Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Honorable W. J. UoConnell, Preeldmt North Texarr State Teaoherrs Collage Denton, Texan Dear Sir: Opinion Number 04eO;‘~ \ Re: Doe6 $hho‘.?Oaxd or Re+&nttr j of Ncirth Texas State Teds&- November 7th. asp followa; Veo. 1. * * * and the Board or R6genta or the State Teaohere College * * l are hereby aev- orally authorized and empowered to oonetruot or aoquire through runas or loans to be obtalnsd from the Government 0r the United States, or any agenoy or agenolea .thereor, oreated under the National Reoovery Aot, or oth%rwlse oreated by .the Federal Government or from any other aouroe Honorable W. J. EoConnell, page $8 private or publlo, without oost to the State or Texas, and aooept title, subjaot to suoh oondltlona and 1lmLtations aa may be presorlb- ad by eaoh of said Boards, dormitories, kltoh- ens and dining hells, hospitals, libraries, student aotlvity buildings, -ala, athletlo buildings and stadla, and auoh other buildinga as may be needed ror the good of the lnatltu- tlon and the moral welfare and social oonduot 0r the 5tUa5nt5 or such inetltutlona when the total ooat, type or oonstruotlon, oapaolty or suoh buildings, ee well as the other plans and apeolrloatlons hsve been approved by the re- spectlva Governing Boards; provided, hOwever, that the Leglalature shall never make an ap- propriation out or the general rpnd or thla State, either in the regular approprletlon bill or in a supplemental or emergenoy approprletlon bill, ror the purpose or’ equipping or ror the purpose or purohasing and installing any utility oonneotlona.in any of the buildings ereoted under and by virtue Or the provlalons or thla Aot.* "QBO. i?. * * * That said Boords are further authorized to make any oontrsot with reference to the collectlon ead dispodltion of the revenuee &rived rmn anr builainix a0 oonstruoted in the 5OWi.5itiOn OT OOI35trUOtiOn. loeMK5ment. and main- t5nanOe of any buildlnR or buildinna’aoauired hereunder. In reference to the aoquisitlon or student activity bulldlngs, stadla, gymnasia, and all oharaoter or athletlo buildings, sald,Boarda are authorized also to make oontraote with refer- ence to the oolleotlon 6na disposition or rqvenuea to aoorue to suoh respeotlve lnatltutlone rrom sctlvltlea, athletlo events, and games in which said reopeotlve institutiona psrtlolpate away from said Institutions, a6 well as at said inetl- tutlons; and in antlolpatlon oi the colleotlon oi such revenuea, and for the purpose of paring the cost or the oonetruotlon or aoqulsltion 0r eald Honoreblb V. J. YoOonnell, page $3 ‘building or buildings and grcunda, said Boards are severally ampolosred by resolution to euthor- ize, sell, and~dellver lta negotiable bonds or notea mm tima to tlaas OBd in suoh emount or amounts as It msy oonalder naoeasary. The reea and otmrgea so rlxad ror the use or any such bulldlng.or buildings shell not be collected arter payment In full shell have been oonpleted ror the bullding or bulldlnge Sor which said rees shall be pledged. Theraatter the right of said respaotlve Boarde to fix oharges en$ fees shell depend on laws other than this Act ae hereby- emended. Any bonds or notes Issued hereunder shall beer lntereat at not to exoeed air (6% ~per oent per annum, and shall-rlnally meture not more. than forty years from data.” Wee. 3. Sub&at to the above reatriotlona, each of said Boardd Is given complete dlsoretion In riring t?ie r0m,. oonaltlona end betalla or suoh bonds or notesb’ Any bonds or notes issued hereunder shell not be an indebtedness’b~ the State of TemS,‘but ahall be -payable solely ‘rrom the revanuaa to be derived rrom the operetion~ or seld buildingsi provided that euoh bonda msy be retlnanoed by.the aaLa Boarda whenever auoh aotlon is round by the Board to be neoetmaryi WProvlded,~ however, that tbe~ provIalona or this I Aot shell not epply,.~to, any proceadlnga, levlae, or to any bonde or warrenta issued thareunder, the valIalty or which baa’been Oont56tQd or attachsd in suit or lltlgatlon.whIoh la pandI!q at the-time this Act becomes e law, or which may be riled with- in thirty (30) dsya.qrter this Aot:beoonee a law.” .~~. ‘+ ‘*~~ * a Y / “See. 9. further movlaea that each or said Boards meg meke such oontreota aa rzay be neces- - Honorable X. J. UoConnell, page $4 Under thIa artlolc the Legislature has author- lzad the Boer8 of Ragents of North Texas Ststa Teaoher6 College to aoqulre oertaln revenue-bearing property and to make any oontreot with re~erenoa to the oolleotlon and dlsposftlon or the revenuea derived rrom any bulldlng so oonstruoted in the aoqu.lsltfon or oonatruotlon, msnega- ment ana z3alntenenoe of any beilalng or buildinga aoqulr- ad thereunder. Thererore, it ii3 the oplnIo~ or this department that the Board ot Regents has the authority to enter into a contreot with reference. to insuring said property and to pledge a portion or the lnooloe from revenue-bearing proper- ties .for lnsuranoe purpoaes;when said property has been ao- quired under the euthority,, of Artlole 26030, Vernon’s Anno- tated Civil Statutes. :i Ii bonds are Issued in Fayment or the ‘oonstruotlon or buildinga euthorlzcd under- thla article, it la our opin- ion that the Board hns the authority to oontraot in the bond order that a ~oertaln portlcn of the rev8nuea be set as186 to pay for the lnauranoe on said bulldln&3.r,; The bond order in suoh ceaea usually oontalna a olausa ei3ltlar .f,o the following t 93uoh portion Gr the grosa revenues CO be received rrom the operation or said ~dormitory as ~%y be required to oreate and melntein the runae hereinatter provided tar shall be set eslae monthly into two separate end spcolal funda, which are hereby provided tor,and oreat- ed, the first of which funds ahall be known as CFER~ITICN AXD h%I?iENA?:CE Z’CXD, and the seoond Or which shall be known ae BONDFrm, There shell be kept within the BGSD FED a sreolal aocount hereby provided for and cr%attd,,, known as the RESXRVXACCOUNT. The OPERATIGN A?JD UAIN- TmxcE FUNDshall be at all times eutrioient to provide for tho reasonable cost or maintain- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~':~~~~~l~~~u~~~~~ :Ei%&+F- shall be :n the amounts and aoomuleted In ihe manner~proviaea ror * * ** (~ndersooring ours). 31 Honorable W. S., bWonnel1, page #S However, we aall your attention to the fact tbst this depesrtaent kas repeatedly held that no insurenoe polioy ahull be takeri out upon any of the publlo building8 OS thin State, nor upon the oontentr thereof, in the ab- senoe of 8 speoltio appropriation for that pwrpoee. The reason for thle holding la atstsd in our opinions xwtibers o-3000, O-104 and o-201, oopler of which are enclosed ror your informtion. Theretore, fire lnsuranoe Fremiwne cannot be paid out of the loos1 oolleqe funan or coy otber rued or the college, In the absence of express le&ilstive authority. However, Artiole 2CkO3ogives to the Board of Regenta power tq oontraot to keep buildings erected under the authority or that artlole insured ror the protection of bondholdera. Such insuranos remltms my be aid only out ot the reve- nues collected Bron the partlcu Par building or build3qa covered by the bond iaaue. Trusting thet- thle answera your questIon, we are P.ICW?ASSISTANT ATTCI~XYGENERAL COB-s %lols.