OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

GROVER SELLERS 

ATIOIWLI GcNcm*‘ 

Ronoreble Charles H. Timotmld 

County 4ttornay, Galrerton County 

Ddltrrton, Texer 

Doer 3r: opinion x0. O-7018 

trrrltory rit 

within the 11 

Ve Praknotiedua reaript of 

data, and quotr ire74 fo~z lttter 

tq 

a 

enaa upon on8 impor0al.d ba of greet V8lUO. 

Oalterton have on thraa 

d4W Dr4~0844 bon6 lrru68 to 

II thi8 isod and the aity 18 

0 thi8 WWk Out Ol’ olvrrnt 

SkPrOV~~OI&t dirtriot iOr the 8010 pUrQO8r 

r6oleinin~ snb erslnlau tbir property 

J bar lndioated th& it will oon8truot 

nooewmry dreine@e iOr 8uah street-8 if t&8 

&8t:;iot will baar the burbmn ot nalalmlng the lend. 

"It 18 pr0UOa~d that the di8triQt. if OraStOd, 

will isiwe bonds payable ?rom tat@8 upon the property 

rltbln the dlatrlat either on an a& vlrlorem bar18 of 

on tha basl8 of cr88488mmta eaaording to benefit8. 

Roth the bonda and the orration of the df8triat rlll. 

of oour88, be rubdttw! to ycur dopertmont for s~~roval. 
78 

~44. Cherloe H. Theobnld - ?sgo 2 

“%LO qUO8ti44 h88 ori804 88 t4 whoChor,o W&Or 

control end irprOvamnt dl8triat r8y bo 8rQ8tod out 

4r territory 8itUt3tOd ontlroly within th4 limit8 o? 

811 lnoorp4rstod oltr. Arti ?880-4 op8Oii10011t 

prwldo8 thet 8wh 8 dirtriot may lnaludo any portion 

0r tho aroo or my oounfg 'lnoludlna t4wn8, vlll8go8 

on& munlalpal oorp4rotlon8*. Artlolo 7880-115 pr4lid8o 

for II 8epsrste olratlm in that port of any propoaod 

alatrlot sltuatod wlthln a munlolpsl 04rporatlon. In 

thlo 0080, thrrr wuld k only 440 8lootton proolnot 

8inO@ au 6hO tOXTitW~ WOUid k With14 th8 imt8 Oi 

the Olty of Uolvoaton. -8.b 411 tho88 8tOtUt.8, it 18 

ly opiolon that tho 8ll8WOT to tho O~OVO qUO8tiOXl 8hOuld 

be ln the atfimstiV8 but 1 W4uld 8Rpr8Oi8tO your 

8dVioo8 in th18 regard. 

"I al8o 4oll your ottontlon to Artlalo 7860-135 whloh 

prorldo8 thot o water o4ntrol end imprwanent dl8trlot 

rry ba orootod within 0 olty by ordimnar rdoptod by 

tho Cltf Conni881on or Oounoll. fn thi8 04xmo4tion, 

I would opprralato your 8dViOO 4n whothor ol not thi8 

8OOti4n ap 1108 

Homo Rule E ltf, 

t0 th0 oity Of 08lVo8tOn, Whioh 18 8 

at, ii 84, whothor the Olty UaDsriUloh 

may arooto 8u4h o dl8triot te lnoludo only l pa-6 0r 

the olty. 

‘YOU ObViOo on the80 rcttOr8 till b0 ~00flr 

l pproaletod.* 

Hater 04ntr41 4n4 lmprot8mont d18triata asy be oreanlaod 

und8l r lthor Eootlon 52, Art. 3 4r Sootlon 59, Art. 16 4r tho 

ConrtItuti4n of Texal, on6 Ch8ptoc IIXA, Tit18 128 (Art. 78801, 

VW%on*8 hnot8ted C1vll %otutor. 

