Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1939 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable 0. IL Carron, pagr 2
chaar tha park alta. A group or inairiauala
known as the Baarball Association of Odaaaa
owns a baseball park In tha olty or Odessa
and owoa an lndabtabnaaa In the aua of
$1,800 upon qaia park. Thay have raquaatad
tha eommisalonara~ eourt or Rotor County to
aaauma and pay orr such lndabtadnaaa ana to
take said baaaball park ror a part ot tha
oounty park . Tha baaaball park would be a
oounty-oity park, thr oounty paying the
$1,600 lndabtrdneaa against said baaaball
park, and theraaftar tha ram@ would be tha
problam or thr oitf or Oaraaa. or OOWS~,
the baarball park would not br aajaoant to
or naar the orUlna county park alta ror
whioh the bonds wara orlg%nally votad, and
tha or&lnal park is a county project and
tha oity will not ba obligatad in any way
ror tha purohaaa or aamo or tha upkaap. W
The bond record, as submittad to tha Attornay
Ctnaral’a da9artmant for approval or the88 bonds, which
racord is now on flla in tha Comptrollar*a ortfoa, bears
tha notation that tta bonds wara votab for the purpoaa
or wpurohaalng lands’- to be uaatl ior publio parka wlth-
in the boundary llmi$a oi’ county.”
Under theaa filets, tha cosmiaalonara~ oourt
la not raquirrd to purohaso any partloular site, nor
;;,iha oommlaslonars~ court bound to purohaar only ona
city 0r Beaumont v. ‘“llatthaw Cartwrlght Land
.fr I&oramant Com9any (Cl*, App. , Ssaumont, 1920) 221,
SW 589.
In aaaltlon to Artlola-6078, tiloh you hara
olted in your latter, wa wish to 0811 your attantlon to
Artlola 6080 and saotlons 1, 2 and 3 of Article 6081a.
Sinoa tha two atatuhs ald the thraa aaotlons of thr third
are ralatlraly short, wa are quetlng thorn in full.
“Artlola 6078. Taxable parka
“Etaoh eomm1881onsrs~ oourt is authorlzad
to iryy sod oourot a tax not to axorrd iire
cants on rach $100 or aaaaaaed valuation Or
th0 county r0r tha purohaaa and lmprovamant
Honorablr 0. X. Oarron, page 3
or lands ror uaa as bounty parka whioh
ahsll oonalat or not mora than ona hundred
aoraa, ma shall not 0xc0ea 80ra than tcur
In say ona oamty. l?o auoh tax ahall ba
latiad an4 ooilaotad until tha proposition
IS aubmlttrd to and ratfriad by thr propsr-
tY tax-paying roterr or the county at a
ganaral or aprolal llootion eallad for
that purpoaa, priMdad a two-thirds salor-
lty of the property tax-paying voters of auoh
OaUnty, at an alaotlon hald for such purpose,
shall aetarmlna In favor or aal4 tax. Ii
raid oourt aaSlr88 to latabllah two or amrr
of auoh oounty parka they shall loeata thala
In widely aaparatrd portions oi tha oounty.
Said oourt ahall ha+8 full powar and oontrol
over any an4 all auoh parka an4 msy lavy and
oollaot an anuual tax aurrloiant in thalr
judgment to properly maintain auoh parka and
build an4 conatxuot patlllona an4 such othar
bulldl~s as thay may daam naoaaaary, lay
out an4 opan drirawaya an4 walks, pava the
amao or any cart thareor, sat out trsaa and
ahrubbary, oonatruot dltchra or lakes, an4
mks auoh other i!nproramahta as they may
a600t proper. Suoh parka shall remain open
ror tha rraa uaa of tha public undar auoh
reasonable mlaa and raguiationa as said
court say praacrlba.n
“Artlola 6080, City Parka
“Tha govarnlng body or any lnoorporstad
0ity lpsy 9urohaao, lmplrovr and maintain land
for uaa as oity parka. Suoh parka shall not
axcaad two in nuabrr for lach two thousand
inhabitants. Ii auoh bo4y aatabllahea mora
than oaa of suoh parka, it shall looata t&
in nidaly loparata4 parts or the olty.
body la authoriaed to laty an4 oOllsOt a tax
not tto oxcard rite oanta on eaoh ona hundred
dollars 0r Its aaa~aard valuation for tha pur-
ohmsa and fmprotamrnt or lan48 for us0 as auoh
parks, an4 may lary and oollaot a llka~~;ual
tu to properly maintain auoh parka.
