Case Information
*1 THEATTORNEYGENERAI.
OFT-~
Eonorabls Stirling T. Phelps
County Attorney, Rebb County
Laredo, Texas
Dsear Sir: Opinion No. O-6041
Rer County taxes for joint, maintenanoe of City-County Rospital for tuberauloeis patients.
'Your reoent li&r qtates that the 'Ci% of Laredo b& isausd bonds tid oonstrkked h m@l~hos@ta~ for tuberculosis patients; you state that oir&mkaxio68 make it desirable and iu&ative.thaf.tho in- stitution be made a County-City Hospital to be jointly maintained and supported ~bythe, @n~ty and the City.
Y&u suI&it threo,~inqu+$es in aonn&tion~~with the problem. The first ls,whekhe~, in view ~of the fact that the,Colm% issued no bonds, either,separately or in conjunotion with the-City,‘fGF the establicrhment of the hoapital;'the 'County has the .$oirer 'to levy taxea ~for the purpose of jointly maintaining said hospitalt
Under Article 4478, Revise,d Civil Statutds of 1925, provision is made for the issuanoa of bonds for the establishu+t of a county has; pltal and, in the event of fhe issuance'~f stioh bonds, for that purpose, for.the a$sessment, levying and oolleoting of +Axes to support such bonds and for the mai&enance of the hospital. .%at Artiole of,ths Statutes is notthe exclusive authority of oounties in the matter of maintenanae of public hospitals. Particularly applicable to your inquiries, are the powers also conferred upon the commissioners1 courts under the pro- 4492 and 4493 of the Revised Statutea of 1925. visions of Articles Those articles read respectively as follows:
"Any oommissionsrs oourt may oo-operate~nith end join the proper authorities of any oity having a popula- tion of ten thousand persons or more in the establish- ment, building, equipment and maintenanoe of a.hospital in said city, and,to appropriate suah finds ati may be determined by said court, after joint oonkenas with the authorities of suah oily or tonn; and the manapent of suoh hospital shall be under the joint control of suoh aourt and city authcirities."
--- _- Eonorable Stirling T. FhelpS. page 2 ~'. O-6041
"Xhere no county hospital is now provided for the purpose aforesaid, or where such provision is inadequate, the comissionersr court of each county which nay ham a city with a population of more than ten thousand persors; within six ?nonths.,fmau the time when such city shall hare.
attained such population, such population to be asaertained by such court in Such manner as may he determined upon re- solution thereof,.shall provide for the erection of suob oounty hospital or hospitals as may..bs neoessary for that . purpose. and provide therein a rooin or rooms, or'vswd br
wards for the oarb of~oonfinrmsnt oasks, and a rdom or'.
rocms or aard or tirds for.tbe ts@wary oars'of persons suffering frommental.or nerfrous~diseass, and albqmaki provision in se@rats buiidings,tor.patients.~srin~ +& tuberotiOSi6 and of~r~aglmnm~~bld~,~SOaSe6,~~..from:f~o ., .. t6tims add tbsretd a&aimodatl~ns~suffidi&nf tatskka~ of the patients of,tbr so~fg. .I%is t&k may be extstided by ths Stats'~ Bo&rd of .EsaIth,,f~r go~d~,.aausd~,sl&nn.. Unless adequate fun36 for,ths'"buil~~g,oCI~~~~:~ipqPi~19~:~6tdq- ! rived from oum~~.funds iif ~~~.oomrtS;'aoaila~e,~f~r .&oh' I~., :. ~putpose. iis@uW of.'.q!i+~ :Fw,and. S~eri$t,.,~tb6~+ii~: .i :.::e. missi&ers oowt shall~,$u~i~,~s~t~~~a~'a,speo~~:~~la~;~‘ .:.::, tion called for the, purpose, oi'at~ d'rsgkiar'ble&iom, the ~OpOSitioB Of the iSSuS+W Of..eokill~,hoJldS :for;the,~+qe: of building'suob..hos~iitalr.;~If .~~.~~~s~~i~~'clhall.iail to, reoi~w. a .majoyi'tg .htci a$.. .8i+ sl.sdti.~n ..~+a .'doiifi~'qiy _:,. Iz -. be kquipd thereaft;er.-at:inCoroalb.:of O&&siw :%l&j'~z&~.
months, upq $etitio@ '6f.ten+r, Wit,jif 't~~'~~iiiiea;~o~rs-.. of said. county,'& s~~~tts~id.~oposi~ioii:ubtil'~s~'shiill receive the requisite vote authorir%ng~the issuariee of the bonds."
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Under the.several acts authorizing the county&&sioners' courts to levy taxes or appropriate'fWda,for tbessparate maintenanoe of hospitals or.for, jointmaintenance of such hod$itals with ditiea located within the oounty,"thS county's taming pork called into ex- eraise thereby is of necessity the hien~~five.cent tax permitted hy law to be lapied'for general fund purpose,s.
Yiebh County, under the pr'ov~S&ns of Articles.4492~snd 4493, w?ra, ray, therefore, provide jointly~with the City of Laredo for the maintenance and opration of a,tuberoulosis hospital, and the County may raise the money by taxation out of its gSnera1 fund levy for that purpose. blthough the buildihgs of the hospital wereconstructed‘separately by the City ofL&rodo.
Your second and third qudst&s.rblate &:-the: $r&sionS of Chapter 383, Acts 'of tha:48th &sgislat.urS. LfArtIcle -449~i,'Ybrnon'* An- notated 'Civil Statutes); Seation 1'of':tha;Act last e&ted, reads.as follows:
:. :
.., *3 . . . . .
.z_, . . . o;6wl'. .: '. . ; ,. .:.” ..: 'Section 1'; ~\,jl:co~~t3i':jf'(.ttre.Etmts knd.any inoor- pomtcd city or tom Wi.tSi'n','ous~:.doim~;ucti~g '&rough the .
Cmnissimers Cool oP,,6uch~co;ult.y,hr.d the gowmmg body of s:lch cltyor t&m,, r.ey,~jointly est6tldsh,.erect, equip.,