Art. 7880-3 read8 in part 88 rOiiOW8: 

wY8tor Control and frproroa*nt Di8triOt8 may ba 

orgonl806 under tho pr0vi8i4x48 or Sootion 59, or 

Artlalo 16 or the C4n8titUtltxt rOr 6n CM 9~ ~4ro 

Or tho 5NrpOllO8 thoroln pl?4Vib=8 -759 0 @Ill1 

'Inoludlng the aontrol 8toring. prooorvetion and dlotrlbutlon or its wotorr md flood 

*atom, the wntsr8 of lta river8 an6 gtroaao, 

ror irrigation, powor on6 all other u80rul purpo8~8, the roolamatton and lrrigetion ~0r it8 

art:& 8emi-arfb and other 1aiid8 neobing irrigetlon, the roolom8t14n 8nd 

59' 

tho ocumervetlon an& dovol4pmont oTTt8 4r68 8, ntor8 ana 

hgdro olootrio power, the Mvigotlon of it8 
I 

oorrtol and inland wetor8, 8nd the proe8n8tl4n and 

oonoemett0n 4r all 8Uoh aoturol roaouroo8 0r tho 

ctate;**** . " 

It 16 our undorrtendlqg thot the proposed dlstriot would 

be oreonizod only ior tho pup088 of reclaimln$ land8 whloh or8 

subject to overfl4w en4 pr4vidlng drainage ot the oxoe8a waters. 

'eation 3 spociiloallp ,providra thet e wator'&ntrol and 

1I;IFrwenent dletrlat mg k org8nizod ror the purporo stated. 

Art. 7880-b prOvidO8 in part 88 i4110~8: 

*Such dlatrlota.q;.iy lnaludo the area 4f any county 

or oountlta, 4r any portion thoreor, ineluding town8, 

V11108Ot3, 4r mUnlolpal oorporatloll8. Fuoh dlotrlotr 

mey lnoludo rrrg oouaty an4 aumb8r or 04lUl$~OO, 4r any 

polltloml 8ubdlrlrlon of tho Ftmto, and deflngd dlstrlot 

m+pa,rt8 Of ~sny or 011 oounti.88 in tho State et Texar; 

. 

Art. 7@!0-115 provldrr, in part OD tO11OW8; 

9?0 town, olty or munlalpal oorpor6tlon shall b8 

inOiUd8d within eny di8triat org8nlaod horoundor 

udLo88 the,propoaltlon iOr tho or~anlzotlon theroor 8hall have boon l doptod by a mejorlty vote or the 

voters therein portloipating in 8uOh elootion.*+*~~ 

Tho qbooo Quoted meotlon8 of Art. 7880 apralfl0al.l~ 

authorlzo the creation of water OOntrol aad lmprwoawnt Olrtrloto 

war towns, rllle~os, end munloipol corporotlons. The arsatlon or 

oon8Omotion dlrtrlota to hnoluds oltlos hen beon oxpreO8lp roaognlzed by the 0OWt8 4s 8ria8n00d by thr aaOO or Herr18 county Flood 

control Di8triOt v. Uenn, l&,0 IT. w. (26) 1096. This hms t3180 

baon held to be poaalble a8 to dlstriats orootod under r?eotlon 52 

of Art. 3 of tho Constitution or T8Xf38 in suoh oases 16 Cin;mons 

V. LiCrfitfoot, 146 8. WY. 8711 Uunson P. LOO~QJ, 177 P. NT. 1193; 

6. A. srnd A. P. Eiy. CO. 1. f?tnte, 95 s. ‘8. (26) 681. 

Ax-t. 78&O-la5 provides in part a8 iOiiOW81 

“Any tom, olty or munlalpsl corporation may have 

the benefit end pawero herein pr4vidod under the oonstitutiod oi thl8 Stat8 and my aid cay di8trlOt in 

the con8truot,ion sn4 oporetlon or any 8uch lRlprov8lE8nte 

to the extant that Oeme lnry bO On ~dtlZlt~~0 t0 SUOh 

munloipal corporation In the followln@ nenner: 

