THEATTORNEYGENERAI. 

OFT-~ 

Eonorabls Stirling T. Phelps 

County Attorney, 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-City Hospital to be jointly maintained and 

supported ~bythe, @n~ty and the City. 

Y&u suI&it threo,~inqu+$es in aonn&tion~~with the problem. 

The first ls,whekhe~, in view ~of the fact that the,Colm% issued no 

bonds, either,separately or in conjunotion with the-City,‘fGF the 

establicrhment of the hoapital;'the 'County has the .$oirer 'to levy taxea 

~for the purpose of jointly maintaining said hospitalt 

Under Article 4478, Revise,d Civil Statutds of 1925, provision 

is made for the 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 conferred upon the commissioners1 courts under the provisions of Articles 4492 and 4493 of the Revised Statutea of 1925. 

Those articles read respectively as follows: 

"Any oommissionsrs oourt may oo-operate~nith end 

join the proper authorities of any oity having a population of ten thousand persons or more in the establishment, building, equipment and maintenanoe of a.hospital 

in said city, and,to appropriate suah finds ati may be 

determined by 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 

"Xhere no county hospital is now provided for the 

purpose aforesaid, or where such provision is inadequate, 

the comissionersr court of each county which nay ham a 

city with a population of more than ten thousand persors; 

within six ?nonths.,fmau the time when such city shall hare. 

attained such population, such population to be asaertained 

by such court in Such manner as may he determined upon resolution thereof,.shall provide for the erection of suob 

oounty hospital or hospitals as may..bs neoessary for that 

. purpose. and provide therein a rooin or rooms, or'vswd br 

wards for the oarb of~oonfinrmsnt oasks, and a rdom or'. 

rocms or aard or tirds for.tbe ts@wary oars'of persons 

suffering frommental.or nerfrous~diseass, and albqmaki 

provision in se@rats buiidings,tor.patients.~srin~ +& 

tuberotiOSi6 and 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 requisite vote authorir%ng~the issuariee of the 

bonds." 

.'~ 

Under the.several acts authorizing the county&&sioners' 

courts to levy taxes or appropriate'fWda,for tbessparate maintenanoe 

of hospitals or.for, jointmaintenance of such hod$itals with ditiea 

located within 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. 

Yiebh County, under the pr'ov~S&ns of Articles.4492~snd 4493, 

w?ra, ray, therefore, provide jointly~with the City of Laredo for the 

maintenance and opration of a,tuberoulosis hospital, and the County may 

raise the money by taxation out of its gSnera1 fund levy for that purpose. 

blthough the buildihgs of the hospital wereconstructed‘separately by 

the City ofL&rodo. 

Your second and third qudst&s.rblate &:-the: $r&sionS of 

Chapter 383, Acts 'of tha:48th &sgislat.urS. LfArtIcle -449~i,'Ybrnon'* Annotated 'Civil Statutes); Seation 1'of':tha;Act last e&ted, reads.as 

follows: 

:. : 

.., 
. 

. 

. . . . 

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o;6wl'. .: '. 

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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.,