Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATIORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
mmorablr .O.B.Osrron
0ounty Attorney
Botor Oountr
Odotma, P~rsr
Dear sir:
Your r8qurst for an
rrgsrd to tha aboto Quortio
NO puot* srom yooa
or Oountr lr a8
land In Soa from thr
r Oo unty
l‘I/Uthrof the
0ara amy tumr the 0u11-
7/lWw mineral lnteawt~
prim ofthair right8 aelrarrrr of thir alneral in-
tarost.
"For Eotor
Oounty to oonstruot ana maiataln an
airportonthle traot of land I.0till bo absolutel?
noorsrarf that then br fnthr future noposrlbfiity
or obrtruotlonr ofany aortonthr land roltml?rd.'
ii.33
EononbZe O.L. Gerron, page 2
nWIll you please adriar It in your opinion thr
right ofeminent domain a8aet rorthInArtio1~ 3264a
(Imtntrto$otor Countr thr authorityto aoquirr aom-
Plato tit18 to thl8 property by oondemnat5.on.w
Your requaet ror an opinion may be atatad acI rol-
lowar Can a oountf oondrmn tha learo hold rrtata to land
n8sded in artabll@hing an airport?
Artiola 326&a, V.A.C.S., read8 a8 rollow8:
%&ant domain by oountler. Thr right of
$mInant Domain ishereby oontarrrd upon oountlrs o?
thr State orTans iOr the purpoar oioond~anlng and
ao ulrfng land, right of way o r larammt Inland,
tatr ox publio, 8xoept proparty usad ror oamo-
pr'1
trrt purpo8a8, whrre laid land, right or war or
lrrrmont la nror88ary in the oonstruotlon of jall8,
oourthouM8, hoagitalr, drllnqusnt and drpsndont
rohoolr, poor iarm8, lIbrarie8 or ror other pub110
purpe808, wham 8uoh purport I8 now or mar ha%-
8?trr bp lutharIid8dby tti Qonatitution or Statute8
of thlr Stat8.
*All sutihOOndamnation prooordingr.rhall ba
instituted under the dlrration or tha o@mmI88Ian-
or@* oourt, and In thr name of the oounty, and th8
a88888lng 0r damager ehall ba in conformlt~ to tha
Btatutaa or the Stat. of Toxa8 for oondmmnlng 8nd
aoquirlng right of way br rallroadr. That no ap-
peal from the rindlng and ae8o88mont or damagrr br
the oormniesionersappOlntod for that purporr rhall
hava thr lifeot of oaurlng the 8~8pan810n Of work
by the oountp in eonmotion wfth which the land,
right of war, oaaomont, lto. , ia aought to be go-
qulrrd. IInoaoo oi appeal, aountlos 8hall net bo
requirrd to glrr bond, nor ahall thry ba raquirad
to give bona ror aoat8.m
Artlalo 1269h, V.A.C.S., read8 a8 rollow8:
*Air Fort8, mafntehanoa end operation. seo-
tion 1. That the goternlng body or any inoorpor-
ated city in thir Stats may reoalro through gilt
or dedioetion, and 18 hereby uapowrr8d to aoquirr
by purohaao, without oondsmnatlon or bf puroharr
through oondtmsationproor8dlng8, and tbrroarter
Honorablr O.B. OarrOn, pagr f
maintain and oporatr as an Air Port tracts o? land,
aither within or without tha oorporate lImIt# o?
