Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1939 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OFTEXAS
AUSTIN
-u, C. MANY
- .01-
Hoc. T.K. i;fUlnwu
CO'wlty iautitor
ni1x county
Elllaboro, Texas
ROA. T.K. WluEixmrm, page 2
We are unable to find any authority eagwerlug
oomlsslouerst oourt to lease or rent road maohinery
and equlpnient, with the option to purchase.
Article l659, Bavlaed Civil Statute8, 1925, aa
p8rtlnent hereto, reads as rolhtsr
*Supplies of every Idnd, road and bridge
material or any other naterial, for the use of
craid oounty or any of it8 ofrloers, departaenta,
or institutions pust be wrohased 011 oomoetltlve
b&& the coatraot to be auarded to the party
who, IA the jUgment of the conusissloner8~ oourt,
haa submitted the lmwt .and best bid.' Oladez%
~OorlIq oura).
This statute mnlfoat8 a olear lo&lative in-
tent to df+are a publio polioy neoesslfiatlng oompetl-
tlve bl& upon all matters or expaudltures and upa~ all
purchase oontraots by the eou&y. See the oase Oi UTATT
UEUL & BOILER WORKS f. FARSIR COUETY, Ill 8.91. (24) 187.
HO oogulzanoe is taken in suoh etatut 0r a method where-
by the oerraissloners* uourt oould lease or rent raohln-
eryana equlpnMtn1th thq optlon to purchane;other-
*lee, lt 1s suimltted, ompetltive bida would llkewiae
have barn required In meh oaoo oond8tent wltL the
publio polloy requl.rfn(goompetltlve biti In all trianm-
aotlcaun lnvolv the expenditures or mney by the aom-
mlasloA~ro' 00 2 . omOwyl theter0333, if it be ha
that the immnlssiof~e`` oourt oan lease or rent maohla-
cry and equipment, rather than purchase same aa oontem-
plated by the statute amethodwouldbeoreatsdwhemby,
whether honestly or o~hsr*lse, the requiremant o? aem-
petltlve bl&s ooilld be evaded. To prevent thl8, the
tarorinology of ``%iole lW&, supra, aa r,uotad,Would
have to be oonstrued as lnoludlnng contraots, also, of
lease and rental. It is believed that the langpage will
not ad&t of such oon~truotlon. Aa aaid by t&s oourt
IA tho 0a5e of wm BImmzC 60. V’r NtmiS CW!m,
297 8.8. 747, (reversed on other grcuc~ba, 11S.L (2d)
305), at P. 7338
."fhewhole 8p%rlt,of the tiraea, orystal-
lized IA the statute8 and favored ln tha Qeciaio~
ormatruing those atatutas, Itato require publlo
-.,--
Bon. TdC. Wilkinson, pa@ 3
authoritiesq?OWered to expand pub110 funds to
award contraotsfor aaoh e~ndlturea only a?ter
notioe and upon eanpetitiveb%ds. It would bo
lubverslve of that apirlt, aad in oontravention
of those atstutar so oonstrned to glra offeat
to the subterfugeresorted tc ia this tranaao-
tion for the purpose of evadixu$the law, aad
this court declinea to lead lta aid to that ptW-
pcao."
we, thererora, raapeotfully drlao that 1t Is
the opinion of this depertsmnt that your first quostlca
should be aakwered in the negative; namely, that the caa-
missloners*court oennot leaaa or rent, with tbe option
to purcl&ase, mid maohiae~, plakups or trusks, wax%-
houses for the storage oi equlpmont. The questlaaof
aUvertisl.ng for bids, in suoh aaae; thenpat beocma8
lInlmterial.
You elao ask this further qu~stlonr
wan the oomnissionerat oourt deolue an
e0ergetiq and purahaes mqulpukt in lxaess of
41so.O0?"
Se reapeotrullyadrloe that it la our opinlan, under the
alecu tsrmaof Art1018 16~9., awi88a Clrll Statnte8, lScb,
the ocmmissloner81oourt oannot, by ae0iahg an eaewen-
o y,prohaae lqulpmnt in exoaaa of 4150.00 dthaut aa-
vert?alng ror eoscpetltlve bids.
we trust this enmters your Inquiries satlsiaotcrI-
4.
Yours very trIl1y
0
APPROVED
OPlNlON
cOMMWI-EC
ATTORNEY GENSRAI,0::'
Ttias 4&f@