- ..j c OFFICE OF THE ATTORlkEY GENERAL OF TEXAS

f :. AUSTIN

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1:3norablC

Forrester ffanoock c.-L72h1sl

Dlatrict Mitorneg XtiXfiliSChlQ,

TtSXlB .' A
i;car Sir:HonorableForrester Eanoook, psSe #2

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extend or repair such 0ystein8, or any one of them, in0l~Cin3 the purchosa of equlpzmt, end a>plienoca for the sanitary dispose1 of -exorata-andc~fal, ati es ndditicmal Lieourlty thcretoz,.

by the term of such cnombrance, say grant to the purobasor un+r s3le or foreolosure thePounder, a franohise to operate the systems ond propextios 80 purchased **for** a tern of not over twenty (20) years after purchase, scbjcot to nil lawa rcalatinS mm then in force. No suoh oblieatlon of any ouch uyatez shell ever be a debt of such city or town, but solely 8 chariSO

upon the pro~ortiea of~thesyste;n110

enouzberod, and ,&all. never be rcokonod / 1 in dcterrinlng the pou:erof eny ouch city or tom to issue any ~botlds for any purpose authorize& by law,"

3IoE &lo cities

### fina thclr aovme a& authority 

### in Seotion 2, Elrtiolo11 of the Co53tltutionand Article llG?j of.Vernon*sAnnotated Civil Statutes, both of which rend ldenticslly. **Artiolo** 1165 is the Enabling hot, onaot~d by theLe&slature subsequer?t to the adoption of Section 5, Article ll.,as an atcon~ent to the.Texas COnStltuCion. .Sald nrticlereads 06 follms~

l Wit& hnvin~ r?orethen five thousand (5000) inhabitantsmay, by a mjorlty vote of the qualiSick voters of said city, at e.?election held for that purpose, sdopt or awml their charters, subjeot to ouoh linitntions a8 nay be proooribed by the Lc$,slatum, and providinS that no olm%r nholl contain any provloion inoonsistert with the Constituttion

Of the State, ox of the Sonerril~iawa enaotcd by the Le(;iolctwe of this B&W; said citiesr&y levy, essem and aolloct such taxes cu my be nuthoriced by law or by their ohnrtorsr but no tax for any purpose ohall ever be laMul for ahY Gho year, whioh oholl exoced tu0 end onohell: per ocnt.of the tGxabk3 prGpO;rtY Of OUCh City, ocd CO debt shill cmr bo created by any city, unleas at tk,o

aatiethe provision be rsdc?to C33CSs .g,norableForrester Hancook, page 93

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~~.collci3t annuelly a suffioient sun't0 pay the lntereet thereonand oreete a sin'king fund or et ,leastt-i70 per cent t,hereon; ena
&rovldtd thrther, that no oity ohsrtor'shr?ll e 3ltereil.

aocnded or ropmllod ottcnor thsn every. tivo

ycero."

. Article 1175 10 a Ccneral law enumerating oertain **p@ra.that my**  be exercised by Eome .We citd.ea whioh have sdopteda oharfor or-the amendment above quotod. This artlclereads; in part, as fOllGii&~

nCitios a&opting the chnrter or aned!mnt hereunder ohnll have full.pmcr of loon1 self- ; 6ovcrnment+ Among the other powers that may 1,be exercise0 by any such oity, theSollcYAn3 rz Iy?by enumerateU Sor@eater **oortaintyr**

%eo. 10.

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The power to control and menego the Sloences of en its **Slo~l yew**  **an**isuch oltyi to prcsoribc **Siac51** orraa~6mnt; the. '.pwar to issue bond8 ulon the crcdlt of the city for the pwpose of i idc ng pcrrOnent pub% improvemcnts or for other publia purposes in the exGunt'&ncl.to

tbo oxtent provided by such oharter ond conslotentwith the Constitution cf this Stnteg * * *'. Wei; 13. To buy, own, construct v&thin or Yrithoutthe city liltits and to mafntnin olld Oprato a system or oystems of gas or electric lightin.-?,

pl3ntc.4,

tolophoncs, street railmps, EcBerngcplanta, .Sertiliaing.plc.ntn, abnttoirs, ~nnicl~~l rallisayterminals, docks, Yrhsrve%, Sorries,ferry-laadins5, loading and unlcadlng deviobs as shipgc3 Sucllities, or any other publio ncrvioc or publdo utility, end to &mend nnd rcoel.vecompeas.ution for scrvioe Surnlshed Sor **privet5** pul~oaes or otherwise, **and** to cxcrClco the ri.&t of eminent domain as horeine.Stcr providedSc.r

