OFFICE OF THE ATIORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN

mmorablr .O.B.Osrron 0ounty Attorney 

### Botor Oountr Odotma, P~rsr 

### Dear

### sir:

Your r8qurst for an rrgsrd to tha aboto Quortio

NO puot* sromyooa
or Oountr lr a8

land In Soa from thr 

# r Oounty l ‘I/Uthr of 

### the 0araamy tumr the0u11- 7/lWw mineral

### lnteawt~

prim ofthair right8aelrarrrr of thir alneral intarost. "For Eotor Oounty to oonstruot ana maiataln an airportonthle traot of land I.0till bo absolutel? noorsrarf that then br fnthr futurenoposrlbfiity or obrtruotlonrofany aortonthr landroltml?rd.'

### ii.33

EononbZe O.L. Gerron, page 2

nWIllyou please adriar It in your opinion thr rightofeminent domaina8aet 

### rorthInArtio1~ 3264a (Imtntrto$otor Countr thr authorityto aoquirr aomPlato tit18 to thl8 property by oondemnat5.on.w
Your requaet ror an opinionmay be atatad acIrollowar Can a oountf oondrmn tha learo hold rrtata to land n8sded in artabll@hing an airport?

Artiola 326&a, V.A.C.S., read8 a8 rollow8: %&ant domain by oountler. Thr right of 

### $mInantDomain ishereby oontarrrdupon oountlrs o? thr State orTans iOr the purpoaroioond~anlng and ao ulrfng '1 land, right of way orl arammt Inland, pr 

### tatr ox publio, 8xoept proparty usad ror oamotrrt purpo8a8,whrre laid land, right or war or l rrrmont 

### la nror88ary in the oonstruotlon of jall8, oourthouM8, hoagitalr, drllnqusntand drpsndont rohoolr, 

### poor iarm8, lIbrarie8 

### or ror other pub110 purpe808, wham 8uoh purport I8 now 

### or mar ha%- 8?trr bp l

utharIid8d

by tti Qonatitution or Statute8 of thlr Stat8. *All sutih

OOndamnationprooordingr.rhallba institutedunder the dlrration or tha o@mmI88Ianor@* oourt, and In thr name of the oounty, and th8 a88888lng 0r damager ehall ba in conformlt~ to tha Btatutaa or the Stat. of Toxa8 for oondmmnlng 8nd aoquirlng right of way br rallroadr. That no appeal from the rindlng and ae8o88mont or damagrr br the oormniesioners appOlntod for that purporr rhall hava thr lifeot of oaurlng the 8~8pan810n Of work by the oountp in eonmotion wfth which the land, right of war, oaaomont, l to., ia aought to be goqulrrd. IInoaoo oi appeal, aountlos 8hall net bo requirrd to glrr bond,

### nor ahall thry ba raquirad to give bona ror aoat8.m Artlalo 1269h,V.A.C.S., read8 a8 rollow8: *Air Fort8, mafntehanoa end operation. seotion 1. That the goternlng body or any inoorporated city in thir Stats may reoalro throughgilt or dedioetion, and 18 hereby uapowrr8d to aoquirr by purohaao,without oondsmnatlon or bf puroharr through 

### oondtmsation proor8dlng8, and tbrroarterHonorablr O.B. OarrOn, pagr f

maintain and oporatr as an Air Port tracts o? land, aither within or without tha oorporate lImIt# o? suoh Oita and within the oounty in which suoh oitl 18 altuat86,thr land aoquirrdandhal& by any auoh oity nofar to 

### at any onr tim6 rxoeed sir hundred rorty aoras, and the **Oommlsaiontms*** Court or 

### anr oountymay llkmlse aLoquir8, maintain and operate 

### for lfkr purpose tracts o? lendwithin th8 lImIta o? the Oounty, not to l xorrd 4t allyone tlaa sir hundred ?ortl abms.~ Artiolr 

