**OFFICE OF**  **THE ATTORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  **TEXAS AUSTIN** 
**SROVERSELLERS ATTORNEY**  **GENERAL**

**Honorable A.**  **3. Xickertaon**  **county Auditor**  ziontgeaeryCounty conroe, Texas

**Deer Sir:** 

Ye ha+6 reoei heroinabore **oaptio our**  **oplnlon on**  **the uote**  **fro5 your**  **letter**

**t** th8.COmsllmher 110euthortty to rty ,8X88&&

thOa8 80t ion 1, Art. 1269h.

$35,000.00 per year oovering Operational and naiotenenoe ao8te or thir airport. This iis 

### a burden Whioh the OOtAOty deiinit8lydoe8 not f8Bl 

### that it oM~esouQ8. Therarore,

### any oontraat whereby Oper6tionelend nzainten8Ilc8 008t8 tight be entirely aaeummi **by a**  **lessee wouh3**  **enable this**  

### 00unty to keep the airport opsn without expense.Hon. A. fi.HiOk8rSOJX,page 

### 2

nParagraphr, Of S8OtiOf.l 1, Art. 

### 1269h, give8 th8 governing bodler OS inaorporated aitleaoerkin **poworr** to 8811 oonvey or 18888 airports. In order to f88il%- tat8 th& nmtter, would it b8 pO88ibl8 for Kontgomery COUnty t0 **OX8OUt8** 8 18888 t0 the City Of COnrOeWhereby the City in turn could 8xeaut.o 8 lea88 to an individual firto?Although thisnight eppear to be aaaompllahing that lndir8atlgwhiah th8 aounty aannot aoaompll8h dFr8OUg Under your opiniona, itwould enable the 0oUntg to m8k8 a sat#$raotorydieporltionof it8 **airport** problem&
*In the event 

### that you find this

### method Invalid, kindly 8dVi88Qi888 t0 Whether Or not then i8 8Iij valld~prooedUr8whlah the oountymight follow in timking a lease of it8 airport to an individual iira or **oorpora** tlon."

**Artlab** 12&h, **V8BlOll ’** **8** AMOt4ted Civil **St6tUt88,** prOVia in part 88 fO118W8,

%e0t1on 1. A- That the governingb@dy Of 8alyin**rated Oity**  **in** 

### thin **Stat.8 El8y**  **r808iV8 through**  **&it** dlaatlon,end fr h8mby UnpOWered to 80.Qtim, **by** puro&888 **without** aondemation or by puraha88 thmm&h **aOnd8inUatiiXI prOO88diu8,**  and th8r88fter

### nmintalnuad operate **a8** en **airport,** or 18a88, or 883.1, 

## to th8 Fed8l-d **~OV8d58llt,** tmOt8 Of **land** slthor **WithhI OS**  without the aorporate limit8 of 8Uah oitJr and Witti th8 oounty in whlah 8U8h aity i8 8itu8t8d, 8d th8 C@Wd.S8iOL18r8' **Court** Or 0w OOUatJr 06y lik8Ui88 8Q**guin,** a8fnt8ln and operate **ror** like purpore traat8 of land with* the limit8 Or th8 OOWtY.

"B- That the **~OV8rnin~** boaJ Of any inaorpor8ted oity iKIthi8 @tat8 IQlly mO8iV8 thOUgh gtit Or d86iO8- tion, end 18 h8nby emponer8d to aoqUir8 by purah888 to aoqusm Dy pUrOntr88 **without** aondemation, and thereafter **mnintain** and hereafter**medntaln** opmto **a8** an airport, or loam, or 8ellto tJ~8 8011 t0 th8 Federal CIoV8I%Unent, traet8 Of landwfthout the

td the OOUUty

UiIty in whih **8UOh oity**  **iS 8itUated,**  ~rOVid8d **8aid tmOt8**  8aib tmOt8 61'8 not within **riV8** (5)ai. Of 8XIOther in?OrpGmt8d inoorparatrd city that h88 a population OfmOl'8ttta!l fift88Uhundred 

