Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

:a .. ;.‘ ‘792 . ‘.. . OFFICE OF THE A’l7ORNEY GENERAL OF - AUSTIN %I'. J* A. Beleer County Auditor, Tra~11 County Au&in, Tax88 De6r slrt Thir is In respo oent regueate by three separate letters tar thlis &epart- 5ont upon tae autnority of Tr coi3tribiite none>e monthly f3r the lui, t=.eZsttle- nent Club -a the Chil ate c&rttatle lMtltutioM. La 18 .I huaie sor monmn over 8ir ohu-i table ravllr county has been contri ettlernent Olub is been oontrlbuti;lL ;75 r0r til0 .3;12p0d 0f idicii xulfu% ai the rplendld work per- in lightening the County*s bur- r ~143bomele8a. Tr6Vi# cqlmtp, wevera haa only 8uoh powera and y la~md we have conoluded that laws of thir State, Travis County may not make suah oontributions to theoe private oharitabl8 institutiona. Soations 60, 61 cundSe of Artiolo 5, Se&ion S of Artiole 8, Seotiea 8 of ArMal ll, Seotlon 6L OS Ala- ale 16 of tJ24Oon8titution of Texar, are pertinent. 793 Se&ion 50 of Artlale 9 providea that the hgi8lhtIPi Sfull bV0 a0 gOWeT t0 &iVe Or t0 lend, Or t0 authorize tha s.ivfng or lendi= , of the aredit of the State ln al& of, or to nay person, aoswl~tion 0r per8on8, or oorporrtion, IIlethw municipal oc otherwise, or to pled&e the oredlt OS the State ln ury manner =hat8oever, for tie myment of the ll8bilitie8, present or prorpectlv4, of any individual, asaaoiutlon of Indioidualr, munlolprl or aider corpoTation w~latsoevsr. Seotlon 51 of Artiels 3 provide8 that the Le~;irl.sture&all bare no power to make any grant of publio money to my fndlvldual, rwooiotlon of lndirldualr, munlci- & or o&her corporation wkataoevw (with csrtaln exception8 not here pertinent). Section 52 of t&s 8eme Art;cle provides, in part t Vhe L&slaturs shall have nc power tcjauthorize aajr aounty 9 * Q to grant public money l 0 Q to anr Individual, easoclotion or. corporation Irhntrobver.* Article a, Section 3 provides that taxes ahall be lavied and colleoted by General Law8 and ior publio purpose8 only. Artlole 11, Seation S provides that no aount7 shall become a rubsariber to Ene oqctal of my private corpora- tion or assJolotion, orrake any approgriatlon or donation to tne same, or ,In anywiao loan it8 oredit. Artiole 16, Saotion 6 provides that no approprla- tion for grlvate or indlvldunl purpores shall be nade, In Opinion ?Io. 64001 this departinsnt held that rnder the Artioler of tie Constitution referred to, a county ~18 no authority ta~m%ke donation8 to t!w Tuberoulosilr Aseooia- iion, the American Red Crose or other private eimrltable urgenl- ;etionl and rafareaoe ua8 made dn tha o,oinlon to confrrxwe pinion Rzo. 2662 of thin department, dated i'6lxua~; 4, 1527, .926-lQ28 Attorney Gensral@.a Report, page 333, ct seq., hold- 794 ing that the commissioners ' court h.a8AO authority to rppro- print8 publio tundr to oharltable lnrtltutiow rnanaeed pad controlled by private indtvidualr. 10 rtill adhero to the view8 eXpres8ed in taosa oplniona and we must;therefore, adviae you tant, undw tne Constltutlon 0r T4xa8, havir County may not imice the dOIlatiOI28 Which wer4 th4 8UbjOot.Of your 0pini013 ~4qU48t4~ v4l.y tI%lly yOUi. ATTOIWEY ffBWW OF TEXAS Assiatant