I ,379

**OFFICE OF**  **THE ATTORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  **TEXAS AUSTIN** 
**GROVER fSLLLERS**  ***rTG ”** **NCI GSWERAL** 

Vaoogdochee C

has been **built for**  **de urt**  **House**which It ie inadequate

s unleus auoh power is sxpresaly shed doctriils

in this State 2333 Fatrlcio Countyv. sdlow 61 Ter. **316;** Lasater v.

.A; C.S.,proridw#: of a oounty **or an**  iroorporetad .'~ 11 naver be leauad for anf pnropoaltion for the ir&uenor of **bata bean**  **rirst submitto**  **to krr**  who **ara property**  **taxgivsrs**



### , oity or towa.”380

Article 703, V.A.C.S.,proridart “The propoeltlon to be aubmittsd shall ah tin0tly apdry: 1. Iha **purpoas** for whioh thsbonda are to be lesued; 2. The amount theraor; 3. Therat0 or **interrat;** 4. Thr levy of taxaa auifioient to pey the annual lnterr8t and provide a sinking rund~ topay the bond&at maturity; 5. Tha maturity data, or that tha bondsmay be issued to mature seriallywithin any given number of years not to rxoaed rorty.” Artlolo 718, V.A.C. S. authorlzee the oommlsslonarrl **oourt** he purpoas of arooting, the county courthouse

**Articlh** 719, V.A.C.S.,provides: *If a majority of the. property tax paying voters voting at au& elootlon shall vote in favor of the proposition, than such bonds shall **bs** thereby authorized and shallbe lssuad by the oommlssloners* oourt.*

Is or the foregoing artiolesWI held in our OplnJonNo. O-324 .that*In the absrnor of a atat+toryprovision .nquirin&a pstl$lon and heerlng, the Comlsslonere* Court may, on ltr ownmbtlon ‘andorder, oall an rlrotlon for the purpose or authorisln#the lrsuaaoa or **bonds** iOr thr construotlonor a oourtboo@@an4 jail, Or rlthrr.” bf Brown v, Grahati,58 Tax. 254, the~Supreme ,thaquestiona8 to the authority Oi the oomana4dition laty a.~spooial~ tax ror ths.~purpo8@ ot ~bullding to and rapalrlng Y @artho roiiowine: th8 oourthouar. Wo quota iron said'

mnorabla C. C. Danman - Fage 3

: ,;.. "It 

### Is **olaimed** that thepower to argot, repair

or oomplata a pub110 bullalng does not include the pOWOr to make an addition to it.. It Is true that the oounty oommissionara~ court onn levy no taxes unless the power to do ao be ~lalnly and un!!letekably OMrarrad. The authoritymuat be given either in express words or by necessary l~npliootlon.2 Dillion on **h?uun.**

Corp. B 

### 763. It la no more than a reasonable constructionof language to hold that power to eroot an entire building expressly authorizes the construotlon or a portion or It. It certainly doee by neoaasery implication. %hould the oommieslonere( court oome to the conclusion that a largrr oourthouse Is needed tomeat the darvlndsof the publio business of ,thelrcounty, and they agree upon ite plan ena dimensions, and find that they oan seoura a building or.nronning to them.inevery raspaot, either by areoting a new struotura, or altering, repairing and enlarging the old one, and that the lattar mode will be leas 

### l xpanaiva by halr than the former, is there any reason in holding that they oan levy the t.:x ror the more expansive mode of attaining their object, when they oould not for the other, though the structure which is the result is precisely the same in everypartloular? Y!ha object or the rOreqoingprovlslonsor our constitution and statutesvma to enable the dirrarent counties to provide suitable public edifioee, laavln(: it to the judgment of the proper authorities whether this should be dono by building new houses or by rapairing and adding to old ones, when they oould thus be rendered suitable to the purposes of the oounty. Theword *araot*,oontalnaa In all the foregoing provisions,was the most'oomprahenslve term that could be need to anbraoa all suoh improvements.
"To hold that a countywhose court house,with proper repairs and additions, **oould** be rendered oommodlous and usarul In every respaot, must pull It down and build an entirely new one, would be to oharga our law-giverswith an intent to anoourage.

Honorablo C. C. Denman - Fags I,

an unnecessary expendltura of the publiomoney. Suoh a ooneldarationwrould not, in Itself, authorize ua to infer a power when not sxpraesly glv~n or naceeaarily **implied.** Yet when the lenguage used,Is oapable of lnoludlngauthority to do an aot not mentioned In terms, suoh oo;lstructlon of It is greatly aided by oonsldarotlonsof public advantagewhich it **would** oartoinlyproduo..” See aleo Sanders Y. Loonay, 225 ;.‘A!. 280.
In vlar;of the foregoingautborltles, It is **our** opinion thattti ComaPlzslonars ’ Court hao authority to 0011 an elaotlon ror thepurpozr of authorizing the isauanoa of bonds for the oonstruotlon or an addition **or** additions to the oourthousa if it datermines zuoh edditlonor additions are “needed tomeat the denrands of .thapub110 buslnesror the **county. ”**  **Yours,**vary truly