Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1944 )

663
OFFICE OF THE ATT’ORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
urn ham pl.? lottmr
the opiaioa of thl8 depart
mm loftor reaar, ti part,
t hulla oount~
ttleorr Salary
t7 Clark, Countf Sheriff, Qountr
, and Dlatriot Clerk’e Offioea
rupport the hi&h oalarle8 paid the heada of thr
Ia@ Oiilorr, dorr thir ooanty pessosr the authority
to put thr ootmtf baok on thr ha Barfr?
‘3. Doer the raunin County Qonrdraion~r~
Court harm the lq$al authority to lower the ralar-
lea of thr above aaaed otfiorr lffeotirr tan, 1,
1945 tbur informlag all prorpeotirr Oandldater
&ut j what eaah ofSf0r will gay beginning Jan. 1,
o* + *(I
Honorable Parria Pirtle, pig0 a
rwin County had a gopulation o? 41,lbS inhabltMt0
aooordlng to tha 1930 Irodoral Census. The population oi said
oouatr aooordlag to tho 1940 rodoral Conaua 18 41 064 lnhabltenta,
TherOforO, Art1010 39130, Vornon’a Annotated Civil Statutes, oom-
ronlf brown as the mOf?ioor8* Salary Law* la applioablo to aald
aouaty.
Sootloa 61, Artlola lb o? tho State Coaatltutlon,
prorider a
"AU dlatrlot orrloorr at the State of Texas
a ndlu lOM trOffiOob ~8 OOUUtiO8 harin6 a pOpdlatiOn
of twenty thousand or mom.+looordlng to the thoa last
prooodlng Federal Conaua, ahaU horn th9 flra~ day of
January u&d thorooftos, aad rubuqaont to tb rlrat
TO@W or .poOiid .O.don Of tho k&Slat pto after
the rdoptlckof this rwolutlon ba oaaponaatrd on a
loluy basis. In all ooantloa & this Stat., the oom-
rlaaion~ra~ oourt shall bo luth o r iatoo d
dotrrmiw rhothrr
pnolnot oiiloora shall be oomponaatrd on a fro basis or
on a salary basisi and la oouatioa hating l popalatlon
of loaa than twrntl. thousand, looordln6 tb.tb thoa laat
prooodlng Fodorhl Conauu the oommlaaloner`` oourt rhall
alao hare the aathorlty & dotoreino rhothor tho oounty
orrloora ahall bo domponaated on a for basis or on a
salart basis.
-All
fees oarnod by diatrlot, oounty an6 preoinot
offlooro ahall 80 paid Into the County Troaaury whore
oarnod for tha amouat of the propar fund, proridod the
Wr lnourrod br the Stat*,, loantt and any munloipallt~,
mrei8 oaao whore a paupor*a oath la filed, ahall bo paid
&to the Oounty Troauur~ when oollootod and protidod
that whore eny oitloox is oomponaatod rkoolly on a rso
baa18 luoh fooa may bo rotainod bl auoh orflorr or paid
inw t?lc, Trearury of tho oounty as tho oommlaaionrra~
oourt mar dlrrot. AU notaries publio oopntr lumoyora
au6 publie wol@mra shall oontinuo to b ooPprnaato4 on
a foe Paris.’
Bootion 15 o? Artlolq 39180, Vernon*a Annotatrb Olvll
Statutes, prorldo8, IlI part:
665
Honorable Parria Pirtle, page 3
vh0 0oamiarlonera~ court in oountloa having
a population of twenty thousand (%O,OOO)
or pore and loam than one hundrrd and
(~g0,~0~).inhabitanta aooordlly to the
Fedora1 Ginaua, is horobf authorlead and
Itsdutrto tit the lalarIoa or iL1 the r0u0wing
im,taodoriIoor8 to-wltr i~orlft, laaoaaor-oollootor
or.taroa,~ 00011t y Jodgr, oouaty attorney, iaoladlng
orImIa~1 dlatrlot attorno~a and oounty lttoraoya
who prrfoa the titles of dhtrlot attorno~a, dirtriot
olerk, oouaty olofk, troaauror, hido aad la lmaInapao- l
aor. &oh of said offloor shall be pald in nonor a8
annual lal4ry la twolvo (18) aqua1 laatallmenta of not
l~aa than the total am laraod as oomponaatloaby him
In his 0rri0ial. oapaolty for the fiaoal par 193s and
not sure than the m.sxfmumaamuat allowad auoh orffoora
uador la *lxtatlng on hq$uat 84, 1935; ~rorfdod t+t
in oount&ia hayi* a populstlon 0r twenty thouoand
(ao,ooo)wxd look than thlrtprrovrn thousand fire
hundred (a7.090).lo o o r dlng
to tho last preoodlna ?odeml
Condor aad ha*1 an aaaoaaod ralu.atloa~In oxoeaa of
fiitqn mIlllon( 7 16,000 QOO.00) dollars, aooordlng to
the &at approved prooe din& tax roll of Bald oouatr
the;lLIzieupomoUnt allowed auoh offloor aa salary
my bo inoroaood 088 par (l$j oent for each one allllon
($~.rOOO,OOO.OO)dollars Valuation or rraotlonal part
thoroof and In oao~aa of raid rittoon nillion
(#15,006,000&0) dolXara valuation o*or and above the
maximum amount allowed aaoh ofr.iscra under laws oxiat-
lng oa August 84, %W5$&kidprovided that oountiea having
a population of thirty-reran thsuaand rim hunbrod (37,SOc
and 1088 than sixty thouaa.nd (60,000) aooordlng to the
last preoodin& Federal Census and, hatfn an aaaerrerd
valuation I``oxooaa 22 Law&y mlllloa ( #.80,000,000.CU),
dollars, a``ardiag to the last prooedlng approved tax
roll of raid oounty, tho maximum amount ollorod auoh
or? loora as aalarlea, may be Inorraaod one (1%) per omt
fo rlaoh tmo aillion ((1,000 000.00) dollars ralaatloa
or fraotional part thereof, L lx o o a a or r a id twenty
nilllm ($~O,aoO,~OO~OO) dollars valuation eves and above
the m8W!a amount tiloued aaoh ortloerr under tha laws
lrlstlng on August 84, 10311r +***
Sootlon lb, Artlolo 3!318o, lupta, rpaoifioally protldoa
that tho aalarloa of the offloors nawd therein shall bo paid In
666
Honorable Parr16 ‘Pirtlo, p~go 4
twoit equal installmanta or not loam than the total l- earned
in oompjnration by him in hfa orfiold oapaolty for the timal
yeal: or 1935, er,d not more than the AWAX``UOI amount a1lo~3d mmh
offioor under the laws oxl6tfng on August 84, 1935~Byannl.n
County haa an as808806 valuation in 0x0088 0r twenty nillion
do lla r looordlng
s to the last prooodlng .S$protod tax roll Of
auoh ooanty, the uuimua amount allowod~‘auoh otflort8 as ralary
nay ba lnoroaard one per aont for oaah one mlllloa dollars or
fraotional part thereof, in lxooaa of the aald twenty million
dollar valuation otor and above the maxigp amount allowed auoh
offloor under laws oxlatln( oa huguet l%; 1938.
It is noted that ~00 rorar to Yi6ada 0r th County
Judge, Coantf Clork,*oto. For the purpoaoa 0r this opinion, wo
la a u uthat you aean the oounty otilolal~ named in tbo firat
question aubmIttod in your lnquirr.
In anuwor to your first ~uoatlon pu are crdtleed that
the ml&au and nsrfmum aalerloa at auoh oounty ofrloiala are
fixed bJ statute and that the ooaaiaslono.ra, oourt la d~otoraining
the anount of aalarior to be roooltod by auoh oounty offloisla
ha8 th6 A&t and authority under Sootlon 15, Art1016 391e0,
aupra, to fix the salaries of auoh orrlolala In any amount
not loam than the total sun earned as oomponaatlon bf the otfi-
oor in his offioial oapaolty for the rimoilyear of 1956, and
not more than the maximum amount allowed auoh offloor under laws
lxLatlng on August 84, WM. (Ill support 0r thlr statonant 846
the oa868 of laoo@dooher Count, t. Jlnklno, 140 5. 1. (Ed) 901;
and Wacogdoohos County t. Winder, 140 SW (2d) 97fi)
In anawer to your aroond question,, you are roepottully
advieod that the oomlaslonora ' oourt 0r Fannln County has no au-
thority whataootor to put the oounty baok oa a fee baria in tiow
of the foregoing prorlafoaa of the Uonatitutlon and statutes oltod
above.
With roforonos to our third question, you are advised
that It la our opinion that t ha oommi8alonora~ oourt ot Tannin
County has no legal authority to lower tbr aalarloa oi the oounty
OfflOlal8 oi raid oounty lffootlto January 1, 194% ffoworor, when
the ooaml881oner8, oourt of as14 oountp aerta at Its rlrrt regular
Boasion In January 1945 to fix the ealarlea of raid ofilolalr the
Dourt must la view of the forogola# rtatutory pro?l8lona, fix the
lalarics oi auoh oounty offlo~ala as required by Sootlon 13, Artiolo
59180, 8upra. Stated another way, the oomnlilelonorr, oourt of said
Ibnorable -Perrle Pirtle, pagO 5
oouaty at it8 fir88 regular meting In January 1945 ha8 the right
and it 18 its duty to tit the salari88 of raid oounty oftioialr,
a8 herstofora 8tated, at not 1058 than th4 total 8uIo larn8d in
oomp4n8atloa by laoh 0fri04r in hi8 orrioial oapaolty r0r the tir-
onl rmar 19S5, and aot mr. than the rarirum urartnt allowed ruoh
OrriO8r undrr the law8 4Xi8tiZig OLLAugust 24, 1935. The 8al.ari.08
Or ruoh OmO8r8 anned in lkotioa 15, Aftiole 59180 rhall be paid
la twelve rqual fII8talkUOIAt8 a8 provided ia raid 8tatute. (Seotioa
lb, Artiolr Solsle);
Yours very truly
8T (J2uf!adh
Ard811 William8
ii88i8tant
AWrlC?
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