Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1942 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable Cleveland Davla
County Attorney
3razoris county
Angleton, Texes
Cear Sir:
Your letter of Dee
the opinion of thla Dspertme
reada in part as followzir
therarore, I
ntion to the
or thet the
Attorneys Di8triot Clerk,
unty Treasumr of this
it. under the ~rovlsiens oi
6 3Bl2 (o), Il. c. 8, 1985.
*The lo40 Federal Cemucr ahewed that Brarmia
Couaty hsd Edpopulation af~27, 069, and I hove
been advf8ed by the Tax Aaesraor-Collsotor,that
the 1942 valuation for this County la tts au..
of $&6,532,84S.C0.
*It is my opinion that under the law
existing on dugust 24th‘ 193% the artrlm`` which
ffoncrablo Cleveland Davia;Page 2
could be paid to the County Attorney, !‘ouhty
Tax collector-W#~e~sor,Ce~ty Judge, County
Clerk,Dlstrict Clerk, ahd Sheriff, was the,
mm of #3,000.00 par year; ~8~ that this ~aziiouht
is the mlnlmum amount wbloh would be urea In
oomputlng the salsrlee allowed to raid officers
under the provislona of said Section IS.*
Your letter of January 9, 1948 aupplezentihg the
above quoted letter is as rolloars:
.“I appreciate very much your I?epartnant’r
replying to my letter of 11th Deaembar, 1942 in
rrfer%me lx aalarlea which may be paid the
several connty Offlolals or 23rszorla county,
Teras.
*Further in reterence to this matter, Baa. 13
OS Art. 390&(e), appearing on page 12C of the
1942 @mnulatlre Annual Pocket :Fart, prbvides that
In aountia8 having a populstioa of 2+0,000 and,
less than 31500, aocardiag to the last prooading
pederal Census, and hevlng an atrsesasd veLuAti8n
fn axemcl 0?~#15,000 ooQ.00, acccraiRg-tg%tths
last apprcved prwwding tax roll Of mt8h aounty,
the aaximua miount allowed such OffiOerf3 as
salaries may be inorsaseb 1% Sor eaoh $l,SOcJ,OOct.~Q
~luation, OCRrraafiohal part thereof, ln efoess
of said ‘$15,000,000.00 vSluatfoa, Over and above
then ms&eum amount allowed such ofsicers under
laws sristihg on 24th August, 1936.
‘It #emno %I& thir Aet became effective 18th
May, lSSS, and that the Act epeolficrlly repeals
all laws in conflie~t therewlth.
vfieretofora Braeoria County has been payin&
its officera under tha~p~visioas of the last
paragraph uadrr MO. 13 61 aal6 Art. 3902(e1),
appearing on pages 122 of the 1942 Cum‘ulativa
Annu.111pockat Pnrt, whiah provide8 thet tn all
couhtfas having a population or not leea than
20,001 and not more than 23,000, according to
the last prooeding Federal Census, and which
Honorable Cleveland Davis, Page S
.,,.. hm.rn aosessed valuation in exot3t3 .of
fe~,ooo,oOO.oo, eoofwd``g to the last prs-
oeding approved tax:roll of suclh oountfee,
the mexlmm salaries af mob offiosrs is
fired et sjS750.00. It is my opinion that
this Aot was passed duririg the year 1935.
*A8 edrlsrd fin my letter of llth.Daomber,
the 1040 Boderal Canme showed that Braroria Count7
had a populetlon of 27069, and the selarles
whioh could bo paid the county offlonra on 24th
.Auguet, 1935 was $3,000.00 par year.
-It would seam to m that that portion of
800. 18 passod in 1935 fixing t&e sal.arles at
a neximum OS $3750.00 ia in aonfliat with the
amsndasnt of Sec. 18 whfoh was passed In 1959,
and that auoh kot of 1999 repeals that portion
01 sea. 115 above mentioned.
