OFFICE OF THE AlTORNM GENERAL 

AUSTIN 

Mr. Robert t. Peddn, Jr. 

County Attornay 

Ptatqordr county 

Ray oity, fexaa 

Dear Sirr 

Qplnion Ra. O-47 

Ra: Co~~Iioaplt.la 

Your lettap ot,,bma8y 5, 1939, to thla 

depertaent in uhlo4 yov raqmat an oplnlon or tb. 

iollorlng queatlonr hab beqa raforred to the wr1i.r 

r0r attent10a~ The s#eati~na submitted b; you u-e: 

? 

*Ia Oan ktligorda County putlpat8 f4 tb8 8~8tb0ti0n or 8 pal~o$qrlmble harpilral wbara tha 

t&la taOra%o i8 h4.a by rive or awa 

tmatoea 6or 4he 088 and bmarit or 

ltaxworda Umn$y, 8uoh hoapltal to ba 

*a-ad #A tba aatttra of l publ.1. no+ 

pratit .'ld .A~ltabl. hoapltal? 

IP7our anawar taea *bar. 

q uea %8 la l r r ir mtiva then ran tha 

b unty lasua bar~oianay’warranta to b a 

r W.ln4 out or the Pamanant bprorfwnt 

r ítaor d the htttr t0 the l x t0nt 0r 

Trbnty Thousand Dollar8 (@O,OOO~OO), 

,23rauoh purpoao?” 

&tie10 4476 or tho Ravlao~ 01~11 Statutaa 

or 1985, 18 88 roiiorrt 

The Oomiaalooora Court or any 

oouaty ahall ban powar to l atabliah a 

oomty hoapltal an4 to enlarge say oxlatlaa Roapltala ior the oar8 and treatrent 0r puaona l utr.ri.og 

6laeaas or lajury, l &&9 ~~p~2i::~~. 
Mr. Robart F. Podoa, Jr., Janoar 11, 1939, Pa60 a 

or thla ohaptu. At lntarvala 0r aot 

lass than twalto months, ton por oont 

of the quallfiad property tax pafin 

rotors ot a aounty may potltlon auoh 

oourt to prorldo iOr the ratabllakly 

or l nluglag 0r a aouaty hospital, in 

whldh l vent l ald oourt wlthln the tlma 

dealgnatad ln l uoh potltlon shall l ubmlt 

to l uoh voters at a apeolal or rogulu 

eleotloo the proposition of laaulng bonds 

in 8uoh l ggregata amOunt as may be dali6- 

nated in said petition rOr the eatabllahing 

or l nluglng or auoh hospital. Whanavu any 

auah piopoaltlon shall beoelvo a majority of 

tha rotas of the quallrlsd property tax 

payara voting at l uah alaotlon, l ald oo!amlarloners oourt shall establish and maintain 

auoh.hospltal and shall have the rOihVitt6. 

powers : 

‘1. To purehasa and lease real property therefor,,or roqulre auoh real~property, an.2 easements therein, by oondemnatlon 

proosad,lngs. _ 

“t. To purahaaa ar araat 811 neoaaaars 

buildings, asks all naoeasary i.mproterenta 

an4 ropalra and l ltor w arioting bull6ln68, 

ror ths uao of said hospital. The plans for ruoh 

oraotlan, altaratloa, or rapalr l k+all S&rat be 

l ppr a vby ob the Stat0 Iiaalth orri00r, ii his 

approval la r8qumatod by tha said Oani88iOn8r8 

l o ur 6. 

% To oauae to be assessed, lerlad and 

oollaotod, l uoh taxoa upon the real and poraonal 

property awnad la tha oouaty as lt shall dean 

neooaauy to prorlda tha funds~ for tha aialntonanoo tharaor, and for all other noooaaarr 

l xpan4ituraa thonfor. 

4 . 40 laaua oount7 bonds to prevido 

rat68 ror the l atabllahlng, anlarglng and 

l qulpplag or oald hoapltal and for all athsr 

aeooa6u~ permanent lmprovementa la oonneotl0a 
. . 

Mr. Bobart F. Padan, Jr,, Jaaaw 11, lOsO, Plgo 3 

thorowlth; to do all other thln6a that uy 

bo raqulrod by law in ordar to rondor raid 

bonds valid. 

“5. To appoint a board of mnagora 

for aald hospital. 

