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

Honorable H. 8. Virgil County iittorney, Tarry Brownfield, Torae

Dear Sir; Crawford county

ttar 

## orJuly 9, rtcmit upon the



## feld, Texas, 6320Qaro
o be usmdfor an air**owned and**  oontrollsd order to aoquire the hIs about the only nsd, it wlll b-aaeoestion or 

## 640am48 lo one e OSthe county and oity 8040aoree andthen eel1 the eked to a private lndlvfduel. y or Terry County and the city purohase the 320 aarea not desired rt andthen turn around and sell it tnd1vldusl without profit or lose on mlae?”

Your question has two fsaturer, nemlp: whether the oounty and oitg my sot jointly in puroheslng andoperating anairport; and, whether aurplua land aoqulred for airport PurPoees maybe sold without profit or loss.

## 1219

_

Itinl

lamentclry, 

### 0r

course, that ootmtle8 aot through their governing bodies, tha oomlaelonerr~ oourt, whose authority 1s not plenary but strlotly llaltsd to the powers expressly or Lnplfedly oonierred by law. Authority to establish andmlntaln airport8 fe contained in Article 1269h, Vepnon*e manotated Civil Statutes, which provldss in 

## part:

“Seotlon 1&That the governing body of any lnoorporated city in this State mayreceive through gift or dedloatlon, and la hereby empowered to aoqulre, by purohase without oohdansat.j,on or by purcheet through coabnaatlon proassblngs, andthereafter maintala andoperate ae sn airport, or lease, or sell, to the Federal Government, traots oi lend either within or without the corporate lfmlto or such olty snd wlthln the county in whfah suah aity is situated, **tand**the Commisefouem* Court of anycounty msglikewise aoquire, maintaln andoperate for like purpose traote of land within the limits of the couaty.

"'B- That the governing body of any lnaorpomted olty in this Stste my receive through girt or dedication, and is hereby empoweredto acquire by purohass without oondemmtioh, **and** thOreUiter tiintaln andoperate as an airport, or lease, or sell to the Peaeral Goverment, traots of land without the county in which alaohoity is sltutited, provided said traota are not within five (3) tiles of another incorporated olty that hzs apopulation of more than flitem hundred (1530) people, yederal Ceoeua,aoeordlng to the last preoedlng

“C - Thzt the governing body Ofany inOOrporated aity in this titnte may, andis hereby erapowered, to aoqulm through oondemnatlon proceedinea, traotn of land located without the county in which said city is loaated, provided said traots of lend are within six (6) miles of the county boundary of the county in whioh said olty Is located, andore not within five (5) allee of another lhoorporeted city having a population in excess or flttaen hundred (1500) people, au-ii0nor;lble n. a. vlr@ cruwrord, paga 4 

## 123

WSOO. 2. (a) For the QU~QOS~ 

## 0r condomihg or Qurohaeing, either or both, lande to be use&andPaiotalned as prOVided i!l SeCtloh 1 hereof, and i.aQroving and equ1ppb.x the 3am for ouoh use, the governing body

## 0r any city or the Co.-J3lia~tonervCourt 

## Ormyoounty,falling within the teriuv or such Seotlon, my iS3ue negotiable bonds 0r the city or 

## orthe county, 90the oaae my be, and levy taxes to provide 

### for the intereat and linking ruhdo or anysuch bon&eBOissued, ?heauthority hereby given for the issuanoe Or such bonds ana levy and oollootion or snah taxes to be oxeroiaed in aooordanae with the provlslons or Chapter 1 or Title 22or the &vised Civil Statutea of 1925. "l * *

'Sec. 3. AnyAir Port aoqoired under andby virtue or the term of this Aot shall be under the manage~mant

andoontrol of the IgovernIng body of the olty or the Co:mlssloners* Court 

## orthe county 90- quiring the mm, whloh la hereby expresely authorlzed and enpowered !:olfaprove, malntaln **and** conduct th6 3aa as UPAir Port, andfor thnt purpo3e to makeand provide therein all neoeosary or rlt lmprovenents undraollltleo **end** to rix suohreasonable oharaes tor the u3e thereof a8such governing body or Co.mla8loners' Court ehall deemfit, andto makerule8 and regulations governing the use thereor. All proceeds iroe. suah chkrgea shall be devoted exolu3lvely to the
f m&itenmoe, up-keep, lnprovonent andOpfWrstlohOf

such .iir Port a%dthe faoillties, structuree, and i. l=prove:uente therein, andno oltp or oounty s&l1 i be liable for lnjuriee to barsons resulting from f; or caused by any defeotive, unaound or uneare oon- ? lj dition or any 3uoh Air Port, or any part thercot,

or thing of any oharaoter therein or resulting from Or caused by anynegllgenoe, rant of skill, or lmk OfCare on the part ot anygoverning Bor;rdor Co+ missionere' Court, orriaer, agent, servant or employee or other person with referenoe to the conatruction, lmproveinent, mahagement

,conduct, or ~kitenanoe or any euoh i&r Fort or any structure, ir;L3rovezent, or thing of any chsrscter whatever, l2cated therein or aonnooted thererlth. * * **

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cording to the last prraedlnf4 Federal Census; sn&that said olty :aaythereaftar maintain and operate aa an airport, or lease, or sell, said tracts to the Federal Goverment; provided, however, that the @ant herein madeto POWire land through condemnation prooeedlnge, rlthout the county in whioh said olty Is located, shall expire on December 31, 19412,but that tracts Of land acquired prior to that date, andunder the authority oi this kct my continue to be operated, leased, or eold, ae provided in this Act.

