Court Opinion

ID: 4142214
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2017-02-18 03:19:24.176887+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:30:37.458836
License: Public Domain

OFFICE OF THE AI7ORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
                             AUSTIN

Ronorabla ii, L. Van&burn
county &lAltor
Barrls coulit-#
Rourtcnr,Tesus
tear Slrr                   oDlu1onx0.   &A 40
Honorable ii. L. Vashbum, Page ?

     of   tb?IaYi;ratlon Dfatrlat,   it8   buuirrsa8 and
     faaiutlaa,   ana am authorisad to $x-ascriba
    their duties and flz theiF ocmponaatlon.
    Pursuant to ’th ls  ltatutolrJ  a uth 0r ix athet1 o m
    Xavlgatlan Comm~Loaor~ from tims           to tinrs
    authorized 6ho svvclatnmt aaa emvloymmt
    of perg0.m oonriaema mc8rsw            to di0ui-g0
    the auto    of tb poal8ioss oreatea.          SUCh
    OrdW i5~iY deglfgIS6e the pOSitlO& the
    nma of the prrroa anointed.          SIUI the salary
    to ba paid frca tba fuada of tha Xav2gstloa
    Dlstriot.   wittell coatraotr      of ellQlopnont
    rlth oertdn sxcopblo~ sot iafilnent to
    tha quastioM hmwnafter to be iwopmnae&
    have not been used. TLm Dlmotor of the
    Port, 0~ th8 Supertitetidsot, 6a the cage
    pay *, has as a general rule crerelq ppcwd
    oertain sbmtmaat4 ocoug~ ceHaln posltkma
    ot spec1Plcid ratC)II, purgu.ant   to aefinlts
    orOar of tho Xaoigatloaa Coomlrsloaers sot
    alt ln tha amAtoll,      aaa thla oram ana oe.
    ~1OyIzm tan8omstitutea      the   aontraot   of
   ‘employment.Such cantract       dn not embbrurce
    any C~IIPtiED.     other than  th0 E1omy for
    vhkh a 8~alfio     rate ii, ffmd.
         "For mm  Clue gast Ski0 Xwigatloa            copt-
    misu0mr.g have agth0rma   the tming          or
    mtracto       lq Zbo Ulstriat for hospital aerv-
    1~04    for Its 6~lo)ro~.     foF drugs, and for
    Etsaifa    ftttmton.     tn.10~hay9 pmviah    that,
    unasr the dlmotloa of the phyaiclaa 80 aca-
    traatea vith, the ew&3yee8 &all rooaIv0
    hospltalltatlon,      m& h U ltt~tio&      8nd
    mdloinss. a ndh a Ye     indla ded 6h W OinlWb ~-
    tio a em!areolng
             s           x-ray vicfurra, uamlnat1oa
    0f O~O, furnbthing of gbg808. snd mttfiy
    slnflar    item.     Ploasa b6a.r in mind that
    thesa contraotli nre -de d2reotlr beturrn
    tha Dlatriotand tho hospital, th8 aoator,
    the dmq store, 0na a0 forth, but that no
    OiXSraCt 1s lrad0 Vith-th~ emg& 008 iOr auoh
    maioar attention at thm time 7      0 tha employ-
    mnt of gw-mas to operatetha Dlatriat.
    Such daployiaent CoatPbOta only         Indicate
Bonorable 8. L. Uaahbaum. ?ase 3

     the CompmaatItmto bo paid InmmJy.
          "19sm ham aw arlsm a oartom uheroby
     tha mwloyea8 apply ior nsdioal atOe3atlonI
     hor~1WlaatIon,  00 Aruga, vithout previom
     aim08  armngwmat vttb mch employee,and
     ouch Ituw am alag furaitid at the roln
     lxpttnso of tha XarlgrtlomDiatrlot ln nAAl-
     t1an to tha ngre.A oomguuac1oa. Furthrr-
     nom, the &rmag~tl           80 made aRA tha ox-
     plndItuma onbhurof           auahQaQloyeea m?o
     maa0 aad lnourmd ark?        tha    paPformuloe of
     rervIoea and u1thotit 1laitat10n of amount.
     I ha**-anA4avoroAlooaUy          to aooertaln ib
     oomet prlnol9lea of UV to apply to thla
     rittlatioll,   it being my caatoatlon      that  if
     It be aanoaAul tha Xav&gatIon         Dlatrfct bsa
     authority ta make axplqmonta asl fls tho
     conqnnsatloa for t&m sarvI.oea to be psr-
     formA at a AaoigaatoA salary 0na nnr$ at
     that tlnie enter late a ooatraot vlth such
     elKp1oyoeu   to furnish him in aaditioa them
     to the psdlcal 'attuntion      refermxlto, cer
    'Uialy     auah Dlotztet cannotlelf2ly m&s
     an~mploymiu&tmA later ~amlshbahadAI-
     tlcaal Itemm aftor &ho trio-•                OF awv-
     Ioea.     I coatuad tha Oiatrlot5s~ at lta
     option eater Into a oontmot vlth ita aa-
     ployees but aucb aantrsct muat ttr tha
     #cops of roch nedha& attentlanmui hor-
     pitallratiaaanA&fi.nmJl~             umit~      aRmat,
     vhIoh llaitation      noosaoarIly nxut be reaaan-
     able.     Phls pati OS the aaPtmat al tmpby-
     tanratla in addittoa to that fixing tba can-
     pensatIanlnmon8yb
          "Claim8 for profaroloml    eervioes.
     medical attentlom, hoapIt8lIze+tloa, ambu-
     lance aervioe, amming, aad like 80~11~88
     for tha past tvelve moatha hare opproxLIlvrtu4
     $4,000 Vith Dl'WliN3Ot8iOll bOZM880.
          'ma matter hag, thwdom,    888-a
     pruportlom of lmportanae. and I Aeslrs to
     pwsont for your canold6mtl0n the fcllovlng
     queat?cm.at

