OFFICEOFTHEATTORNEYGENERALOFTEXAS 

AUSTIN 

May 1, 1939 

Ur. L I.. Shelton 

county AudItor 

Johnac~on Comty 

Cleburne, ~OXAS 

Dear Slrr 

8 appronl or 

n on the f01lorlng 

r riolato a 

th road aaeat or thy ooart? 

in (ping ti.3 end 

"The aountie~ or the stak are hwebp 

de&rwed to have the authority to employ, 

or ptirA1t to be hAfiOyOd, SJly r0ea oon8truotion or other meohinery or road equlpunsnt in 

the eerrlco of aoil cwumrrcrtion and grewontion or soil waste through erosion, whemrex 
Mr. E. L. Sheltoc, Xag I, 1939, FaRe 2 

In the judment of the county commissioners 

court, entered upon the minutes of the court, 

such machinery or equipment is not demanded 

for the service of building and the up-keep 

of t3e roads of the county; and shall provide 

for compensation to the county road fund, or 

the road fund of any defined distriot or 

aut?;orlzed subdivision in the county, For 

such employment of road equipment." 

3eotlon 4'0r the same ertiole reads es roll-2 

“15 the public ecmloe oi ooaservlng 

the soil rertllity or the ua or the eou~ty, 

the oommissioners* court shall hate the 

authority to ooo#erata with the landowners 

and taxpayers or the 00untJ ln all judloicua 

orforts ror the preserratlon or the proauotivenees ot the sot1 l"rom avoidable waste, and 108s 

or pro&u@Areaesa or agricultural crops neoesaary to the pub110 umlfare, through permlesfon 

to ~110 the maohbmry and equIptent that may be 

made eva~lable bf the ccuaty ior suah purpcoeu. 

tier written aontraat, and the aoumtf~shall 

reaeive from mah lazidouners and 'taxpayers 

mmpenaaticn, upon such unlfom baais a8 my be 

doged wultable, and proper, ror the occperation ertende4 and serv%eer rerwleml, all auoh 

atmperuatfon or runa to the aountp to be p&d 

iato the R&d and BriQge Fund Of the 00t~~ty; 

ana the aotmty comml~ricnera: court may protide 

r0r payrmente from landowners and taxpwers or 

the county atsuah stated intervals aud in 

suoh smount8, as ana when the bounty tams are 

solleotea, as nap be w&p:-$abU,, ?or the use 

or the equipment ror the protdation or land8. 

against ocntlneing lmaeasweable~injury through 

no11 eroelon~ priada timt the oemmlssioner,rsl 

aourt or repreaentatite thereor shall not go 

upon the land or any owner to improve, temaoe, 

protect, or dltah such land until requested to 
$43 

m?g 

.. -i. 

Mr. E. L. Shelton, b!ag 1, 1639, Page 9 

do so in wrltlng by such owner; and provfied 

further, that the aoabalssioners~ oourt or 

representative thcreot shall not be required 

to do such improvin& terraoing, protecting 

and dltchln~ unless.such court shall determine that such work ia of so- public benefit 

and said court cleats todo the wmk." 

Seotlon 3 ana Sootion 4 or hrtlole 237a0, Just 

quc&ld, olear4 sets forth the manner in which, and the 

olroumatenoes aad conditions under whioh the paohlnery 

bdlm&ng to a aounty of this atate may be used 'for the 

$urpcse of preserving the preduetireness la agricultural 

prcbcts necessary to the publio welfare. Ecwever, we 

know or no law, whfeh rould make a comlssioner rho permits thecaaehineryoftheoountyto beuseddthoutmeetlag the requlrwti as set forth in Beations 3 ana 4 of 

Art1018 23720, subjeot to pro8eentlcm fcm a penal ofiense. 

We know or a0 authority for a ccmlasloner te 

make spsolal aontraot work with the'road machinery eS the 

county rlthout the eonsent of the aebrt. FIoweveri it Is 

.-our opinion, t&et by so dolug t&e aoamlssloner .iloes not 

violate any penal s$atuta of this atate. r.nterestlng 

questlona lnvolr~ng the ic(lerpretation and entbroeaant 

of eontra&s would natural4 arise as a result of a omtidonsr aotlng dtbout authority in entsrlng into aa 

-agreement with an lndlvldual or lnditlauals, tc use 

county road saohlnery in doing work ror said lnalrl6ual 

or ladlvlduals, but such questions do not arlse'ln your 

request ror an oplnlon in thlq instance. 

In view Cf.the provlslons of ArtZele SS7i3? of 

the Revised Civil Statutes of the.state of Texas, ft i8 

our opfntnion thst a 00&8810ner does not vlolste a penal 

statute of this state la uslag a pick-up bought an&paid 

ror out Or oounty funds ln the admlnlstrbtlon or his 

business as ocmelssloner and in going to and from court 

meetlnp3. 
Mr. 2. L. Zhslton, Jay 1, 1939, Page 4 

Article 23721 of Vernon's Eevised Clvil~L;tatutes of the state of Texss, reads in part as follower 

"The comnlssloners* court 18 hereby 

authorized to allow each comuilasioner to 

purchase a plckyap truok to be used in e*cb 

respective precinot on official business and 

it shall be paid for out of the~Road and 

Bridge Fund of the respeatlre oomlesionera* 

preclnctd, and seoh oommisaioner shall make 

under oath an aotwunt of his expandlttmea 

for auah purpose.* 

Truatting that the foregoing answers your inwirya am remain 

-- ATTORNEY GENERA OF -