### or more yan xifti8U

---_*a__ *-.---, (1500)people, aoaording to the l08t gr808ding 98d8r8l **CtmlU8.**

### 5’72

**ffon.** 

### A. **x. ~OkOr8OU,**  **p8g8** 

### 3

‘C- That **the goVeming**  body of any inoOrpOmt8d Oity in thi8 Stat8my, **8nd i8**  h8r8by ampow8r8d,~ ao- **@Z-O through**  

### oond8mnatlon **prOO88u8, treat8**  **of Iand**  

### lOQ8tOd without the OOUity in whiah 8ald olty 18 1ooat8d, provided said traat8 of land are within SIX (6)miles Of the OOUtY boundary Of the aounty ln whiah **8aid** aity 

### 18loaated, aadam 

### not within 

### riV8 

### (5) mile8 or another 

### lnneorporated olty having a population In 8xoees or iiit88n hundmd (1500)p8Opl8, aaoording to 

### the lart pro08ding Federal **C8n8U88** and that s8id aitymay th8r8aft8r malntdkln

aad op8rato a8 **en** airport, or **18a88,** or **88U,** 8aid treat8 $e,the FederalQOVrrnm8nt; provided,however, that the gra& her8lnmad8 to aoqu$ma land through eond8JlUlat~On

prOO8Oding8,without the oountp inwhlah said Oity 18 loaatad 8hR11 8Xpir8 011**D808ab8r** 314.942, th8t tmOt8 

### of iand aaquired prior to that

### date, an& but
Ulid8rthe authorityOr th18Aat, Blsyoontinue to b8 **Op8r8 ’** **t8ds** ha88d, **01 8016,**  **e8** prOVid8d **in** thi8Aat.
l D- In 

### l

ddi@On to thepow8r her8in gnntad, th8 **~CUUWi88iOnOr8 ’**  **cOU&Of th8**  88V8r8i **0OkUiti88 Or**  **thi8 8tat8**  **am** h8r8bg authoriaed **to** l8aa8 any airport that **may ba**  **aaquimd** by **the** 

### aounty, **an** h8r8in provided, t@ **any inoorporatad**  **aitp** or munleipaJ.lty within muoh OOUllty,

Or St3 the 

### F8d8l’Ol

**GoV827Mtent, for**  t&o **purp088** Or maintaining and operating an airport; and provlded further 

### that 8ny incorporated oity h8viRg requimd land **for an**  airport, **or an**  **airport, under**  the **authority Of**  **thi.8** 

### A&, **8h~11** have th8 right t0 lea80 said Zurd 

### or 8ald airport to the county ln whloh reid lnoorQorata6 City **18** 

### lOOOt86.

**%ii- In**  addltlon **to the**  power whlah itmay 

### now have, the governing **body of**  en **inaorporeted Oity**  **8hau** have the power t0 8811, OOnV8y,Or 18a88, all Or OXiJ QOrtiO3ll of any airport8h8mtOfOr8 8atabli8h8d or 

### thatmy **be** h8r8att8r 88tabliah8d,Or 8w iand **tiOq?liXOd UAd80**  **th8** proVi8ion8 ot thi8 **Aot,** 

### t0 th0United **Stat88 Of**  **AS8Ii88 for**  **any p~rp080**  **deemed by**  th8 **ihOV8rxlQlont Of**  **th8 iJnit8d**  **states** naaeesary for **National D8fanO8,**  **Or iOr**  **air laafi**  purpoaaa, or any other pub110 purpose, 

### or t0 the Stat8 of hfP8, of eny branoh'& th8 Stat8 Gova~nt, Or to any otherper8on, rim or aorporatlon, to 

### oarw **out any**  **pUrpO88** n80888ary or inaldental toNational Dsienre or training itiaidentsl theretoiend thet **suoh** governing

body @ha11provide rulea and regulattone ror the proper use of any euoh airport8 in aonneotionwith th8 purpoa88 8tatsdherein.*

