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

Eonorable Ben S.'Dean Dietrlct Attornsy Breoketiri~.e,Texar

Dear sir: Opinion NO. O-1880 R4: Is the cootra'ct“aorthe lsaae

ntraot proposed to be unty, Toxa*, under unty la to loago a uilder for 

### $4,450.00, hly lnstalllwnta t the oounty #hail 4 raid maohfnsry Upon f the ~4ae4 for th, amount whloh 6 rentals plus 8:x **per** oent **ror** 6, although the oounty i6 not xoroise the 

### option.
93 other wordn, this option oontraot doom obllgats the oountp to pay In monthly installment8 the sum or )4,480.00 regardloo& orwhothor the option 18 exoroised ana gives the oounty the rlsht to take 

### ths maohlnery at the end or the ~oontraot period. Under the contract the oounty obligate8 itsslr to pay the satire Purohaao priO4 of the maohlnery, but it is not cd ed a purohass but a lease oontraot.Hon. Ben 3. Dean, page 2

"Th4 County Connnlaslonerwho isgetting the sm4hinery mntlonod in the oontraot advises me that the salesman representing ths nmohinery company Informed h-that this was amethod ol dealing without oomplylng with the law requidng such oontraot to be advertised and submitted to oompekltlte bids.

hl%i414 16659,?oBraOn*SAnnotated Clvll Statutes; reads as rollows:

~upplha oi erSryklXid.ro6d and bridge 

### matorlal~or any othu matorlal, forthe us4 of said 

### aounty or any or its 

### orfle4rs.d4putm4ats. or lMtltutioEs must be purohamd cm aompstitiro bids, 

### the ~ntraot to 

### be awardedto the party who, in tb4 udgmont or the oomnisnlon4rl)-OOart, ha8 6t&aitfei the lowest and Wt bid. .Th4 county 

### awlltar 8&&l admrtlae ror a period 

### 0r troweeb in at Mast on4 dally naspapc)r, ubllshd 

### and Oiroulatod 

### inthe county, for mob 8uppPlets 4d matstial aooordl.nSto sp4olfSoatiom. glvl.nS in dotail+hat la needed. 

### &oh advertlsarontr shall state wWrs 

### the spc~lfloatlous 

### Sarato be Wand, and shall glre the.tl.meand ,plaoofor rec4l~lng suah bids. AU suoh ~petltlv~ bids shall bo kept on file **by** the uounty auditor as a partoi 

### theraoamln or his offlad, and 8hal.l **bt.aubJaut** to:-~,otlon by w on4 **dodra** to so4**,.thr.** Ooploa of all bida reoe4v.d rhall bo 

### SurnIahe4**by** 

### t8s uounty auditor to the 

### Mtr 

### Iua&emd tothe oolmieelonua awu.rf;~and

### dea the **b&la** koaolwd **ua** not satlsfs.otory **to the** 

**e** or 0oMty **eoml~8lons~~ the**  an6ltur sot sal4 bids and rs-abvortiS0 i'ormw bids,, In~oastts'ofeaorgenay,~purohksss not in OX0-6 of on4 hundred and rlfty dollars mny bo **mado** upon requlsitl6zito be approved **by** the ovation41% aourt, rdthout rdrrrtlsing ror oorpetltlr4 bl*.r

**-6er** oonatltutlonal 

### l notion, the Leglal.clt~4ha dslsgatea to 

### the oountle~ or this state, aat- tbtoueh the oo~nalssion4n.*oourt, the **powor** to 1~ out, OoMtmOt, r+ pair an6maintain pub110 roads. Artlols 5, SootiOn 62, Arti014 11,motion Z, or ths Comtltution, utla1.e X351 amI 1559, Vornon*s Dnotatod Civil Statutss. HOmwor, a4 raid b 11 Tex. 

### Jurls. at p.632:

mm4 mWmrlty 

### or the oormlssion4rm* oourt aa the gov4rnln13bady of the 

# ooutf to a~+4Eon. Hen J. Dean, PIA,+3

aontrtlctoIn ltn bohnlr Is strictly 

### linltod to that conferred Oithar 4~pOOSly or by rnlr or neooasary lmplloatlon by Ihe 

### Cowtltutlon end the laws of the atato." Cblur4s4 County vi Stata, 92 9. W. 1011; Roper v. Bull, 2a0 

### 9.w. PBS 

### anaLasdter v. Lopez, El7 8. x'. 

### 373.

**We** er4 uacbl.4to rind any authority aepomrlr& oomnlssion4rs* oourt to lea44 or 

### rentroad maohlnory anA equipment with the option to prohess.



### InourOplnlonlo. O-1685 itras at&cd that;
?rho bid requlromnt or Artlolo 1659, aupra, 1s 

## l

ppll4abL4 to any purahum of mad maohlnory

### or qqulpmoatby a oourrty

### aomlsslonors* aourt and oaanot **be** avolA4A in 4ny 

### man8erra

nt::ourOpinion Ho. O-1317 itw(u hold that:

'#IO, thanfor4, respotfdly advlss that It fs tie opialon 01 this **dsputmant** 

### thatJiwt first pnestlou 8horad be smw4n4 In then atlvo) lum4ly, thatths.mSss~aa4m* 44urt 04nmt T oaseor rant, wlththe OptiWi fa potsh~s, mad nraahinSry,plot ups or tmob, rard#ruu4s for the 

### storageo?.equlpment. me. 

### question0r abtorti-81126 

### ror bids, 

### in saoh Amos, thorsup& beeoam ilmatariciL.*
W4trrUl4lOsi~h4l~dth Opi4SOr th4 

### tWOibar0 **m4ntiouoA** oplnloa8 cmd OplElop Ho. 0-le59, Zor JouZ lnfokmstlon and eonv4alen40.

ae **sedmlled** loam Is 00 8x& fhsx~a 84l4 OS the 

### Bachlnorytotheaouuty, 

### '~uofore, uudsrthe fasts 'BtateA, th4 court ic attemptlug toAo inbireotlywhat it 

### 18 frm doing dlrootly; 

### that 18, to r&4 a purohase *Itii 

### mhlbltd out advertlsl~ for 

### bl6s as requlr4A by law.

Lo ri4wor tb4 roregoing you 

### ar4rosp4otfully 

### advised that it is th4 opti$oa or this rmpartuont that the abov4 montloned oontruot 

### 10void.

### Eon.Bell J.Dean,p&e 4