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 install-
ment8 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 urohaao priO4
of the maohlnery, but it is not cd P 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 Sarato be
Wand, and shall glre the.tl.me and ,plaoo for re-
c4l~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 OX-
0-6 of on4 hundred and rlfty dollars mny bo mado
upon requlsitl6zi to be approved by the ovation-
41% aourt, rdthout rdrrrtlsing ror oorpetltlr4 bl*.r
-6er oonatltutlonal lnotion, 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, Arti-
014 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 Cowtl-
tutlon 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 lppll4abL4 to any purahum of mad
maohlnory or qqulpmoat by a oourrty aomlsslon-
ors* 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?.equlp-
ment. me. question 0r abtorti-81126ror bids, in
saoh Amos, thorsup& beeoam ilmatariciL.*
W4trrUl4lOsi~h4l~dth Opi4SOr th4 tWOibar0
m4ntiouoA oplnloa8 cmd OplElop Ho. 0-le59, Zor JouZ lnfokms-
tlon 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 mhlbltd
frm doing dlrootly; that 18, to r&4 a purohase *Itiiout ad-
vertlsl~ for bl6s as requlr4A by law.
Lo ri4wor tb4 roregoing you ar4 rosp4otfully ad-
vised that it is th4 opti$oa or this rmpartuont that the abov4
montloned oontruot 10 void.
Eon. BellJ. Dean, p&e 4