# THEATTORNEYGENERAI. OFT-~

Eonorabls Stirling T. Phelps CountyAttorney, 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 institution be made a County-CityHospital to be jointly maintained and supported~bythe,@n~ty and the City.

Y&u suI&it threo,~inqu+$esin aonn&tion~~withthe problem. The first ls,whekhe~,in view ~ofthe fact that the,Colm% issued no bonds, either,separatelyor in conjunotionwith the-City,‘fGF the establicrhment

of the hoapital;'the 'County has the .$oirer

'tolevy taxea ~for the purpose of jointlymaintaining said hospitalt

UnderArticle 4478, Revise,d Civil Statutds of 1925, provision ismade forthe 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 conferredupon the commissioners1 courts under the provisions of Articles 4492 and 4493 of the Revised Statutea of 1925. Those articles read respectivelyas follows:

"Any oommissionsrsoourtmay oo-operate~nithend join the proper authorities of any oity having a population of ten thousand persons ormore in the establishment, building, equipment and maintenanoe of a.hospital in said city, and,to appropriate suah finds ati may be determinedby 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

"Xhereno countyhospital is now provided for the purpose aforesaid,or where such provision is inadequate, the comissionersr court of each countywhich nay ham a citywith a populationof more than ten thousand persors; within six ?nonths.,fmau the time when such city shall hare. attained such population, such populationto be asaertained by such court in Such manner as may he determinedupon resolution thereof,.shallprovide for the erection of suob oounty hospital or hospitalsas **may..bs** neoessary for that

.purpose.and provide therein a rooin or rooms, or'vswd br wards for the oarb of~oonfinrmsntoasks, and a rdom or'.
rocms or aard or tirds for.tbe ts@wary oars'of persons sufferingfrommental.or nerfrous~diseass, and albqmaki provision in se@rats buiidings,tor.patients.~srin~ +& tuberotiOSi6and 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 requisitevote authorir%ng~theissuariee of the bonds." .'~ Under the.several acts authorizingthe county&&sioners' courts to levy taxes or appropriate'fWda,for tbessparate maintenanoe of hospitalsor.for, jointmaintenance of such hod$itals with ditiea locatedwithin the oounty,"thS county's taming pork called into exeraise thereby is of necessity the hien~~five.cent tax permitted hy law to be lapied'for general fund purpose,s.

YiebhCounty,under the pr'ov~S&ns of Articles.4492~snd4493, w?ra, ray, therefore, provide jointly~withthe City of Laredo for the maintenance and opration of a,tuberoulosishospital, and the Countymay raise the money by taxation out of its gSnera1 fund levy for that purpose. blthough the buildihgs of the hospitalwereconstructed‘separately by the City ofL&rodo.

Your second and third qudst&s.rblate &:-the: $r&sionS of Chapter 383, Acts 'oftha:48th &sgislat.urS. LfArtIcle-449~i,'Ybrnon'*Annotated 'CivilStatutes); Seation 1'of':tha;Act last e&ted, reads.as follows:

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,. .:.” ..: 'Section 1'; ~\,jl:co~~t3i':jf'(.ttre.Etmts knd.any inoorpomtcd 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.,