DocketNumber: O-905
Judges: Gerald Mann
Filed Date: 7/2/1939
Status: Precedential
Modified Date: 2/18/2017
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