                 .
Eonorable H. I..Vashbwn, Page b

          9. aa8 tha Xmrla County Havlgatlon
    Dlatrlct th right to ftwalah p6dioal attea-
    tioa.  hospitsllutloa. Axqga. eabulance aarv-
     ice. aaa llko rorvla.8 to It8 tPplO76IIS in
    lcldltl~  to aalarlso to br pald tn moam7 fop
     tb       p8d0m0            0f    that2   authd

               "3. Xf tha Harrla Cauatr Xart6athxa
    MatHot           ham such r:zlit,         must    the rloa%gxatlcn
    0f ~ailrtea         aa      provl3Imus roe such i+3aicjL
    and othcw attention (osrvlcsr)                         be Dids in
    advance of or at t& tIm3   o?                    tha     aqlo7mnt'P
               “3.
               If both of tha foFugoIugquertlont
     am anauerdd in the aEflnmtlve,  uuet the
     order or oootraot of -lopent   plocc a lfml-
     tatronboth upon the acne7 ooapenratlon and
     Um added sllouanco for asdim dnd other
     ettt3ntlon?
          “4. If tho Rarris County Havliiptlva
    DlstMot C.wsaI8atoxmro   aah an amplopmat
    and &tmQnato 0 *ala-y oaly for a poaitlvn.
    am f mthoritea thumafter    to approve my-
    zamta for medioal attontfon ena other allaiL%-
    sexvices abwa deaoribed, vhlch am not au+
     thorSteAuntil 8rtar thm rmrtormaacf4
                                       of tha
     atm~cbe and witha7t llmitatlonof aacuntt"
         As stated ln 701~ letter, it vlll be noted that the
Harris Count7 mvigatloa Dietrict vaa eotablished by virtua of
3ctSon 53, Artlole            XII’ of the 6tote Conotltution              end Chapta~
i3.Tit10 128, Vernon'o                Annotated Civl$         Ststutoa.

          We have ctxznaidemdthe oplnlonn of Hcumr8blo D. A.
SinnnopS,&tlMUSl cOW3BOlfOF th0 &lFPiB C3UZlt7-qlLtiOll   -air-
tr?ct; Eowrablo CoarsJ. 3. Landram; Azs:stnnt DlaUMct Attomoyl
and Ronomble h’raest A. Knapp, Attorney for Elarrla Count?, ooplea
vi vhlch worn attaohod to pur lnquby. Theme 09rnFonshave
aided us ln rvachlng Qur comlualon ia this o~inifm 8a6 V8 thaak
yvu for Curnishiag UB vlth the aallna.
              Tha Xarrla Cvuat~Xtnvlgation
                                         Disriat is a political
~ubdlrisloa      or thr.     Stats,       aromSsing s part or the aorsmlgxa
H0norabl.e8. L. Vahk~urn, Fasge5

poveaw of tba Stak rod Lo sot simply a publia or qruoi pub110
corporation lilco 8 COQIQOoarHer m GsDsl and dock aomntions.
swtaiaiag  this pm~oalfion  u4 alto the caaa or cuehart f~.
Braros alverlbrbor Rovigation DLatrlot, 42 3. U. (2d) 96. Aloo
the aeae of Cnrpentm ~8. Arroyo-Colondo Rooi6ation Dlstrlat of
Caauma 0ndWilaon Cwatler,  ill              3. U. 2d) 922 end t&w authw-
1t1eo m4ntlonmd in thwe UaMb.               oenerJ ly rpaaking aarlg8tlon
dlutrlato lra     arnantlelly       pklitiaal subdltitianoor tha Skco.
They a-0 gov4mamntel   84mnaie0, bodies polltfa and aorgorato with
the pwar to sxeralor tiw fit&to. privil4gra    uul RWI)N aonhmd
upon them by ki.0~. Th4y era mntmklly tnat4d a0 murioiwl co*
porationa irr t&a 04ns4 thatthoyar4   aaxulzmdto deaafto gao-
graphlCdl I&IWO, CUUih8V4 PO C;OVOtZUMnt~PWWO tWOid Of t&31
and oubjaot to *%a0maso d.08 uo apEXled in 0~~1~lng at t&a pev-
0x-s or oo~tleo       sad altl4o.   Constttutloa of Taxea, Article 16,
Seatian    592 Zdmmlar     Tn. CIrltoa,  296 3. V. 1'57318alrLqoo vm.
Canaroa Caunty V&tar Immwteat               M8tFFct.    25 3. Y. (24) 651,
Baxsr County ~8. lbdfaa-AUoaaaa             Countlea Vater Ispmvmaant Dlo-
tr’lotvo. St+&          ?l 9. w. (2d) 717.         _.
             ft %a'& wll         eatabllobad   prixmiple of &u     that   tba
county ccmaisoiafroro~ cmztc           say axrreisr     0dLy such pm00 aa
eq3mos4 OF by nt~aeooaryiorpllcatian   gl.vento aal4 courts by
the Constitutral OrIdatatutos. Thie prlrxlple Lo 80 well eotab-
llalrsdlrnd time4 ara 60 mny curtharltioo supporting the oaan.
ve &am Ct tmne