body shall hava ruli powsr an4 authority
over all. auoh parka,. and may bull4 an4 eon-
:
Honorable 0. E.- Gerron, page I
atNOt auoh building: as thry may de-
necessary, lay out an4 open driveway* and
walk*, pate any pert thareor, construct
ditOhs8 Or la.ksS, sat out trees and’ shrubs,
an4 Sake such other lmprorsmenta as thay
may deea proper. Suoh parka shall reaaia
open iOr the free use of the pub110 under
such reasonable rules as said body may pra-
aorlbr. n
“iirtiolo 6081e. Condemnation or purchase
by the aouaty or lnoorporehd city or iana for
parka or playgroun48; aooperetion with State
Parka Board:
“S40. 1. That any county or any in-
COrPOmtd Oity Of thla State, alther lnde-
vandently or in coopention with eeoh othar,
or with the Texas Stata Parka Board, may ao-
qulre by gift or purohasa or by oondemnstlon
prooee4lngr, lands to be used for public parka
and playgrouoda, such lands to be altuated in
any locality In this Stete and In any sized
traota deemad aultabla by thr governing body
of the city or ,oounty acquiring same; pm-
vldeb, howerar, that lands to ba aOqUlrul
by any such oit y or county for said purposes
may be, in the dimration or the governing
body thereOf, situated wlthln thr State,
aitbar within or without the boundary llaiita
or auoh city, but within the boundary limits
or said oounty and within the ltiaita of said
oounty wherein said city lies or is ai’tuatad.
*sec. 2. To pay ror lan4a ror perk
an lnoorporate4 city and/or oounty
zy:iX:r bonds and .aay levy a tax not eX-
0ee4lag Tea (1Oj Cents on the One Hundrad
Dollars ($100) valuation Of texable Property
in such oity a&or eounty to pay tha interest
an4 provide a slaking fund to r atlra such bond*,
the iasuanoe or such bonds, -4 the ooii4otion
or taxes in payment thereor to be In aooor4anoe
with the provlalons of Chepter 1, Title 22, RI-
rise4 civil Stetutra of 1925, 8oreruM the
. ,
Hoaordbia 0, E. Gerron, paga 5
laav.anoe of bonda by oitlea, towns and/or
,countieS in this Statei this Seotion ahall
ba construe4 to author-a the levying or
said tax not l xoeeding Ten (10) Cents on
the One Hunarra Dollars ($100) or rdlua-
tloa notwlthatmling tha provisiona of
Art1016 6080 or the Revised civil Statutes
ot 1.925.:
Y340. 3. All parka aoquired by author-
ity of this A8t shall be under the oontrol
and asaagemant or tha city or oouaty aoquir-
ing sue8 or by the oity ami aounty jointly,
where they hate aotd jointly In aequlrlag
same, provided that the Commlaaionera~ Court
and the City Comalaaloa or City Counoll may,
by s&reeaent with the ~Statr Parka Board,
turn the land over to&%he State Farka Boar4
to be operatea as a pub110 park, the expenaa
of the inprovemant an4 operation of auoh park
to ba paid by the oounty sad/Or city, aOOOrd-
lng to the agraemont to br mada batwean auoh
nunlelpalltiea and the Stat. P.arka Board.
“All oountlea aa Incorporate4 cities
are authorize4 to levy a tax of not ucaed-
ing rive (5) coats on the One Hundred ($100)
Dollars property valuation to oreate 4 ruaa
for tha lnproveaent and operation ot auoh
parks. o
Tour first question obviously rerers to thr iol-
lowing provision in titiole 60?8t
*Ii said oourt desires to eatabliah two
or more or suoh ommty perks they shall locate
thun in tiabiy separate4 portlona or the ooun-
ty,t'
The phraaa “in widaly separate4 portiona of the
county* Is aabiguoua ana lupplf4a no rixba standard ror
&4tarminirg just whst alatanoa shall seperato the parka.
Honorable 0. E. Gerron, page 6
The oourta in the raoa or such ambiguity havr
bean lnolinad to rollow the eonatruotlon placed oa auoh
4 provlaloa by the body or otflolal oharged with eioro-
ing the atatuta. 39 Tex. Jurla. 235, 840. 126.
‘bus, the daterminetlon of the oormPlaaloaarat
court aa to just what is a wide aaparatioa, In the abamoe
or arbitrary or oaprloloua aotlon by that body, will aot
ordinarily be disturbed by the courts. xoy Y. sohnelabr,
110 Tex. 369, 221 9%' 880.
yor uanple, Artioie 333 or the Code of Criminal
PrOOe4ure raqulreathat jury commiaalonara -be raaidenta of
dirrerbnt portions 0r the 0ounty.a
In billiema v. State, 45 Tax. Cr. Rep. 218, 75
S.W. 659, tha Court of Criminal Appeals pointed out that
tha statute does u0t say how far t&4 ecnmiasionera shall
live from each other,but neraly thet they shall. reside
In alrrerbnt portions 0r the oouaty, and held that it
was permlaalbla to aeleot 411 thrae ooaualaafoners -0x
the City 0r Houston, aven though that oity aid not lnoluae
moat or the tarrltory or the oounty.
