits 

OS lndebtedneas placed UpOB it unber the tiMtitUtioB. 

TruStiBg that tbrs foregoing fully anawem your 

Inquiry, we are 

Youra very truly 

ATmIwEY alaEmiL OF Ti!xhs 

BY 

APPROVE1;~Y 1, 1941 

krdoll Willi~e 

AEd. &Ant