“6. To aooapt and hold in trust rot the 

oouaty, any grant or dorlao of land, or any 

#iit or bequest of money or other poraonal 

property or any donation to be l pplld, prlnolpal or lnoome or both, for the benefit of said 

hoap$tal, and apply the aame in l ooor da noo 

With the to mS Of the girt. (ht. 1915, P. 71)” 

The aboro l ta tuta la the only rtatutory authority of a Commlsalonora* Court or a oounty to build hoapita18 ior the ear0 and troatmont of poraona l uffarlng 

iron lllnoaa and dlaoaao, l xoopt Artlolo 4492, Revised 

Clrll Statutes of 19eb, uador whloh Artlolo you adrlaa 

that YOUR 00tay 0-0t pdiry. 

Your l ttontlon la oallod to that portion of 

Art1010 4410 reading as rollowat 

-snotor any l uoh propoaltlon~ahall 

roooln a majority or tho toto or tho 

qruliriad proporty tax payora voting at 

auoh olootlon, arid oomalaalonu8 oourt shall 

l atabllah and maintain l uoh boapltal and shall 

hare tha rOiititI6 powarata 

Artor moh words appears mmorloally the sixth 

paragraph, as la horalnboioro art out. Tha alxth pangraph 1st 

ìTo looopand t hold In trust ror tha 

oounty, any grant. or 4otlao of ran&, or 

any glit or baquaat or 8oney or other personal 

property or any donatloa ta be applied -prlnol al or laooma or both\ for the bansfit of 

aa P d hospital, and l pp17 tho aa88 In aooordanoa 4th the tam8 or thr &it.= 
Mr. Robert I. Padoa, Jr., January 11, lOSO, Pago 4 

The laneuy of the Artlolo oloarly and &nl quitoaally .prorld@8 that the oomlaalonora~ oourt shall; 

%old In trust for the oounty, any 

grant or dorlsa of &and, 0~ any girt or 

boquaat of aoaoy or other pomonal proparty of m donation to be asmlleb..,.w 

It has low be& announood ln Toxaa that oomalaslonora oourta are oourta of llaltod jurladlatlon without 

any powore exoopt woh aa uo expressly oonrorrod. tl 

Paso w. Elam, 106 SW and, 593; Howard va. Boa4oraoa 

CL%aty, 116 SW end 479; El111 Uountp vs. Bryant and I’!*#- 

man, 864 SW 52Or C0mmlaalonors~ Court ~8. Tallaoo, 1Sq 

sw and 5x5. 

In the last .oaao olted in support of thl8 proposition Judge Ploraon, speaking ror the Su~romo Court 

approved aa oontlrao0 the holding or .the Court of r?lr~l 

Appeals on thla proposition, reported ln 801 SW 873. In 

the Court of Civil nppoala oaso, Judge Baroua of the 

x000 Court sald: 

*The Coamlaaionora* Court la a 

)rmaC&re or the state Constltutlbn and 

its powers are llmltod and oontrollod 

by tho Coaatltutloa and the lawa as 

paaaod by the Loglalaturo.w 

The ralluro or tha Constitution to prohlblt 

aountioa mm lasulnp bonds r0r oonatruotlon, and ulntonan0o of koapltal loft open to the Imglalaturo the 

pauor to eatabllah l uoh hoapltala. Tha Lo~lalaturo haa 

l xorolaod this powor by tha armotmnt of tha harolab8ror0 quo604 Art1010 4478. The Oommlaalonera* Court, 

having no power axoopt that l poolall~ oonrorrod by tha 

Coaatltutlon and atatutas parsed pursuant thereto, 

rotid hua no power to ontor Into any oontraot ror tha 

buu:~l~;;d malatononea or a horpltak, the tltlo to 

JahU&.a uy eannor oo8trary to the prlnaolpal protlalona or Art1010 4478. 

You aro reapoottully adtiaad that In tha 

opinion of thlr department, the flrat question propounded 
Mr. Robart t. Pdrn, Jr., fuaary 11, 1939, Paa 8 

by ‘you and 

lmgdiV8. 

gmlnbaroro rot out mur t b e l nmmrod la the 

&tln@ a0 l ammnd the flrrt quartion, lt 18 

unaooorrary to dlrpon or the rooond quortlon. 

Trustlug? that the foregolug l mwerl your inquiry, I u 

Yours rerpsotiully 

ATISC?E? GPVEXAL OF TEXAS 

llPPROVED: