Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1942 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Xonorablo YurpbJ Cole
County Auditor
Liberty COua~
Liberty, TOLU
0r recent date
glvu various roa~orm why thq
o be pai4 in
this manner, the
beia( the ha ISOUl then be Ed Of-
au, and duly qualified as suoh.
~owover, Ohe oompur~ wmnta to pay ruoh Of-
ridor a ~alrmy of $200.00 par math, and tha oat?
oan pay 8uoh deputy a lduy of’nOt lxO@ading
irl25.00 per month.
Eonorabla Murphy 0010 - Pega 2
'I(ey the OOuntJ, In your oplnlon, pay this
deputy a lalarp of 4125.00 par month and in addi-
m. tfo n e x a nt
a ull.lOw~P~ oi. 175.00 par month for _
upa.@@?" .
Liberty Couutr, looordN to the 1940 Ir,derti
OOM UI, h e 0 l popu.letlon or 26,54l.
Art1010 3902, Vernon*0 Civil 8tatuto0, prorldaa,
in pi-t, a0 r0ii0w0t
~onorar any dlatrlot, eountr, or proalnot
offlou ahall rquln the lonlo~o or doputloa,
aaal~tanto, or olerka in the porromahoa of hla
dutlea, ho ahall apply to the oounty eoaalaaloners*
oourt of hla oounty ior authority to appoint 8uoh
doputlea, aaal8tanta or olerka, atating br mom
lpplioatlon the number noeded, the poaltion to be
filled and the amount to be paid. Said applloatltm
shtil ba lo o a mp a nl~ by da stataont mhowlagtho
probeth rooelpta from r000, ~amlodxm, me ON-
paeration to ba oollaotad by eel4 oltloa during the
iiaoal roar and the probablo~dlrburmaenta uhioh
0h 8u ina ir d0 iL1la l8r i08 081•r4 p 0~r a0r aaid
oirloo and aald oourt #hall make ita ordu au-
thorld n& tha appointrent of luoh deputlaa, •~-
llatanta and olorka and rir the o~naatlan to
ba paid them within the limltatlona herein pro-
lorlbed a nddetormlma the number to bo appointed
08 In the dlaoratlon 0r 8rid court may be roperi
provided that la no la 8m &all the 0-8 8! OILera*
oourt or w mabar thuaof attempt to lnfluonao
the lp p o lntmo of ntw pr8on a8 daputy, la mia b a ut
or olork in any offloa. Upon tha entry ot muoh
ordor Wm ottlaarm lp p l#ng fo r a uo 8Oah iOtM te,
daputlaa or olork8 ahall bo authorlrad to appoint
thaml'protldod that sold ompenaation ahall not
lxooed the maximum amounta hereinafter eat out.
mo ooaponaatlon whloh py bo allouad to th.
drputloa, 8aalatanta or olarks above nuod for
their lomloaa, ahall be a reaaonabla one not
to lxooad the roilowing amoullta:
'1. In oountloa hari
Honorable Murphy Cole - Page 3
l@aiataut o r ohiai deputy not to axoaad Eightaau
Hundred Dollars ($1800) par anmuq turthor aa-
aiatenta, doputiaa or olarka not to ax0004 Flftoau
Yu0dr.d allara (4500~ Pu annum e&ah:=
Tha Only authority under whloh a ocmml~alonara*
OOUrt My aaai8t in the appointment of the deputiaa namad
in Artiole 3902, 8upra, la the authalty oonfgrrod therein,
-4 aooh authority must bo lxaoutod only in tha manner QN-
aorlbod In the atetuto. Said court ham limited furlaaiotion,
and when etatutory authority’18 given for tha lxerolae o$
oartein powara or the puformenoa of oortain dutlaa, those
rqulramante must be atrlotly followed in o va r l yaaantla~
dotall performed as .prorlded. State f. Jotison, 52 S. C. (26)
110.
Said Artlole 3902 eats out speolrloally the manner
In whioh appointmanta of daputiea are to bo amda. V&on
sworn applloation and the form outlined In Artlole 3902
ham boon proeentad to the oommla~lonors~ oourt, than the
oommla8lonara* oourt ham authority to m&o its own order
authorizing the lppolntmant of suoh deputies, aaalatanta
end olarka, Siring the aompanaatlon or auoh doputlaa. aa-
alatanta and @larks within the legal llmltatlona.