suoh Oita and within the oounty in which suoh oitl
18 altuat86,thr land aoquirrd andhal& by any auoh
oity nofar to at any onr tim6 rxoeed sir hundred
rorty aoras, and the Oommlsaiontms* Court or anr
oounty may llkmlse aLoquir8,maintain and operate
for lfkr purpose tracts o? lend within th8 lImIta
o? the Oounty, not to lxorrd 4t allyone tlaa sir
hundred ?ortl abms.~
Artiolr 3270, V.A.C.S., reads aa ?OllOWSl
"SXOept Where OtheIId88 4~pr###ly pr0~id8d
by law, the r@ht SOOUrOd or to be 8aouce4 to an7
aorporation or othar plaintiff in this Stats, in
the mannor previ4.d by this law, shall not be SO
oozutrurd as to Inoluda the far slsple astata In
lands, aithrr publioorpriratr, nor ahallt& saaa
bu lost by the ?Or?aiturr orrxplntion or ths ohar-
tar, but Shall resaln 8ubJaot to an rxtrn8lon or
the chartrr or the grant o? a new ohartrr without
a nrw oondamnation.w
Tha 00Ul’t#fn00ll#tlUh& th8 8??OOtO?ArtiOl@ 32fO
hare oonslstantly allowed only an lasmment to be oondamnsd,
UlhSS other UtetUt.8 OXpr488l~ pro7148 ?Or4 ?aa Siap18 tit18
to k takrn.
In Dlokoy~r Eatatr Y. Houston Indrponarnt gohool
Dlatrlot, 300 s.w. 250, error diBmiSS@d, the oourt r9fUSaa
to allow a ash001 diStrIOtt0 oondemnagraatrr Interest than
an rasamrnt wherr a 8obool di#triOt deSire4tooraot p4rman-
ant 80h001 buildings on the property In quartion.
In Hill t. city or B~lltills, 30 s.w. (24) 407,tbe
olty was allowed to oondrmn only an easement over th8 land'
naeaoa to rreot a sswsraga dl8po8al plant.
Other oases when onlyan rasemant waa allomd to
br aondmmnrd am;
Lyon v. MoDonald, 78 Tar. 71, 14 S.w. a61, 9 1.R.A.
295;
@~ppS Y. ~#i#,xar Ry, Co., 50 B.W. 643;
& Paoiilo
St. Lou1 '~:$outhwssternRy. Go. of T4xa8 v. Templ8
.t ‘rn Ry. Co., 170 8.W. 10731
Worthwest
(3~1~ @ast Irr. CO. v. Uary, 116 Tex. 469, 14 8.W.
Honorable 0. E. GarroJ, page 4
(ad) 266;
InternationalG. B. Ry. CO- V. Bolee, 161 Saw. 194,
error retueea; and
Pa-r v. Earria County, 69 8. W. 229.
It is vary clear from the above oited eLstut48 anb
deoiaioii8that Xotor County atm condemn only &I& easement
ea i8 neoeseary for the operation of an airport. The 4xiti.m
?80 e5.mple int8rest and the mineral.0 therein Oaunot be eon-
demimd in the absenoe o? ageaifio statute authorizing maoh
oondelrmation.
XBnvevsr, it Is apparent without arguumnt that an
airport oamlot be operated on land whioh 18 being 48r6l0poa
for oil and -8 ~lU308~8. Inaemuoh es
it ie well settled
that the ordinary oil and gas lease aarriea with it the
right or ingress an& sgresa for the purpose or drill* fma
er#Oting the nece#earJr alush pit@, OtOragO taaka OtO., it
lfi theretore aclvlaableand neoe84ary that Eater County in
any condemnation prooeeding join the holder8 OS any oil
and gas lease or nInera1 deeds in order that the oounty may
seouro as against auoh lesaeea the unrestrioted use o? the
aurfeoo 0s the 00nd0xutmd land ire8
0s tbs rights Or oil
end gas lessee8. While a oondemnation againet an oil aa
gas lessee will net Operate to Vest title In the ooullty
to the a&mm10 underLglng the land on whioh the 8aeePlsnt
Is oondegaea, yet euoh oondemuatlon will operate to md@r
the eaeement obtained br the Oounty superior to the OBSBI
laent or egress and ingrO08 O~l%ed by Oil EULd gas lesll8e8 80
that the oounty may use the xand 00naOit9ma
a6 an airport
without interferenoe from owpIIr4 or leeeeca of the tinerati.
We eaaloee an opinion recently wrltten on the
OubjO0t or a oounty'a power to purchase land ror an airport
which opi,nion we thought mi&ht be or
intereat to You.
Yours very truly
EABJrteb
(Enale.1