t 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

lionorable Murphy Cole 

county Auditor 

Liberty Cour.ty 

Liberty, Texss 

Dau sirr 

~Uk’ChUO OqIliDbutharlelng’the Comist to ertabli* ud 

uaty hoapitrl. 
Eonombla Nurp&~Cole, Psg.2 

"At the tlna of her death tbo l a uto 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?loting 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, or l 1-e vill k mdo, vhl8h ever ia 

legal. It la fwth 8r provldud that the oounty l hll, 

~t~aelinb(,~eatrbll~d,~h8ou~o,~~- 

oord koaper uxl inveati&rtor, l portor, ud auob aupplloa and rdlalnua an are nudod In tha tmtrnt of 

the 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 ~WtoBepwtmt of Hwltb vlll oontrfbut@ a$pavxlrkl~ 4 sg 

ryurbyumpl iry8phpi03+adaaf&i 

an!, 

wdiab8 ror Of he tnrtmnt o? v*lwrul dluouea. 2; 

a oount;lol.inlola l 8trbli8hdudtio bvrilable to 

the purpoue. 

"All the otberexp8B8o of tl80 oUnlo,exoeptthe 

a&M&l to68 in the tl'WtB8Bt Of the -8nt alak, 

aad for veIlomB81 dlauae aolatrol, u mentioned above 

would ba barna by Llborty County. 
HonOMbl6 Murphy Cole, Pa@ 3 

"May Liberty County purohaao aquipmaat for 

such amdioal olinlo vithout a bond elaotlont 

"Iby Llbetrty County rooept the olinlo bulldlng by dead or lmaa? 

Wy Idbwty County apand its fund8 for the 

OmploJmt of a PUCIe, a Peoord kup6r md inventigator, and 8 porter, and tha purahasa of noooaaary 

madlalnaa and auppllaa?" 

Artlola 4478, Vernon's Annotated Clvll Statutea, 

wad8 aa r0ihfat 

'Tim oomlaafon6ra court of any oourtty ahall 

have pwer to eatabllah a oounty hospital and to onUrge any exlatlng heapltals for tha oara and tmtaant 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 entabli8htrtg or artbrging of a oounty hospital, in rhioh 

event bald oourt rithln the tlm daslgnated in l uah 

patltlon abll mibnlt to auah voters a t l l pooirl oc 

regular alaotian tha proposition of lssulng bcmda la 

auoh aggwgk amount aa my be d6algna86d in aald 

petition for tba aatebllshkeig or l nlerglrtg of l 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 for 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. 
lionorable Murphy Cola, Page 4 

"3. To owae to be aaaesaed, leviad and aolleoted, auoh taxes upon the real and personal property 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 hoapita1 and for all other neceanuy permanent irprovemanta 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 hoapltrl. 

"6. To l 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 l 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, provldea 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 for oounty purpoaea 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 rktontlon 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 

hoapl~l rhloh would bve tha effeOt Of 8WOlling the ae*J for 

general purposes to axowd the tventy-five oent 1-t. 

In vlw of the foregoing at*tutea, you am Pespeotfully l dvleed thbt it la the oplnlon of this Dep*rtment that before 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 9roPoaltion authorizing the aowt to eatabliah a& mlntaln a bounty 
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 l GOunty hQ8pit81 then 

88ld COUUtJ 8t8j pUPdIUJ8 8quip8iMt rOP th0 hOBpltri, OP a8 ia 

tk qUO8tiOB und.r con8id8ration, the Oourt my pumhus equipmm, for the wdlobl olinlo rlthout l b o nd eleotlocl, provided 

th8 county ha8 available funda In the 68ner81 fuad to puroha8e 

8whOqUiponnt. 

In aII8VOC t0 YO'our 8eaond qUO8tlOSl, YOU m XW8mOtrtiiy rdvl8ed that 6ftor ttlo oQml881oa*r8' court hm b8ll 

duly l uth o r lsted o 88tab2i8h bnd Mintrin a Oounty hO8fdtti &a 

above tintlorud, Lib8rtJ County rry l aa8pt th8 oliaio buildlng8 

by dead 81 a gi?t l 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 adrir8d tbt Liberty Oounty tiy expend 8YUlabl8 flUid8 out of 

th8 general rund for the employment of 8 nurm, a ~baord kwpm, 

8n InVMti~tOZ’, a pOPt(lr, Md pUlWb88 aOO88M~ rsdioine8 

and 8uppll.er. 

Trrutlng that th8 rOrclgOit&g fUllY M8WOr8 fOUP inquiry, we ar8 

Your8 very truly 

AW$BBB