The lOSO Fedora& Constu, balng the la&
preossdlng Foderel Ceneur a6 the t&me of the
afhotive,date oi the kot of 1939, showed
Brazoria County to have a population o? a
little fin exoeaa or 225,000 gorsona, end our
velufition in 1939 we8 around #45,00o,000.00.~
The popalation oi Bra~orfa County, aaoordingto ~.
t&s 1930 Federal Can8u8 wa8 23,084 inhabitants. The popu-
lation of BeId County aeaording to fho ‘1940 Consus iu
37,069 inhabitants.
Artlole 5883, ?eraon*s Annotated, Civil Statutes,
proridds In part:
WExcept as otherwise prorldad in this Act,
the annual fees that may br retained by a preoinat,
aounty and distriot offiarrs nontionad in thfe
Article #hall be ae tollowot
"1. In f3our.itiss oontalnlng twsnfpflvo (28,000)
thousand or lsss inhabitants: oounty judge, distrlot
or eriniml dbtriot attorney, sh~orlti, OOUnty
Hosorablo Cleveland Datis,Pago 4
clerk, oounty lttorasy, distriot olsrk, tax-
oollsotor; tax-asssssor, or the eosossor sod
oolleotor or taxes Twenty-Four Hundred ($:2400)
Dollexs eaohi Jqsbios of the Peace and Constabls;
lWelve Hundred (~12OO).D6llars eeoh:
Artiols 9891, Vsraon*s Annotated Civil StetiCls,
reeds la peeirt as rollma:
T&oh offleer naaed in this okapter shall
ffret eut of the ourrsnt fees of hi8 ofiice, pay
or be paid ths amount allowed him under the pro-
.tislons of.Artlols 5885, togsthor with ths salariss
I# his assistants end deputies, and ttuttcrized
expnnses’under Artisls I&%8)99,
and the amoust neoes-
sary to oovsr``oo4t~oS pruelum 8n shatever surety
bond ray bs requlrsd bj law. If the ourrsnt fess
of suoh offibs ool@otOd ln any year bs moxa than
the smoaat nssdsd to pay the amou&ts above speoifled,
same ihell 'bs d4muod~oxbess fess, and shall be dls-
poss$ of in th6mennor hsrrineSt6r provided.
b
*In, counti 0o*taiairy;``'fn~nty-iiv. ('t35.000)
Thousirid ar less inhabitants, di?tribt and oounty
offleers nembd herais shall retain one-third of
suoh exoess fess until such om~third to@tihiE-
with the amount speolfied ia Article 6803, amou+s.
to three thousand dollars ($3000.00). Preolnot
officer shell retain ona-third until suoh ona-
third; to&her with the usoant speoified $5
Artiols S&W& amounts,to fourteen hundred $oliars
($1400.@!$),.
a6otloB 13 of ~&la~e.S912(s), VeSao~:s AMotet&
Civil Citatutss, provides in pert;
. T36otion
. _ 18. The Conmlssionsrs* court %a
aountles herleg a population of twontg thousand
(20,000) inhabitants or POW, end 1688 than
on8 hundrsd and ninety thousand (190,000) in-
habitants acoording to ths last pz+sosdlng Federal
EoaomIalo Clovelend Davis, hzgs B
-~ .`` .eT..s
~Cenm@, 14 herob rut&orbed end It ah411 be
ito duty to fix ths salaries of all the fcllo``ing
nemd qffiosrs, towlt: Ghsriff, Assessor and
Collsotor of taxm, oonnt.y judge, county attorney,
including criminal district attornsys end county
attorney4 who psrrom the dut$ss 0r dhtrict
attorneys, dlstriat clerk, coest~ clerk, troamrer,
hide and a&ma1 lnspeotor.~ Ee@h of said otflaers
shell, be paid in money an aaeual aelsry of twelvs
(12),epuel inetellmeats ~of not Lesa than the total
