Mice oftoeBttornep daeneral &tide of &ems DAN MORALES July 9, 1993 ATTORS' GENERAL EY
Honorable Roland Saul OpinionNo. DM-232 CriminalDistrict Attorney Deafsmith county lb: Whether the City of Hereford is 235 East Third, Boom 401 autholizedtoconveyrcityparktotheDuif Hereford, Texas 79045 Smith County Hospital District (BQ-519)
Dear Mr. Saul:
On behalf of the Deaf Smith County Hospital District (the "hospital district"), you ask whether the City of Hereford (the 'city") is authorized to convey a parcel of land to the hospital district. By way of background, you explainthat the hospital district operates tbe Deaf Smith General Hospital (the "hospital")and that adjacent to the hospital is a one andahalfacreparceloflandownedbythecity. Thepropertywasdeededtothecityto be used for a park for the benefit of the public. There are no improvements on the proper@. The hospital district 'has determined that additional thcihties are needed and . . . [t]he tract is the only location upon which the ficilities could be constructed in the manner to best suit the [hospital district's]needs." In addition, you state that the hospital diptriCthasaskedthedtytomakeagiffofthelandtothedistri*,~dthatthedistrict "anticipates that the [c]ity wig Snd the paramount public use of the property to be the expansion of the @~]ospitaland will convey the property to the [d]istrict for no cash consideration." In essence, you ask whether the conveyance would be prohibited by section 253.001 of the Local Government Code or article IIJ, section 52 of the Texas Constitution.
Section 253.001 of the Local GovernmentCode provides in pertinent part:
(a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), the governing body of a municipalitymay sell and convey land or an interest in land that the municipalityowns,holds,or&imsasa.. .park.. . .
(b) Land owned, held, or claimed as a public square or park may not be sold unless the issue of the sale is submitted to the qua&d voters of the municipalityat an election and is approved by a majority of the votes received at the election1. . . .
p. l-202 Honorable Roland Saul - Page 2 @M-232)
(c) To &ect the sale. the goveming body shaU adopt an ordinanw dire&g the municipali~s mayor or city manager to exualtethewnveyan4x.
(d)Tbeprowedsoftheulemaybeusedonlytoaquireand improve property for the pqoaes for which the sold proper was used. Failuretoaousethepmceeds,however,doesnotimpairthe titletotbewldpropaty8quimdbyapurhsuforvaluable wntiide?ation.
Local God Code 0 253.001 (footnote added). Article III, section 52 of the Texas Conrtitutionproviderthtacityi~luthorized'tolarditsaeditortoIpunpublic money or thing of value in rid oc or to any individual, asxiation or wrpomtion whurava."
ln Attomey Genaal opinion H-108 (1973). this o5ce considered whether a city could convey parklqd to a state agency undex fhner article 1019. V.T.C.S., a N- statute to section 253.001 of tbe Loal GovawKnt code. This office conch&d that the restrictions and procedures set forth in uticle 1019 were inapplicable 'WhWthCpropoKdgnmWiS3UOtk~ agencyllavingpowersofeminent domain ova the propeq &oh&," relying upon KingsviIk In&p. sch. ht. v. -, 164S.W.Zd49CTar.~N.~.-1~2,writrrfdw.O.m),~~PPPOC~ v. Ci3,ofElPaw, 357 s.w.2d 783 (Tex. CN. App.-El P8so 1962 no writ). Anomey Gamd Opiion H-108 (1973) u 2-3. SimMy, ia htomey General opinion H-1256 (1978), this office wmidemd whether the Cii of Midhnd could donate a street right-of- waytoMidhndhmtyunderthes3nuprovision. WithrespecttouticlelOl9,thisof6cc at.uedthat
govemingbodieswiththepowaofcmhtdomainneednotxcure