"A. The oreo inoludod in any town, ofty or 

~~unioipsl oorporetlon bo orgsnizod into end 0onatltuted 
f 

fion. Charlea R. Theobald - :,ege 4 

a water oontrol and improv0mant dIrtrIOt with 

all the powera, authority and prIVIleg08 provldod by Feotlon 59 of Art. 16 of the Conrtltution and ba govemod by this Aot, by en ordlnanoa 

duly onroted by the board of eldermen, oommIr8ioncrs, 

or governing body thereof, oonrtitutlng same a water 

oontrol and Improvement district and appointing five 

dlreotors therafor.“*** 

The above quoted 8eotIons of Art. 7880 authorize the 

0lty oounoll of a oity to oreata B water control and improvement 

dirtriot over territory wlthln the olty. % oan see no reaaon 

*y the Leulelature mmy not delegate thir authority to a olty 

00unoIl au well as a 0ommIssIonerr~ 00~2%. The oommIsaIonera* 

0ourt has been delegated this authority In all typaa of oonttarvation dirtriots, and the legality of ruoh districta haa been upheld In numerous omen. The oonaervatlon amendment raqulras 

the Laglmlaturs to make provision for tha oreatlon of ruoh 

dlstrlotr 01) are neoemarg to oarry out the purporee of tb 

rmondment, and doe8 not ramtrfct tha manner fin whloh 8uoh provlrionr ohall be made. A olty oounoll would be a lagloal l gmno y 

OB to territory wlthln the olty. 

In reply to your firat qua&ion. you are advIsed that It 

18’ W&opinion of thla Oepartment that wster oontrol and lmprovemeat dlstrlotm may be orsabod out of territory situated entirely 

within the 1ImIts of an lnoorparated olty for the purpo~~a of 

reolalmlng landa uhioh are rubjeot to overflow and providing 

dralnaga of tha exueaa waters. 

The remaining quoatlon In whether or not the City Counoll 

nay oreato 8 dlrtrlot out of 1088 than all the territory wIthin 

the oIty& 

Es have oarefully etudled the otetutee. governing uater oonaervmtlon and lmprovemant dlrrtrlota and the oa6oa oonatruing aaId 

atetutes, and we do not find any apeolflo euthority for the 

areatlon of a dietriot over part of a olty. 

Wa ara fully aware that Teotlon 135, huoted above, prwidee 

that a city may have that benaflts of power8 provided for under the 

Con~tltutlon - ” t o the _extent thnt sama w be an edvantaffe to 

such municipal oorDoratIon”. xzla not I 

m =a to Gyly that the dEtriot 

banefitted. 

noluda territory within the oitg that would not ba 

Wa aleo note that after the dlstriot >, 8 ereeted Art. 

7880-76 require8 the direotora to axolude any knd that would not 

ba baneflttad. 

If this dfetrlot Issues bonds, whloh we understand they 

intend to do, this Department would at the time of the Issuanoa 
HOli l Char?.ea II. Theobeld - 7aF.a 5 

k 

0s ssld bonds have to approve the dlstrlot as wall es the proposad 

bonds. Wo believe that any opinion rendered by bhls Department 

wharein this qurstlon 88 to ths autporlty of a munloIpslIty to Issue 

l vldanoas of Indebtedness srlsss should ba oonstruad ap$nst the 

l ~Islpality whore there is my sorlous doubt a~ to thr legal rights 

to Issue same. This polloy he8 8180 baan followed In this Dapartment 

In ap proving bonds. V?e do this In order that an Imme4late and suthoritatlva determination of the question may be made by our oourts. Ke 

believe that thtxe i8 suoh a reasonable doubt here as to the authority 

to oreate the wster oontrol end Improvament dlstrlot over 8 pert of a 

olty. You sra sdvissd, therefors, that It Is the op:nIon of this 

Dapartmant that ssib dtstrlot my not be oraated over a part of the 

OitF. 

COB:V 

Vary truly yours 

BY: 

Assistant