We have boon unable to find any statute authorizing
the aomrnl88lonara * oourt to grant to any oounty orrloer a
fiat ecua a0 lllowanoa for erpenaoa.
Thr oompaaaatlon of pub110 OfSloorO la fixed br
the Constitution and statutoa. An offioer may not olaim or
raaoh any manor without a law authorizing him to do 00, and
olaarly fixing the amount to whloh he la lntltlad. An oi-
floar la not lntltlod to any oompaneatlon ln addltlon to
that whlah hoe boon iixad by law for the putorMMa of the
duties of him orrloa, even though the oompenaatlon lO~flX@d
la unraaaonabla or lnndequate.~ Ha mar be required by law
to perform apoolrlo aorviama or dlaohorga addltlona~ dutie@
ror whioh no ocapansatlon la prorldod. The obligatiun to
parrot a ua l h
orrloes la FPrposeU am an lnofdent to the Of-
floe and the orrloer by his aooaptanoe tharaor 16 dmmd to
hera ang~gd to poriorm thau without oanpsnaatlon. Tefi*ll.
v. ei u+ s. w. (2d) 786; kloCa1l.a v. City Oi RoOMale, 246
s. w. 3’ 54; Crosby County Oattla Company~r. b~oD@rmett, 281 s* 8.
, ..
Honorable Murphy Cola - Page 4
293~ Stringer Y. Franklin County, 123 9. 3'. 1168.
- ..``~. In rlow or the roregolng authorltlee, It la OUT
iplnioa iJUt tha..0oad#8i~arg* Court or Llbert Count7
‘-M). aOt 8UthOri88 the eQQOin~@nt or a'daputr 8-1.
&irf &n$" ' -
ant him an expanse lllowanoa of SarentpFire Dollars
F475.00) per aoath in addition to the ~xlmxn ooorpaaaatlon
of Fifteen XunUrad Dollars ($1500) per annum ($125.00) per
month) praaarlkd under Seotion 1 of Artlola 3902. Aa above
afatad Art1010 3902, supra, eats out 8p00iriorl* thr mannnr
in whloh the appointment of deputies are to ba aada. It will
bo noted that this statute raqulraa the lharlrr or any other
offloer aaklng lp lloatian to ths.oomda8ionarr* aotut ror
authority to appo & t daputlaa, r8slataatm or olarka, to
state by sworn applloatlon the number naadad, the poaltlona
to be filled and the awunt to be pale. Unle88 ruoh depu-
ties, laalatanta or olarka are lotually naedad, the oifioar
aaklng lpplloatlon ror authorltf to appoint aooh daputlea,
eto. would have no legal authority to make a sworn stata-
ment to the orfeat that auah 4eput168, ato., are noadad,
when In foot, auoh daputla~, aaelatanta or olarka are not
noadad .
A daputf sheriff la required to give bond to the
8hariff; he 10 aubjeat to the orders of the aherlff and mat
ba arallabla for duty whenever and wherever the sheriff aaoa
fit to l8d@ him. Under tho iaote a8 mubItted in your
latter, thla deputy la to be lsa lg natodguard the 011 #torage
plants and oil walls or a private oonoarn. Xa will of aaoas-
llty hate to devote him ontlra tima to thla task, and will
not be ltallable for ~aaalgnwnt elmwhere. Ha dll not be
lubjaot to the ordora of the 8horiit, nor will ho ba ra8pon-
8lbla to him. Under those Oiroumstanoea, it 18 Our Opinion
that the aharltt roul'd hate ao 6uthorlty or legal right to
18ria a ooad8alo~ to a parson to perform suah 8OrtiOea.
Furthermore, we aro enoloslng harawlth a 00~7 Of
our opinion No. O-207 whloh holds that the aharlii doer not
have the authority to laaua oooPalaelon@ to pareone who her*
jobs a6 watohmen or am pounWator8.
Trusting that the toregoing aatlafaotorlly atm*ra
your Inquiry, wo rawaln
Tours rarr truly
. ATT- WKERAL OF TEXAS