Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1942 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN .JwqorableRahLphBrook County httornsy kbbook Cwsty Lubbook, %aae Dear Sirs OQlnian no. A.: 0811the rhleh I ham rondared to the Couut ve to a mtter, like to here your my muOh ror yvu 1 rqlort et the aounty a110 ana1oa.d. It thlr OVUPt dloQosed w in addition to'thia one hundnd and IIthe mornlw look in the afternoon. has lnoraawd the salaries ef all sooretarlaltilp, and the help in hla vrrioo cmd 1~ my ~ftioa is not sear&aria1 in every ``88, ror in vrdax to keep hillr,the COUW hl#~*, Honorable Ralph Brook, page 2 f'roehaving to ollmb the stairs to the Clerk's office from ten to flftaen times a day to sign birth oertiflaata matters, this book of th4 Probate mfnutss is belw kept by his secretaryin his offloe, which is, as you see, oleriaalwork. Then in addition to that, as you know, under the statute, he Is required, as I, to 1n4kemonthly reports, end with the volum4 that is passing through the two offloes, mine and his It la entirely impossibleto 44oure help theftIs effioient at the 8100,OO figure whloh the county has heretoforebeen able to secure. Win keeping the birth oertlfloaterecords as they er4 kspt the County Judge's ofsloe Is savlnq,the employment of on4 additionalasalatant oounty olerk, and on aooount of congasted oondltlonsin this part, the secretary to th4 County Judge ls olerking the County Court, sixi the Clsrk would not bs able, u&der the prosent s4t-up to lmrr aa I8 r4qoIrsd by law a alerk to attend this Court, and with th4 amount of,buaInessthat is bblng'oonduotedIn the County Court, it would bs n4044~ry that the County Clsrk employ a full-tla4 as,sIetantol4rk totak4 oar4 of this buslneaa. *As Is Sndioated in thr 14tt4r to the Commlssionoreg +.::,, ..% _:. :~Burt; ~-itIa,:njl::~opIut4n-that .thera-,salari4s``.oollld be,raIa4d. and these employ4ea Gould be dssIgnat4d-asclerk& In this' cowmotion let m4 say_that you know full well that s4or4- tarial or clerioal help does not depend upon just bavlng someone around. You have to have someone that understands what It is all about. I .dotest you all1 give mo an lmmsdlate opinion on this rnatWr.* ~‘&,tr opinion addreaa4d to the Honorable Commlaalon4ra* Court of Lubbock Wunty, Texan, on ths.abovs stat6d question roada as f0l.l0ws: *You have queetlowd ma relative to rohatheror not the County CommIsalon4ra~Court oan authorize'thepayment of a salary In 4x04~4 of $100.00 per month to an office eaalatant of the,CountyJudge and the aecre$ary of the County Attorney!s 0fri ~8. “Artiole 3902 of the Revised Civil Statutes provides a4 follows: Ronorable Ralph Brook, page S WIWhoneoerany district, county or prscbot ofri04r~ shall require the s43~lo48 of deputies, aselstantr~ or olsrks in the p4rform4noe of his duties he aball apply to the County Commlssloners*Court of his county for authority to appoint such deputies,assIstanta or olerks, ,etatIng by sworn appliaatlon the number needed, the position to be fill46 and the amount to be ~16. Said appllcetionshall be acoompaniedby a statamant showing the probable reoeipts from fees, ooadssionr and compensationto be collectedby said offloe during the rlsoal year and the probable dla- bursements which shall Inolude all ealarles and expenses of said offloe;landsaid oourt shall make its order authorle- lag the appointment OS suoh deputies, aslslstanta and olerkr and fix the compensationto ba paid them wlthln the llmlta- tlona herein prasorlbadand determine the number to be ap- pointed as In the disoretion of eald court may M,properl' proridod that In no oaas shall tha Commlsslonera~Oourt or any manber thenof attempt to lnflu4uo4 thr appolntwnt of any person an deputy, aadmtant~or alerk fn any affloe. Upon the entry + suoh order the offloere applying for saoh ,a~esfptantsdeputies or alark t&all be authoilzoa to.appoint, .th&; p&bad that saltIcompensationshall not eroead tha maxluuu5'aWunther4lnafteraet out. Th4 oompansatlonwhioh : tiI .M~aU.woa .":,,. ~. :~to +iha 4oputi4r i asriatanta~. .or...