sus earned es oompensatioa by him In hia offlaial
oepaeity for the fiaaal peer 1939, and not more
the4 the msrlmum are ellowsd saah offlasr undar
laws axlsting on August 84, 1936; provided that
in counties heviag e popolet~on of twsnty thou&and
(20,000) aad 1448 than thrlty-ssvea thousesd five
hundrad ,(37,800) aooordlng, to ths lest preseding
yedsral Osnsus aad having any assessed valuation
.ia 4x4044 of f~ftesn mnilllon dollars ($15,OOO,OOO)
eooording to the last epgroved ~rsaedi~ tax roll
,of 8goh oounty the mexfgua amount alluwsd suoh
officers es salary may be inorsased oas (1) per-
* 8ent .for each one tillion (~l,OOO;OOC.OO) dollars
valustios or fraotional *rt thereof, in excess
of 4aI.d flftsan~mflUea (~15,000,000.00) dollars
mluetlon,ovar and above the maximum amount allowd
suoh off$cyf under lays ,ox.isting on kupuet EC,
1 9 SJ; l
Sactloa is or Artiols 39Uis. Vavon*s Aanotatsd Civil
5tatute4, provides la part:
R * * * and provldodthat Is all
further
aountiee of &Wt 1044 thea
hfiV$Jlg H QOQUl8tiOn
twenty thausehd am on4 (2O,OOl) and not more
t,hen twenty five thousand (2&,000), aooordine;
to the lest prsoediag yedewl C6nsu4, aad whloh
h44 en es4e4sed valuation in t9me44 of 6Wenty
five million (&?.5,000~OOO.OO) dollars eooordiog
to the lust precedizq approved tax rOl1 Of suah
oouiitles, the oouaty judge sheriff, couuty
ettsrasr, assessor and oolieetor of tacos,
oounty clerk ahd district olork, the mximum
salaries hereby fired et thxeo tkoulend 4twea
hundred and itSty ($3, 750.00) dollaan.*
As Sxazoria County ha8 a population in exaam of
twentf?flve thousand lnhabltants aaoordlng to the 1940 P‘edekal
Census,~the forogolng provlrion of SoOtion~l5 of Al'tiQls 3913(0)~
aupw, is no longor applloabls to *aid oouat~.
The aai.arlee oi the county oitioials or Bra%oria
couqty mist bu dstormin~d and fixed 1~ aOoordanca with thd
provlsiolu of krtlolo 3883,' 3891, and Seotion 13, Artiols 391S(e),
supw . (see the oeee ot ijac?oSdoahslr County v. Windup, 140 S.W.
(24) 972).
Thie DqurtmenG ha* horototore renderud aevaral
oplnlonm answer& queatlona al.euMi lndentioal to the question
prfmented in p?;ur Inquiry. Two of these opihiosm are Opinion8
Nos. O-2560 and Q-2748. Copiuo of t:aas opiniona are onoloaed
herewith.
ha the popalation~of3rasoria Cotinty was trrsntf-three
thoiwand rifty
four inhabitant8 aooording to the lS30 Bederal~
’ Cunaus, the mximum alarise of 8814~aounty of~iol~ls ior the
year 1935 oould not exeeod the amour& of three thousand ($3000)
dollare eaoh., .,
In view of the iongoing you are ~8pi30tralipsdvi*ed
that It is the opinion or this Dq#artaleAt that thu aaw
aalorioa OS the county offiaiala af Exaaorla Coaaty, gamed ia.
Article %lS(e), Soot&m 13, SUpl'aI for the year 1943, oannot
exceed the aura or three thousand (+:$QOO) dollars plus one'per-
dent thereof for saoh million dolla&-valuation or traotional
part t~.ereor in 0xees8 ot fifteen nillion (#15,000,000) dollars.
Tbueting that the forogalng filly answenr your
Yours very txuly
1943 ATTOFNWGENEVAL
OF TEXAS
;rY 14
Ax4011 ;killlam
&dlltant
APPROVEDOPIHTOIYCOMMITTEE
BY Em CFLimwa AW:rr