This provision was again queatlonrd In Buchanan
v. State (Cr. App. 1927) 298 S.W. 569, and thr court held
that it was permlaalbl4 to select two oomisalonera rrom
the town or Panhand ma tha third rroa the town or
Pmita Dear in Carson County.
Thererore, it assma to us to rest wlthln the
sound 4laoretlon of the oomlaaioaara~ ocurt to detb~iue
whathar the county parks shall be Saparetbd by 4 diatanoe
of oaa all4 or ten or aore miles, so long 4s thr Oom.QiS-
alonara meke 4 bona ridb effort to oomply with the atatute
aud to serve the beat lntareats of th8 OOUnty.
Your 8400ud qu4atloa lnvolv4a a abrinition 0r
tha word "park."
Tt14 aiotlonary aerlnltlon of a park is "4 pi404
or Bmuna in or near a olty or tom kapt ior ornament and
recreation and usually enoloa44.a Eebatar’a New Inter-
natlow Dlctlonsry, Seoond Edition, unabrldgad, 1938.
Honorable 0. E. Gerron, paga 7
-In tha gOnerO aooeptanoo of the t6=, a pub-
110 park ia sold to br a traot of land, great or amall,
dadlaatad and malntalnad ror the purpose of pleasure,
exerciaa, amusement or ornarent; a plaoa to which tha
pub110 at large may resort to ror raarcatlon, air and
light. * Wieslna v. city of Fort Worth, 299 S.W. 468.
The right of pub110 authorftira charged with
administration of parka to plaoa on the park ground oer-
taln aeahanclal oontrlvanoaa whlah contribute to tha
amusement and raoreatlon 0r the pub* rho rrrquant tha
perk8 la generally reoognlaed. Ramona v, City or Vir-
ginia, 152 Ulnn. 295, 188 N.W. 561, 29 UR, 860.
The Callrornla court point8 out that the davo-
tlon of a reaaonabla portion of a public park to tennis
courts, oroquat ground8 and childran’s playgrounda, with
aultabla appllanoaa ror there forma of pub110 ueuaement
and reoraatlon oomea atrlotly within the proper and lqlt-
lmata uae for whlah pablla parka are areatad. caulrleld
v. Berwlck (1915) 27 Cal. App. 493, 150 P. 646.
With regard to lrpprovaaantaIn oounty parka
Article 6078 lmpcmsra tha oomlsalonsra~ oourt to “build
and oonatruot pavlllona and auoh other buildings aa they
may dram neoeaaary, lay out sad open drirawapa and Walks,
pave tha aama OT any part thsraot, art out traaa and
shrubbery, oonatruot dltahea and lakaa, and make auah
other ifUprOVO5enta aa they ‘pay deem proper* * The gov-
arnlag body of an Incorporated aity or town ia glvaa
the same authorlty In conneotlon with It8 parka by Article
6080.
It ram8 to ua that the aommlaaloaera * oourt
undoubtedly would be authorized under Article 6078 to
davote a portion of It8 park ground8 to a baaeball
park. I? it may purohaae ground md lay out a baaaball
atadlum, no aurrlolant reason oooura to ua why lt may
not purahaaa a baseball atadlum aa part of tha county’s
park ayatam.
Tour statement 0r raota ralasa a third qusstlon,
rblah we deem lt advlaable to aonaldar alao in aonnaation
with thla opinion; that la, whether tha aounty would ba
authorized to purohaae thla baaaball park and turn it over
Honorable 0. II. Oarron, page 8
to the olty to operate and maintain.
wCountlaa being aomponent parts of the
state, have no powers or duties except those
olearly ret forth and darlned In the Oonatltu-
tlon and atetutaa. Tha statutes ot Texas have
clearly defined the powers, praaarlbed the
duties and imposed the llabilltlea of the
Commlaalonera~ Court, the medium through whloh
the different aountlea act, and from those
statutes must oome all the authorities vested In
the oountlea.” Edwards County v. Jennings, 33
;;).& 586 (Cir. App.1896); arrlnaed, 35 3. W.
.
Artlolo 6070 refer8 exolualvely to parka bought
and malntalaed by a aounty, and Artlale 6080 refers ex-
olualvely to parks bought and melntalned by a alty. Any
authority for the purohase of a park by the oounty to be
~ai&lned by the oity must oome lr at all from Art1010
Section 3 of this latter artlole provides, speol-
iloaliy, that park land aoqulred under its provlalons shall
be meas ed and oontrolled by the olty or county aoqulrlng
same. f f the park Is aoqulred jointly by the city and
oounty, they must jointly oontrol it. No authority la to
be found hare ror aoqulaltlon by the county end management
and oontrol by the olty, or vloe versa. .
Yours very bruly
ATTORliXYGBBRAL OF TEXA3