**OFFICE OF**  **THE ATTORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  **TEXAS**

**AUSTIN**



### pinion or thlr a+

has bswx reoslrrd.

operating 8n 

### air that

## r0r thmpurport ths 00mmfs8i0a.n' 

## boaa or mob OOoptyI

court

## 0r thfo county rr0m County you ah optnion a8

BUI legally issuewar6 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 Issuenegotiable bona6 a008 not rgllov~th8 power

## 0r the county to ieeue timewarrant8 and in this oonnsetion It will be notloed that ths statuts, seotion 2,says that ths countyma lrrsue negotiablebonda.
m (2na) 694. Kocl vs. Pulte(Com. Appv 10

*Anotherease i8 that or Phoenix Kutual Lita Ins. Co. vs. tcotilan82 rea. (zna) ml, wherein It Is held that a oltp wa8 not liable
on vendor lion aotes aesomea by the City whan purohaslng la&UfOr~UBe a8 an airport b8saU88 the only negotiable paper on vhloh a olty oould beoome liable r0r airportpUrpOsO8 r0ua b8 bonds votsd in aooordmos with the statuterw

Artlolb 1269h, Vernon ’8 Annotated Civil Statute8, read8

## 88r0u08m

"Sea. 1. That the goraring body or any lnoorporateaalty In thl8 Statemap 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 altyand withln the aountg inwhloh 8uah olty 18 8ltuated, the land aoqulrea andheld by any swh city
never to at any one time l 

## xoS0asix hundred r0rty aor8, ma the 

## ch1n~iS8iO~SrS’ court 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 

### fortyaare6.

"%!O. 2. For the purpose c$ oodaemnLng or purohaslng either or both, lands to bs used and maintained

## asprovided in Seotion 1 hereor, ana improvingand equippingthe 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 lntereetand 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 aocoraanoewith the provisions of Chapter 1 or Title 220r theRerislOdCivil Statute8

## or lQfX3.

"Sea. 3. lin dir Port aaqulred 

### underlria by virtue 0r the t8I'SM0r WI8 Aot (art. 1fibQh.) shallbe under the management and control of the &JOQernillg

body Of the Olty Ol! the C~i88IOller8' Ccurt of the aountyaoquiring 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 th8reofas suahgoverning body 

### or Co8miIs8loner8*

Court ehall aoem rit, and t0 mske 

### rule8 and regulationsgoverning the u8e thereof. All proo8ea8 from euoh oharges 8haU be devotsd exalurrlwly to the malntenanoe, up-keep, improvement and operation or ruoh Air 

### Portand the raailitie8, 6truotures,ana improvement therain, and no city or county shall be liable for lnjuries to perr0n8 resulting from or oaus8Q by anydefective, 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 otherperson with reierenae ta th6 oonstruotion, ImprovQDslnt, management, eonhot, ormalntenanoa of any =oh hir Port 0r any struoturs, improvement,or thing aP any oharaaterwhatever, 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 tblsAct f Art. 1#369h.)

the governlng boay of any olty or the W1unl88loner8' CourtIionarr,ble Fred T. Porter, Pags 4

Of NIY 00UAty, fallingWithin the teL?mll hereof, may and ir herebyempowered to levy and oollaot
a speolaltax 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 Fortwhich 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 authorizingany city or oountp to sxoeed the llmite of lrdebtednessplaoad upon It under tim ConstltutloB."

The tkmmirelo~ert~' Court her the powor to lnsur indebtednesr,not only to theextent of the revenue8ai t&e oountyduring the term8 Of offtioe of 8uoh aOmmlssloasrs, but also to the extrnt **of** oontraoting away revenue8 whloh will be oolleotedduring many yoara, and to eridenoe the indebtednessby intereat-bearingwarrant8. Unlikr bonds, Interest-bearingwarrantemep be issuedwithout the authority of ths texpaying voters. Thepower oonfsrredupon the Commissioners' Court to ltasuebonds in certein Instanoaa ia an additionalpcsvergit does not aMti the utiating enthorfty to inrue non-negotiable oountywarrant@ tar the BIPED purpose. 2mre is eaidto be no entiagonluo betmoon tha power of+the Gommlaslonerr' Court to Imue, rithin 1ewh.l llmlts, oountywarrants In payment of pub110 Improvements and the povierto issue countybonds ror euoh purposer. The two powsm relet6 tomaking ime of the oounty*a orsdlt in di6tinotl.p

differentway8 and evidenolng its debtby inPtrumente of clearly dtfrerent nature*. Inmany oe88Ilit is posefble for tlm Commia~ione~s~ Court to eooOmQli6h the desired improvementwithin 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, iudwithout the need of resorting to bonds. nit3 ~80 or vfamanta oannot, however, be availed of in order to oiroumvent the leas govsrnlngthe lseua~oe of countybonds. (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@, Itwas held In eifeot that in determining the power oi'the county to issueHonorable Fred T. Peter, &go 5

time warrant8 payable 

### overe 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 llveetookand egribtiturel exhibit bulldlngr. k oounty, subjeot to the sxpmea mstriotlons imposed by the Conetltutlon and gsnerel Inwe, has power to lseue timewarrant8 lnpayment 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 lndebtedneasplaced UpOB it unber the tiMtitUtioB.

TruStiBg that 

### tbrs

foregoing

fully anawem your Inquiry, we are Youra very truly
ATmIwEY alaEmiL OFTi!xhs

BY

APPROVE1;~Y1, 1941 krdoll Willi~e AEd.&Ant