### 3270,V.A.C.S.,**reads** aa **?OllOWSl** "SXOept Where OtheIId88 4~pr###ly pr0~id8d **by** 

### law, the r@ht SOOUrOd or to be 8aouce4 to an7 aorporation or othar plaintiff in this Stats, in the mannor 

### previ4.dby this 

### law, shall not be SO oozutrurd as to Inoluda the far slsple astata In lands, 

### aithrrpublioorpriratr, nor ahallt& saaa bu lost

### bythe ?Or?aiturrorrxplntion or ths ohartar, but Shall resaln 8ubJaot to an rxtrn8lon or the chartrr or thegrant o? a new ohartrr without a nrw oondamnation.w Tha 00Ul’t#fn00ll#tlUh& th8 8??OOtO?ArtiOl@ 

### 32fO hare oonslstantlyallowed only an l asmment to be 

### oondamnsd, UlhSS other UtetUt.8 OXpr488l~ pro7148 ?Or4 ?aa Siap18 tit18 to k takrn.

In Dlokoy~r Eatatr Y. Houston Indrponarnt gohool Dlatrlot, 

### 300

### s.w. 250,error diBmiSS@d, the oourt r9fUSaa to allow a ash001 diStrIOtt0 oondemnagraatrr Interest 

### than an rasamrnt

### wherr a 8obool 

### di#triOtdeSire4tooraot 

### p4rmanant 80h001 buildings on the property In quartion.

In Hill t. city or B~lltills, 

### 30s.w. (24)407,tbe olty was 

### allowedto 

### oondrmnonly an easement over th8 land' naeaoa to rreot a sswsragadl8po8al plant.

Other oaseswhen onlyan rasemant waa allomd to br aondmmnrd

### am; Lyon v. MoDonald, 

### 78 Tar. 71, 14 S. w. a61, 9 1.

R.A. 295; @~ppS Y. ~#i#,xar & Paoiilo Ry, Co., 50 B.W. 

### 643; St. Lou1 '~:$outhwsstern Ry. Go. of T4xa8 v. Templ8 .t Worthwest‘rn Ry. Co., 

### 170 8.W. 

### 10731 (3~1~@ast Irr. CO. v. Uary, 116 Tex. 469, 14 8.W.Honorable 0. E. GarroJ, page 4



### (ad)266; International

G. B. Ry. CO-V. Bolee,161 Saw. 194, errorretueea;and Pa-r v. Earria County, 

### 69 8. W. 229.
It is vary clear from the above oited eLstut48 anb 

### deoiaioii8

thatXotorCountyatmcondemnonly &I& easement ea i8 neoeseary for the operation of an 

### airport. The 4xiti.m ?80 e5.mple int8rest and the mineral.0 therein Oaunot be eondemimd in the absenoe o? ageaifio statute authorizing maoh oondelrmation.

XBnvevsr, it Is apparent without arguumnt that an 

### airportoamlotbe operatedon land whioh 

## 18being48r6l0poa for oil and -8 

## ~lU308~8. Inaemuoh

## es it ie well settled that the ordinary oil and gas lease aarrieawith it the right 

## or ingress an& sgresa 

### for the purpose 

## or drill* fma er#Oting the nece#earJr alush pit@, OtOragO taaka OtO., it lfitheretore aclvlaable and neoe84ary that Eater County in any condemnation prooeeding join the holder8 OS any oil and gas lease or nInera1 deeds in order that the oounty may seouro as against auoh lesaeea the unrestrioted use o? the aurfeoo 0s the 

## 00nd0xutmd land 

## ire8 0s tbs rights 

## Oroil end gas lessee8. While a oondemnation againet an oil 

## aa gas lessee will net Operate to Vest title In the ooullty to the a&mm10 underLglng the land on whioh the 8aeePlsnt Is oondegaea, yet euoh oondemuatlon will operate to md@r the eaeement obtained br the Oounty superior to the OBSBI 

## laent or egress and 

## ingrO08O~l%ed by Oil EULdgas lesll8e8 80 that the oounty may use the xand 

## 00naOit9ma a6 an airport without interferenoe from owpIIr4 or leeeeca of the tinerati.

We eaaloee an opinion recently wrltten on the OubjO0t or 

### a oounty'apower to purchase land ror an airport which opi,nion we thought mi&ht 

### be

## or intereatto You. Yours very truly

EABJrteb (Enale.1