“D - In addition to the power herein granted, the Comlasioners’ Courts of the eevsral oountlea or thla State are hereby autborlzed to lease anyairport that maybe aoqulred **by** the county, a8 herein provldea, to any lnoorporated OltY or munloipallty wlthln such cou::ty, or to the Federal Govermcnt, ior the purpose oi maintainin& and operating analrgorti andprovided further that any ttio~q.oporatedcity having aoqulred land for
an airport, or aa airport, under the authority or thla Aot, shall have the right to leaee said land or said airport to the county in which said incorporated olty 18loarted.

“E - In addltlon to the powerBshlohit may nowhave, the governing body of an incorporated olty vholl have the power to sell, oonvey, or lease, all or any QOrtiOn8ot any airport8 heretofore established or that maybe hereartor establlehed, or any land,acquired under the prodsiona or this .4ct,to the United States of America for any purpose deemed by the Government or the United State6 neoeasary ror National 1)eiense, or for air mall purpo6e8, or anyother publio purpose, or to the aate oi Texas, or any branch of the State Government, or to any other person, rlr0, or oorporatlon, to oarry out any purpose necessary or lnoldental to Rational Defense or training incidental theretoi andth?t such governlag body shall provide rules andregulations ror the proper nsnor any such airports in connection with the purposes rtated herein.Xonorabls fi.8. Virgil Crawford, pug* 5

There are zany lnetanoaa Inwhloh the Legislature har authorized oountlaa andaltIe to oooperatb with eaoh other in undertaking tarLou projsota. glthout attempting to br exhnuetiw, we note for exmple thut Arti018 4434, Rsvioed CIrIl iStatutes, 3rovldes for their oooprratlon In makingImpmreaentr nrao~ssaryto Iriarovs the pabllo health andpromote sanitary regulations; &lo18 Quvidrs ror their oooperatlan in ereotln$ brldces; Art1016 MO8 provider for their oooperation In eatabllahlng a hoapitall Article 6018e provides 

### for their oooparation in rstabllrhing perks end srticlr 4436s. V.A.C.S,, dooperation in the formation of a olty-aounty health units, rbreorer
, 

### Artlola 52480, V.A.C.S
., provides that oitlss andoountleg, my jointly aoquiro lands 

### for the use of the Federal 

### Coveranlent.
Artlole 1209h, 

### V.A.C.S., however, da88not Pro**vldr** for the joint acquisition, ostabllehmnt andInafntenanoe of arialrport. It provides that alther a olty 

### or a oounty my aoqulro land for airport purposea in the 

### manner specified, andSeation 5proridar that ansirport 80aoqulred shall br under the managaxent andoontrol of the governing body of the olty or the @ommiaaionera* oourt of the county aoqulrlng sane. While one say lsnar 

### to the other, (%otlon l-D, Article 1269h) there are no pro~lsIone for joint aotion.

In Opinion No. O-1000 this departmnt held that, legialativs authority laoklng,a oity andoounty 0oul.dnot legally enter into a partnership agreement to purohase a motor grader ior road andstreet repair work.

In Opinion No. 0-2go'olthis dbpartaent held thst
a oounty oomleolonera~ aourt waenot authorized, leglelatlve authority laoklng, to enter into a oontraot andpartnership with a city and expend oounty funds ior the ooaatruotlon and aquipsent of a alty-aounty jail; aad la Oplnloa MO.04985 Wehrld that Aavarro County hadnoauthority to cooperate with the City of Corsiosna in establlshlng andmaintaining a QitY-QOUntyhealth unit,

UnderArtlole ledOh efthar aoounty or a city Say eatabllsh and mIntain anairport but the method6therein Provided are rxahsioe (Porter Y. City or yiaao, (Sup. Ct.) eSS3. W. 1104); aadthere is nolegisletlvo authority ior,. .wuuciiole n. 3.. Virgil Cr,awford, page 6 

## 125

aoaoerted aotloa. It followa that In our opIaioa Terry County and Browafield, Texas, say not jOIatlY aoqulrr and operate anairport.

Your second question is whether or not Terry County say aoquire 320 acres not needed for naairport, (but which mustbe aoqulred la order to obtain the desired 1-d) sad then sell the sane to aprirste individual without profit or loss.

;srtlalo 1269h, supra, ooatalas smple authority for Terry County to purohass a&port property by purohasr without aondeaaatlon or by purahaso thsough aondemmtlon

1 roceedlngs. It ma employ Its permanent lmprovs~neatfund Oplaloa NO. 04312 f or It mayIssue bonds. Article 1577, Revised Civil Statutee, provider authority for the erals of oouatf realty andspealfles the maaer of its dlspoaltloa. Sea Soalf Y* Collla Count&(Sup. Ct.J 169. X. 314.

In our oplalon the quo&ion oi whether or not Terry County should purohass 040aores IAorder to obtain
a aholoe 320-aare airport site, with the Idea of disposing of the 320-aora surplus without profit or 105s to the oounty Is an adnlalstratlvs rather than a legal problem. If, In the ererolse o? their good buslneas, judgmnt andsound dlsoretlon, the Terry County Comlssloaers’ Court btlleves It best to obtain the 640aore tract by purohsse wltbbut oondemaatloa (selling without profit or loss the 320-aare surplus) rather than obtain the 320-aore traot by ooademaatloa, weknowOSao legal objeotlon. The problm arlsiag in Moorev. Cordon, (Clr. APT!.) 122S. fl. (8d) 239, Xrlt Dlsmlae4td, does aot present itself for all 640aores will not have been dedioated for the use of tha publla as aa airport.

The problsm,as weam It,18 the best way IAwhloh to obtain the 320 aore airport andthnt problem Is one oalllag for the exeralse of thr CoacllasIonero* Court’s good business W&mat.