### 573

The **OOUlBt8**Of Tax88haV8 **r8Q88t8du** h8lb that oounty 80~0 J@8iQIl8

r8' OOurtSNW eX8rOi88 Only ruoh **OUthOrity** a8 18 eonferr8dUQOn thaa **by** the COLI8titUtiOil and 8t8tUt88 of thi; State, 8itherby express t8rms or **by** lmplloatlon. Thor8 ara many **au tJ!@riti88**  **t0** this **8ff8Ot,** andwe cite the follOW$,ng:


### tit-i018

**5, 88OtiOI.l**  **18, ‘** **&X88 hl8titUtiOn;**  ATtiOl8 2351,R8ViHd Civil St8tUt88 oi !l'8=8j T8X88 JUri8QrUd8JXO8,.VOl. 11, pag88 563-566; Bland T* Orr, 39 s. w. 5581 #IUU%-Wl;X+ZVn

Publirhing Companyv. Kutohimon County, 45 5. W. (2d) 6513 Xogg v* Campbell, 48 6. **W. 2d)**  5151 Landmen v. State, 97 **8. W.**  **2d) 264;**  **I** Bl -80 COUnty **V. rihU8**  **106 S.**  **W.** (24) DOb8On V. M8r8h811, llh 8. **W,** (2d) **621; 2791;** 
**id1118 COwlt~**  **V. LamQOra8**  **COUAtJl, 40**  **8. W.**  **l+O&**
**Our** 

### Opinion **No. O-6878**  read8 ln part a8 r0ii0w8:

"In answer to your rir8t qu88tlm we r8f8ryou to our OpinionNo. O-3865, i oopy of whloh i8 herewith OnOlO8Od,whhorclin it 8t8t88: 'It i8 **our** oplnlon that the &II&88iOR%r8' &lirt ha8 !A0 authority t0 18888 8&l 

### airport to any party axoept tho88 88t 

### out In pamgraph D of 

### Seotion 1, AFtiD 1269h.q Thu8, the Gf3r~ml88lon8n~ **Court** 

### oan only **lea88** aa **airport to**  tang **inaorpim8t84** eity 

### or muuialpalltywithin 8uoh oOUnty Or tha 

### Fad8ralGOVeraIaallt. * ft 18, th8r8fQr8, th8 Opinion Of thi8 d8p8rtIWt that the ~Ornmi88tOJi8r8' COUt 88iUlOt

18888 a OOlUlty

owned airport to an indivldual.~
**(Al80 888**  OplnlonNo. O-3865, a aopy of whlah ha8 **already bean**  iMii8d **t0 YOU).** 
Both of the abOV8 ODilliOZi8 

### h+ld that the @WllQi88iOn8r8' (%Uti aould 

### not lea88 **a** countymvned airport to nn AndivXduel..

### 1s th8 Coarmiarionar8~ **Court OS**  blontgwnery Countywere to loos8 th8 oounty airport to th8 City Oi Conro8 80 that the Oity in turn **aould leas0**  88ib Sirpert to en individual iirnt,88id COIMiia8iOU8A'8' COiU%Would be doing 8Omething indimatly that they OOuldnot **do** 6imd.Y. It it3 8118188IMtery 8nd fUndamOntalQrinOipl% Or law that a x%iTeLts8ionar8' Court aannotdo anything lndireatly that they **oannot** ao dir8atly.H(CI~.

A. &:. tiiokeraon, page 

### 5

In view of the foregoing, your quertion ia enmere in the negative. You are 8180 advlsad that we do not knowof a valid prooadure whiah the county might follow in making a lease of its airport to an individual firm or oorporation. This opinion 18 not 

### tobe oonrtrued as per8ing on the authority~ofthe governing body of a olty to cell or leeee a oity airport. The provirlonr of Artiole 

### 4399,V. A, c. s., prohibit urn

### frompaaring on auoh a question, Wetruat that wa have uatiafeotorily answered your inquiry.

JCDtLJ Your8 very truly,
AT’l’&UC$Y CiiiXhaAL OF ‘lKXA9