*larkm ``awro.,~ Pi named for th9Ir~@ervfosrahall be a reasonable ona, ntitfo iroeed tag r~omwtng ~ourlta: In oouutler havhig P pupulk- tion of thfrty-maventhousand five hund d and one (57,501) and not mra thaa sixty~thoueand(60,000 7 @habitants, fldt arr$istantor ohioi daputy not to @roeed Twaaty-ona Hunbed (#?lOO.OO)Dollars.perannum; other assistants 'deprrCtLns or oltika~not to exoeoa ltl&htaanHundred (~l&.OO) .Dollar~per anna eaoll. Provided that nothing in this dot shall be oonstruedas ra ealfng or airacting Baotion S af R. B. PIo.694;~Chaptq.r SP5, Acts 19S5, Forty-fourthLagIala- tun, 7M.' TJnder t&Is artlola it ~os?msalaar that the County Commissl,owr8*C6urt shall have the power to authorica tha ippolntmant.ofsuoh deputies,araiatanta and alarke that may ba needed by th4 Oouuty Judge atw!l/Or the County Attorney In tha parformanos of thslr dutias and to Six their oompansatlonwIthin the llmltatlonaprescribed In SwtI6R~S of Article 3908, oinse Lubbock County 00mn within thetpopulatlon braoket.~Under Section 3 the CommIssIoners! *``CourtGould be authorized .toappoint a Clerk to the County .,;;'Judge*s ?ffIq6 to s47i+e inthe~ County ;T~dge~soffice~at~a ,~salary of not 'toeroeed $1800.00 per yeear. Likewise, the ‘``Commlssionera* Court may authorize the appointment of a Clerk in the County Attorney's off&a8 et a salary not to, ~exceed461000.00 #4r year, .'Honorable R&h Bfock, a&s 4 *Section 13 of krtlale 3912 ,provides 'asfollqwa: -'The Commhdoneks~ Court inoouatles having a population of twenty thousand (80,000) inhabi.tante or more, and leas then one hundred end ninety thousand (190,OOO)inhabitantsaccording to the lest preoediug FWl0rtal ‘hnaus,ia hsiaby Qilthorizsd endsIt shall be its duty to fir~the rala;rlss or ~11 the following named .0rrici~, totit: 5herifr,asseesor,endcollector or taxes county Judge. county sttorney, includi?le 'crluinal dlstrjot attorneysend county ettorney, Including criminal distrf& attorney5end count7 attorneys who .parfqp the duties of dietriot sttorneye,distriot alerk, county clerk, treaaurar;hide and animal lnspeotox.:ICechof said oiiioere shell be paid in,mooey. and annual salary in twelve (UT) aqua1 lnatall3nent5 oftnot l&s than the total SUDSearned 8~ oom- pe?~eQ$ibn by big in his 0rrii0iplcep@ty'ror:t*e rl5oal par 1935, end~nfl mom thdn ths,meximumameugt,a&lowed such bff'fherunder'lewca~ ed5tI.W on,August~.24,,~1?3F~; .~prbylded thet .in oouutle5having a population-of.twenty ~thourand (~SO,OOO) 5nd loss #an thirty45verithouland five hUndrtWJ(37,500)E'XJOi+iiQf3 ,to.the'&%et; pr49?ding.Federal Ahulsus, end having en eeeeaeed 9el``ion'id,6~O~?s at :;;i:g+ ~(`` : :~: ``,'~.:: .b,:;~ .:: a :::i! 5:::yiftaan 'id& M~lllon ,app*sa (~@S 000 OOO)~ _:pr~ee``j``.&x OolXara;,aa?oxd$ag;to .;mllOf .:.a,e``, the ~o&nt* %?a~Ba*m : amunt~al~lowad ~auoh&fioers es eelerios map ‘be .%n@reeeed daq(l$) lperoent ror ;&eohOne tailllon~(~1)OOO;@O.OO) Dollare valuation or rrectionel pert thetieor,in sroeie ~ or said Flrtaan Hill.ion($16,000,000.OO)Dollar5 valuation over endsabove-ths~sa&.~ amount allored suob offioers under laws existing on~August 24, 1935; and~&kOoided that in oountiee h&ring a pohletiqn br tblrtf+rvon thousend riro hundred '(~s?,fOO) aqd ,iees:than~aiFW'thoUs+ ,(80,000) aooort?l&~tethe last ~preoedingFed&e1 CWMLUB, end hering an esmesaed oaluetlon:$nlxa,eeeof Twenty.iiilPiq(Q%O,OOO,OOO. Dollere, eacording to.the laet preaedingapp~#d tax roll 0f suoh county, the ~xlxagm amountalloubil such otfiaara as. eeleriea may be increeeed oae (1$) Peruaentior seoh one tillion f#i,OOO,~,OOO.QO) Dollere veluetion or freOtiOna1 pert theredt,~in exoeas.ofaQi& Twenty hPillloh($ZO,OOO,OOO.OO) Dollar5 valuation over end above the marifaumemouut allowed suoh orfloer under lnua existing on Auguet 24, 1933. -*(a) The CommL5eionars*Court mey euthorlza~theemploy- ment of a stenogrepherby the oounty judge,.enU pey for such ssrvloe6 out of the (generalfun& of