Case Information

*1 t

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS

AUSTIN

lionorable Murphy Cole

county Auditor

Liberty Cour.ty

Liberty, Texss

Dau sirr

~Uk’ChUO OqIliD- butharlelng’the Comis- t to ertabli* ud uaty hoapitrl. *2 Eonombla Nurp&~Cole, Psg.2

"At the tlna of her death tbo l auto la to k myzed by a group ot truateoa who hare beun auwd in bar will; arld truatwa to hr. t&a rlgbt to buy, aelI, OF tvnde, and when ttu value of mid eatate la l ufflolent to build uld hoaplt.81, to tbn oonvert tie aama Into uaah ti to thun tranadt the aana to Liberty County ror thu purpeas of ooBu8r?lot- ing aald hoapiul.

waa Yettls la at111 living; and baa rwatly duoldod that aho would lllce to au at loaat partial naliwtion of her ambition kforo bar debth, aad haa mklo a &.mopoaltlon to ttao Comlaalon4tra’ CauFt t&t aho would with her own money oroot rrd aoastruot a rdlaalolinlo bulldin(r; andhold tbo mmZmd.r ofhes propsrtlea usalor her abarga ud aantrol until her d43at.h end the toma of her will taka offoat. "mo olipia bullding, irw3fhwiomatti, tok

equlppmi by Ukrty County, will ba doodad dincrt to the oounty, o r l 1-e vill k mdo, vhl8h ever ia legal. It la fwth8r provldud that th e oounty hll, ~t~aelinb(,~eatrbll~d,~h8ou~o,~~-

oord koaper uxl inveati&rtor, portor, auob aup- ud and rdlalnua tmtrnt plloa an are nudod In tha of th e iBcu*nt l iek,

“The Llb43rtpOh4mh ra county mdlaalAaaeoiatlol¶ hU rqwod to OOO&WMtU by umbqf from amml( ita ova rmburuhXp#kyalolana rho will glvo a oortcla nuabur of houru roh wuk t4, the tmbmnt af the Ladfpnt alok, antl 8t no u$mlau to the oolmty.

"The l%derrlQororxmnttbrou&bthe ~WtoBepwt- mt of Hwltb vlll oontrfbut@ a$pavxlrkl~ 4 sg an!, iry8phpi03+adaa- ryurbyumpl wdiab8 ror Of he tnrtmnt o? v*lwrul dluouea. 2; f&i bvrilable to a oount;lol.inlola 8trbli8hdudtio the purpoue.

"All the otberexp8B8o of tl80 oUnlo,exoeptthe to68 in the tl'WtB8Bt Of the -8nt alak, a&M&l aad for veIlomB81 dlauae aolatrol, u mentioned above would ba barna by Llborty County. *3 Murphy Cole, Pa@ 3

HonOMbl6

"May Liberty County purohaao aquipmaat for such amdioal olinlo vithout a bond elaotlont

"Iby Llbetrty County rooept the olinlo bulld- lng by dead or lmaa?

Wy Idbwty County apand its fund8 for the of a PUCIe, a Peoord kup6r md inventi- OmploJmt gator, and 8 porter, and tha purahasa of noooaaary madlalnaa and auppllaa?"

Artlola 4478, Vernon's Annotated Clvll Statutea, wad8 aa r0ihfat court of any oourtty ahall

'Tim oomlaafon6ra have pwer to eatabllah a oounty hospital and to on- Urge any exlatlng heapltals for tha oara and tmt- aant of pwaona auffarlng from any lllneaa, dlaaua or injury, l ubjaot to the proolalona 0r thla ohaptar. At lntmvalu of not loan than tvel~e 50ntU, tort p6r cant of the quallfiad proparty tax paying votara of a oounty MY petition auoh oourt to provide for the entab- or artbrging of a oounty hospital, in rhioh li8htrtg event bald oourt rithln the tlm daslgnated in uah patltlon abll mibnlt to auah voters at l pooirl oc regular alaotian tha proposition of lssulng bcmda la auoh aggwgk amount aa my be d6algna86d in aald petition for tba aatebllshkeig o r l nlerglrtg of ush hospital. Wkwnever any auoh propoaltlon alull raoelwa a mJorlty of tha vot68 of the qlyllfloci property tax pyara voting at auoh alaction, aald ooaniaalonera oourt ahall aatabllah and ~inta3.n awh hoapltal 8nd ahall have the r0ihatg morat

“1. TO purohaae and lake real property therefor, or aoqulw such rarl pr?oparty, and 6awt8ttnt8 therain, by oondennatlon p~aasadlngs.

