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 “aor the 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& or whothor 

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 

P 

urohaao priO4 

of the maohlnery, but it is not cd ed a purohass 

but a lease oontraot. 
Hon. Ben 3. Dean, page 2 

"Th4 County Connnlasloner who is getting 

the sm4hinery mntlonod in the oontraot advises 

me that the salesman representing ths nmohinery 

company Informed h-that this was a method ol 

dealing without oomplylng with the law requidng 

such oontraot to be advertised and submitted to 

oompekltlte bids. 

hl%i414 16659, ?oBraOn*S Annotated Clvll Statutes; 

reads as rollows: 

~upplha oi erSryklXid.ro6d and bridge 

matorlal~ or any othu matorlal, for the us4 of 

said aounty or any or its orfle4rs. d4putm4ats. 

or lMtltutioEs must be purohamd cm aompstitiro 

bids, the ~ntraot to be awarded to the party 

who, in tb4 udgmont or the oomnisnlon4rl)-OOart, 

ha8 6t&aitfe i the lowest and Wt bid. .Th4 

county awlltar 8&&l admrtlae ror a period 0r 

tro weeb in at Mast on4 dally naspapc)r, ubllshd 

and Oiroulatod in the county, for mob 8upp P lets 

4d matstial aooordl.nSto sp4olfSoatiom. glvl.nS 

in dotail+hat la needed. &oh advertlsarontr 

shall state wWrs the spc~lfloatlous Sara to be 

Wand, and shall glre the.tl.me and ,plaoo for rec4l~lng suah bids. AU suoh ~petltlv~ bids 

shall bo kept on file by the uounty auditor as 

a partoi the raoamln 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&e md to the 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'or mw 

bids,, In~oastts'of eaorgenay,~purohksss not in OX0-6 of on4 hundred and rlfty dollars mny bo mado 

upon requlsitl6zi to be approved by the ovation41% aourt, rdthout rdrrrtlsing ror oorpetltlr4 bl*.r 

-6er oonatltutlonal l notion, the Leglal.clt~4 ha 

dslsgatea to the oountle~ or this state, aat- tbtoueh the 

oo~nalssion4n.* oourt, the powor to 1~ out, OoMtmOt, r+ 

pair an6 maintain 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 gov4rnln13 bady of the ooutf to a~+4 
Eon. Hen J. Dean, PIA,+ 3 

aontrtlcto In 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 ana Lasdter v. Lopez, El7 8. x'. 

373. 

We er4 uacbl.4 to rind any authority aepomrlr& 

oomnlssion4rs* oourt to lea44 or rent road maohlnory anA 

equipment with the option to prohess. 

In our Oplnlon lo. O-1685 it ras at&cd that; 

?rho bid requlromnt or Artlolo 1659, 

aupra, 1s l ppll4abL4 to any purahum of mad 

maohlnory or qqulpmoat by a oourrty aomlsslonors* aourt and oaanot be avolA4A in 4ny man8erra 

nt::our Opinion Ho. O-1317 it w(u hold that: 

'#IO, thanfor4, respotfdly advlss that It fs 

tie opialon 01 this dsputmant that Jiwt 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 storage o?.equlpment. me. question 0r 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 

Bachlnory to the aouuty, '~uofore, uudsr the fasts 'BtateA, 

th4 court ic attemptlug to Ao inbireotlywhat it 18 

frm doing dlrootly; that 18, to r&4 a purohase *It ii 

mhlbltd 

out advertlsl~ for bl6s as requlr4A by law. 

Lo ri4wor tb4 roregoing you ar4 rosp4otfully advised that it is th4 opti$oa or this rmpartuont that the abov4 

montloned oontruot 10 void. 
Eon. Bell J. Dean, p&e 4