th5 orruntyto ed amount not to rxceed Twel9e Ebndred (12OO.00).Dolleraper year+ Honorable Ralph Brook, pge 3 ‘7fOU will notiac the provision in this Article which authorlresthe employmat of a aeoretery to the County Judge et a salary of not excaeding $l200.00 per year, however, the seoretary to'the County Judge of Lubbock County has greeter duties and greater responsibilftleo than ordf.narysecretarialwork end the work that ehe nuet~do inthe oirioe oFthe Gounty Judge oannot be properly desoribsd as secrsterialwork. In other words, her duties go beyondthose of the ordinary aeoretery. She rifle out birth oertificateefor the oounty, keeps the books of'the County Judge(s office and perrorms numerous other duties outside the general aaope of eitore- tar$al work. It is thereforemy opinion that she should properly be designatedaa a olerk to the County Judge and pursuant to 8uah Ueaignatlonby the Comuiseioneret Court, the Commissioners*court would be authorizeCto f$x her salary at a sum within the limtte prescribed, abo9e. It le thereforemy oplnlon that the Commissioners* Court of Lubboak.County, Texas would be within their legal rights fn euthorleingthe appo&ment of a clerk to the County Judge and CLClerk~to the County’Attol%ey at e salary in eeoh instance. of not to exoeod gl800.00 per annum.9 ' This.Dsge``ent ~haa.hereeoforo,on ~se9eraloooaeL,ona, ':':I~,'.'::nritt``';"oplnions' on pra~t%Dally~ the eeme~question or,queetiona lnrolred in your inquiry. le direct your attention to ODInion Do. O-1620 holding in erract thatthere is no authority ror a County Attorney to ,employe atanographer. We uall your attention to our Opinion Ko. 04874 whiah holds that when a County Attorney oompllos with the termtaor Artlole 5908,~Vernon's Annotated Civil Statutea, e olerk may be appointed by the County Attorneyti 83th referen& to that part of your quezMon regarding the euthori'tjor the~Comaiselonors9 Court authoriefngthe eppoint- ment of an oftice assistant for the County Judge end the paymnnt or e aelary in excess ot One Hundred ;($lOO.OO)Dollars per month to such essistant, It Is our .optnionthat 8 County COmmiseionsr8t Court la not authoriied under Artiole 3902, Vernonts Annotated Civil Statutes, In the absenae of the specific grant of power, to pay any salary Eor an essiatant for the County Judge, an4 that in view oi'the provlalona of 36ctlon 13(e) or krtlcle 3912e, VernontttAnnotated Civil Statutea, ap lyi~ngto COunt%es 91th e population o!'twenty thousand (20,0007 lnhabltants or more, and less than one hundred ninety thoueend (190,OOOjInhabitants,the County Judge in such oountles can only employ a stenogragherwith the approval of the Co.misslonera*Court at a s&sry not to excee8 Twelve Aundred (312O(i.@C)Dollars p.r yesr. Our conaluslonthus stated with reference to the first part of the question quoted abose is eupported by our Opioloa MO..O-1449. Honorable Ralph Brock, page 6 In your opinion addreese to the Flonorsble CormIs- sionera* COUrt Of Lubbook County, Texm, YOU atate ill dreOt that the Conmiiet#lonm?~* Court or said oounty would be within its legal right in authorfzlngthe appointment0f a clerk by an4 for the County Attorney at a salery not to exueed Eighteen Hundred (#.6OO.O0)Dollare per annum. We think that this is a oornot statement with reference to a olark for the County Attorney and the salary to be pal4 rauoholerk by ~lrtue ai Artiole 3903, 6upm. However, ae above lndloatedwe 40 not agree with that portion of your opinionwith reference to a olerk ror the county Judge. In eupport of the ~oregolngwe oito you the r0iutw`` opinion4 end enoloss a oopy or -oh ror your oonvenlenos. opinions here rererred to are Bos. O-383, O-3146, O-1449, O-8342, O-65, O-1649, O-1874, O-3743, O-1950, o-1097, an4 0-1630. we trust that the toragoing Sully answers your inquiry. Your8 Averytruly AWROVZD M&R. 18, 1943 ATTORHFiY GEUEUL OF TWXAi m :.: /@, ...._.::. :,:.- ?IIIsTASSI8TAliT ATToIllnry G%!?=L AR/PO AtiROVXD OFINIOiPCOh&IT+EE BY.B.W.B. CEAI=