Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1944 )

OFFICE OF THE A-ITORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN GROVER SELLERS ATTORNEYGENERAL Honorable C. J. WilBe county f4uaitor, r?ueoes co. ( Corpus Christi, Texas Dear Sir: b, roquestln& the opinion of thirr u a maximum oompanra- tfon 0r a Vcter fleer and an Aeoiatant Veteran5 Count part, a8 r0ihw the 1913 Sup- the 48th regular owunlssioners ram County %rvioa a salary not exoeadlag prinoipel off iaar nor h rot the Assistant Seotlon 5 or ssid Artl- ions that the Commissionera Court rangernent or agreement with one or ties and that thay mey jointly penaete a Votemane Ssrvlo6 orrio mount of oompensetion paid by aald r aald arreemsnt shall be exprrsaly stiruleted in said a~rre6mant. “From the forapoing quotation, are we Oot- reet in sasurninfithat repa,rdleaa oi the number of countiee .mnkln~ the agreement, could the oom- penaEtion be f?reater then the $100.00 per month r0r the veterann County 3orvioe orrioer and &rSsatcr than $$.OO par month fos the heaiataat 823 lion. c. 2. tilde, page 2 Veterans County Service Ofricer? In other words, could either of these otfloers Workin'g for more th3n orie county, receive a greater oompenea tlon lrreaceotlre of travsllnp: allowanoe than the s amount shown Is oompsnaation under Section 1, Article 5798A." Rouse Bill No. 368, Aoba of Oh6 i.6th i.e&ialature, ?egular Seaalon, 1943, (Art. 5798A-1 V. A. C. 5.) is an act pro- vidlnp for the appolntmsnt oi Veterans county Sertloe Oifloars ml/or li.aslstant Vsternno County 86rrloa Orricers, ilxing tbelr oompenaatlon, presorlblng the, quallfioetlona of suoh offlo6rs, the term or orrloe, the duels& or said orrloars, eto. Seotlon &or the roregoing aot,aothorizsa the Corn- miraionars Court of any County t0 make sn arranganent or sgras- men< with one or more other oountlss whereby sll such eountles, -,~~, parI%+ to the arrangement or agreement, may jointly msgloy and oom$ensate a Veterans County Sertloe OfflOsr under the provisiona of the sot, in whioh event the amount of oompenaatlon, a&$ch Would ti be paid by aaoh suoh county under eald sgreenent and the travel :%d other expenses nhloh would be paid by eaoh aounty und6r aold agreement, must bs sxpressly stipulet6d in said agesm&t. ,. Seotlon l,or the for6goiog aot, among other thinga, providas in 6fieOt that the maXimum OOmp6IIBatiOn Of ths V6t6&a '~ County Ssroloa Orrioar oanuot legally~exoeed $100.00 peg month, "Z. and the maXimUii OOtip6ua6tlOn Of aSky hraistant COuIIty g8rV106 'orriC6r oannot legally eroeed $50.00 p6r month. @‘ r.=& .~ Generally speaking, sa stated in Texas Jurlspr.udenoe, d: Vol. 3b, paw 524, "Wh6re the government orestss 8n 0rri06, it Is olsarly vrithln its power and right to presoriba how muoh,it any, compensation shall be received by the lnoumbsnt. An OfflOsr Fe only entitled to he paid ror hia offiolal sarrloee in acoord- ante '4th the proolsiona of the law." It is iurther stated in Tsxes Jur,laprudenoe, Vol. 34, page 511: 11. . . . . An orrloer mfly not alaim or receive eny money without a law authorizing hln to do so, ?nd clsarly fixing the amount to whloh he is entitled." 830 Bon. C. J. Xld6, pnc:e 3 (Also eee the authoritias oit6d by Texas Jurisprudence in aonnaotloo slth the foregoing quotetions. ) Speoiflcally answering your question, it is our opinion that the maximum aompensetlon of the Veterans County Servloe Offlasr oannot legally exoeed $100.00 per month and the maximum oompensation Of any Asaistent Bobeb@nn County ssrrioe Oifiosr oannot legally exo88d $50.00 per titith. ~+ihether the above mentioned officers are ssrrlng one oounty or mor4 than one county would be i.mmsterlal so far aa the corapenantlon of aaid offlaers ie oonoerned, 4.,,it rt