~theeppropriution of lafid, ri@ts of my or cnything whatsoever that may bo propcr .ponorableForrester Hancook, pa@ $4 *

. and neoessary.to cffioicntly carry out said o.bj’?ct.

hny olty ehzll ficve pmer to cofidem the property of any person, fim or cocporation no? ooa+oti~~& cay such business, end Sor ths .~urpo,***cf** operating a2d salntalning any suoh publfo utilltios aad for the purpose of alstributlng suoh’eorvloe throughout the

It $11 .be‘seenfr0111 a reading of Artioloj 1311 ana .1175,ebovo quoted; thnt by a genorcilc?nactz%t, ZioneFiule oltiesare given Me express pcmer to k t.heowious thiEss emmarated In each 02’the t;rostatutea. tlnilcr the @ymw.l la1r.a Haze l?u& city **J-&Y issue**  **revenue** bonds Sor the pururposos enumretea in krt1cl.cl.112...This mo en nuthori~ty granted to bothgeneral law oitcs aml fione Xu3.eoitios. tWler the tams OS Article 1175, a IiozoFkiLc o.ltg,~ by adopting chartor' provi-' sionsauthork&ing It to ooquirc the various public ut%lities onw2erateautier SaotIon ,X3thereof, oould under Section 10 OShrtlolo 1175, abo.vequoted, .issuebondn for such purposes,

~Scctioo33 of Article '3175roads a3 follow3: %ihcncver eny city my dcterdne **to** ocqulre kmsy publio utility USIIGJand occupying tha stxeets,nlleya and avenues as hereinabove pro-EonorableForrester E~Oock, pad0 85

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The .Le&slature of the State haa all power to ensot laws ercert as aay be inhibited by the Constitution ,ofthe State or .1!&tion.It does hot have to look to the ConstitutZon for a grant of powor to cnaot laws but only to ‘ECB if ‘itin inl?lbited fron ectirq,.

.And (Icity doee not, shoe the adoption cf &&ion 5, Article 11, longer have to look to the Lozislaturo for a grant of power to & (this beiog given by the Constitution), but-only look t0 not8 or the Logislaturo t0 800 53 it ha13 plecea my llnitationson **the pomr**  **to** ,a0t gmwia by fzeotion 9 of **hrtf.ob3 1x1**  If the LeS5.alaturc has placed no llnitation ,

on the pv.ver of n ,oi ty to act and the provialon is incone1stcntwith no provloion OS the ConetStution or thb general laws of the State, the pow% of the oity is as General ‘cr.)6 broad as Lo the pcwer,cf the Le&islatura totact. ‘i;e od lonGormist look to the LeSiolot;ureto yant to a city thepo%er to ezead its chaster Or to insert thesein any givenprovision, but IYConly look tb the Acts of the Ledalaturc to see if that body by any provision. adopted has placed anylirAtetj.on on the ‘poXorof a oity to act in a Givenratter, Xf theroln we find no licAtf;tion placed oa a .cityto ar2enaits chartor in any &von partloular, efia cucbprovioion is inconsistent with no provialon of the Constitutionand no Semral J&f of the State, the oity &as theauthority to .eoer,cndits~obartcrand adopt such pro- :. visionswithout any &mnt of power further then thst ohterrodby Sect105 5, Brtic&c 11 of the Constitution, See the case of~LeSo~a v. State, 190 S, X. 7%.

It appears therefore that there 6re no lle5.tations in the gcmrsl lawe which viouldinhibit a ?:OZXI %le city Srcn issu.ln+j

revenue or self-llquldbtin~boo.dsto purchase a teleohsn~ syst.622.On the contrrry it sppeam that- **IIme** kilo c1tica Pave the express authority by eonersl lew to ab- ?b 'chartercf such cS.ty. uire such a Eysten if such e provision has bocn ~aCop,tod in

Ka are, tllamfcJrc, Of the 0 bes adopted a chartor provision autEinion tht 5s‘a clt orlaing t3e aquisi -ion s of GUc!lJ

0 oysters@ulU

has authorized the issunnco of revenue or oclf-liluidatlngbonds to g~rchsoo owe, that it urouldhot be inoonslstentdth t!~e. Ccm titution or ~t’~crol~lOW of thlo zitcto.

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### noaomble Pcrrcster &mcook, pngb #c

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