-2. To purotmae or ereot all rkaosaaary buildIn88, mka all naoaaury lmprovmnta and nprira and rltar my axlatlng bulld%nga, for tha uaa of arid hO8Plt81. The plans such arasotlon, altaratlon, or wpalr ahall first ba approved by tha State Hmlth Offloar, if hia approval la requestad by the arid ooanl.aalonoru WWH. *4 lionorable Murphy Cola, Page 4

"3. To owae to be aaaesaed, leviad and aol- leoted, auoh taxes upon the real and personal pro- perty owned In the county aa it ah811 deem neoeaauy to provide tha funds for the melntananoe thereof, and for all other neoeaaary expenditure8 therefor.

"4. To 188w oounty bonds to provide fund8 for the eaUbl~ahlng$, anlarglng and epulpplng of raid hoa- pita1 and for all other neceanuy permanent irprove- manta in oonneatlon therevlth; to do all other things that ny be wqulred by Irw in order to render arid bonda -lid.

“5. TO appoint a board of mnagera for aald hoa-

pltrl.

"6. To ooept and hold In trust for the bounty, any @snt or devlao of land, or any gift OF bequest of money or other personal property or any donation to be pplletl, PrinClp81 or income or both for the benefit of aald hoapltrl, and apply the au8 in aaeordu~oe vlth the term8 of the gift.

Article 8, Seotlon 9, Conatltutlon of Texan, pro- vldea that 'no oounty, olty or town shall levy aora t&n twenty-five oents (251) for city or oounty purpoaea.” And Article 2352, Vornon~s Annotated Civil Statutea, follova the name vlth the provlaiona 8hat "said oouttty (oommlaslonera~) aball have the paver to Levy md oolleot a tax oounty pur- poaea not to exteed tvonty-five crents (25#) on the one hundmd dollar ($100.00) valuation.'

The levy of a tax for aouaty purpo8ea would lnolude the levy of L tax to naintaln the hoapltvl. Hoveveq your rk- tontlon la oalled to the Unit of twenty-five oenta on the one hundred dollar valurtlon for county purpoaea, and ve vould mention that no tax orll be levied for the nlntenaaoe of the rhloh would bve tha effeOt Of 8WOlling the ae*J for hoapl~l general purposes to axowd the tventy-five oent 1-t.

In vlw of the foregoing at*tutea, you am Pespeot- fully dvleed thbt it la the oplnlon of this Dep*rtment that be- fore the Copgiaeloaera* Qourt of Liberty Oounty oould establlah and srlataln a oounty hoapltal, irlrid ooqt muat lrubmlt to the qim.ifled tax p&ylng votera at a 8peClal eleetlOn auoh 9roPoal- tion authorizing the aowt to eatabliah a& mlntaln a bounty *5 Honorrrble Murphy Cole, mge 5

horpltal. Al80 th8 proporltlon of i88ulng bond8 for the pu~- PO88 Or OBt&bll8hing UId N.Wlaing th0 ho8pltAl 8hBll be douided by a lrrjorlty of th8 QuCrliiiOd propwty tax paying YOtOr8 at 8uch 818OtiOll. After the a~88iomm8' oourt f8 wthori88d t0 ertAbli8h M u1nWl.n GOunty hQ8pit81 then 88ld COUUtJ 8t8j pUPdIUJ8 8quip8iMt rOP th0 hOBpltri, OP a8 ia tk qUO8tiOB und.r con8id8ration, the Oourt my pumhus equip- mm, for the wdlobl olinlo rlthout l b ond eleotlocl, provided th8 county ha8 available funda In the 68ner81 fuad to puroha8e 8whOqUiponnt.

In aII8VOC t0 YO'our 8eaond qUO8tlOSl, YOU m XW8mOt- rtiiy rdvl8ed that 6ftor ttlo oQml881oa*r8' court hm b8ll duly l utho rlsed to 88tab2i8h bnd Mintrin a Oounty hO8fdtti &a above tintlorud, Lib8rtJ County rry aa8pt th8 oliaio buildlng8 by dead 81 a gi?t 8 provided br 68otioa 6 Or Artiale bb78, 8UpIU, 0~ ~WWI a8 pWvidCd in ,aMtiOkI 1 Or 8tid AWale.

With XWr8FMCO to your third qUO8tiOXl, you are ad- rir8d tbt Liberty Oounty tiy expend 8YUlabl8 flUid8 out of th8 general rund the employment of 8 nurm, a ~baord kwpm, a pOPt(lr, Md pUlWb88 aOO88M~ 8n InVMti~tOZ’, rsdioine8 and 8uppll.er. Trrutlng that th8 rOrclgOit&g fUllY M8WOr8 fOUP in- we ar8 quiry,

Your8 very truly AW$BBB