Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTlN
3ofiorsble L. L, Germ
county AttorIley
Groesbeok, Texas
Your reoent n of this Depart-,
ment on the questions as been received.
Your ,letter
23 or Limestone
rov~slons lncluderd
t.s30!3andAPt.
articles the maxi-
0ffiolale or Lime-
census of 1930
$ 39,497 inhabitants.
ODUhtiOJl Of Line&one
oft$aera were paid u&Car the 37,501 to 60,000 braolmt
as prwldbd in krtioles 3883 an& 3891.~ . . .
*Sirme Limestone Ooianty le mbraced within the
prwislon of Artiole 3912e, Botion 13, and ainoe
Y. B, 141, provl6eB ior a repeal of all law8 in oonfllot
with this law, I an of the opinion that 3912e, Seo. 18,
applbs to Liaeatona County arzd supersedes the m&mm
braakot provision in Art. 36E3. _
Konorable L. L. Ceren, Fage 2
“AS to qlioation 2, the rainimm salaries for
county cud dlstrlot oifioers as provlded ih Art. 3912e,
Sec. 13, would be t&e’total amount earned as co-yens+
tlon by the ofiioial $n eaah county aha alstriot oftice
ih his offi~isl caga~ity i’oi the Ziscal yesr of 1935.
AI& slace the above 20,COc) sna less thfin 37,500, and
Zaving a valuation In 8x0898 Of ,:15,00G,COO. valuation
zcoor~ii~; to tSla ‘apgwved preoeaiig; tax roll 0: suoh
aounty tha zixizm mount allmfed suoh otfioe~ as
salaries xay be increased one (1,s) per cent for esch
oae cillion dollars valuation or fraotional .part thereof,
in exoesa of aalG rifteec nikllon dollada over and above
tha isixlmus ~&mountallowed euah officers unaer law8
erleting on :.uu,Tust24, 1935, sod s&ace tie m3xlmum
anount allowed to.aact county ahd district officer under
the law8 that existed 06 Auguet 24, 1635; was $4,350
aad shoe the last prcoedlrg w~.~roved tax roll of
Lim6stclle County gives the yrogsrty valuation at
$la,2m;i35( I az of the opinion that’ the z%axlnurp
salaries ,of county an2 district olficisls of tkia
couaty ie 44,250 Qlus Z,$ of that sum which is Z-25.00
which would mk2 a mx1mu.x salary of $4,335 that any
oounty or district oriicer or Liaestoce County oould
reoo?veP i
‘.., ,/~
SecZio;l 13 of’ A&ale 391Ee, Vernonra Annotated
Civil Z,stutes, reads in party ae folloze:
WX Co,r;iscloners* Court in oouatiee havinti a
po;ulntioh of twenty thousand (20’,000) inhabitants
o.? .C!OJW, ar.d 1es.o t!ian one hundred end ninety thousand
(lQO,O00) lahnbitcnts aocordinr: to tne last _crecedillp,
iaderal Cansua, is heroby authorized and it si;all be
its dut’y to.fix the salaries of all the follo;&g named
officers, to-ivlt: sheriff, asaeasor ant oolleotor of
tams, gouhty judge, oounty attorney, Lnclurling orimlnal
d.istr’:c;, attoraoyo and ccunty~ uttornups :vho perfors the
diitics :or dlstrlct attormys, dietriot clerk, cuuRty clerk,,
treamrer, hide and a&ml inspector. Xaoh o,F said oftloers
s-hall be ;;aiG in fc.onay ar 3MUOl salary in twelve (12) equal
instailneo~s of hot less tt;an the total sum earm% as cost-
penaati,On by hia 1~ hfS 0fff~ia1 OSQtiOity for the fisod
year 1935, nad not more t!ms the mxtmu!i amount allowed such
0rfi~ar I;?dar h-3 existfn~ OR mgust 24, 1925; provided
that ih counties havit~ a +pulstioo of twehty thousand
(20,000 and 1er.s thar. thirty-seven thousand five huhared
(37,5OO I acoordi;l,- to the last :?iecaaf::~: Federal census, and
Hoonorable L. L, Corm, Page 3
“having bn assessed valuation in excess OS fifteen
‘Xl11105 (~15,00C,000.00) Dollars, accordk+ to the last
a??roved pracediag tar roll OS such oounty the mtxJsiun
iWuXl5t allowed such officers as salaries nag be inoreased
one (15) ger cent Sor each One Ullfon ($1,000,000.00)
Dollars valuation or Sraotlonal part thereor, in efaess
of said TiSteer ~111i05’(~15,000,,000.00) Dollars valua-
tion over acd above the m.xinu!n amunt allowed such
officers under laws existin& on Xugust 24, 1935; and
provided that i5 countisa having a opulation OS thirty-
8even thousand five hundred (37,500 P and less than sixty
thousand (60,000) according to the last pm-oeding Zederal
Ce5sus, and having an assessed valuation in excess of
Twenty Million (~20,000,00C.00) Dollars, aooordlng to
the last preceding approved tax roll of suoh county,
tho narinua amount allowed such cSSioers as salaries,
.may be lnareasod one (1.3) :er oont Sor eaoh’ One Mlfio5
(~l,OOO,OOO.OO) Dollaro valuation or rr3Oti0mi part
thereoi, in exce8s of said tmnty LXLion (~20,000,000.00)
Dollara valuation over a5d abova the ma&ma mount allowed
auoh offioar under laws axistim on &gust 24, 1935.w
,-‘J5der the 1930 Federal Census, ‘Lkestone County asme
, under the prwieiona included i5 the 37,601 to the 60,000 popu- ”
latlon bra&et of Artiole 3883 and Artidle 3091. Under the
provisions oS these articles the mxkauzz salaries Ser oounty
and distriot offfoiais oS Lizeatone County pw),pe$4,250.00.
It till be noted that ;ection 13 M Tatisle 3912:e, tqra,
8 eolSically provides that th9-ComisslonersV Court fn coun-
t Pes haviag a.207*ulztio5 OS 20,OOr; lzhabitntlts or zorc a5d
less than 130,000 irhabIta~ts, scaorfllln:: to the last preceding
phmal Census- f-a authorized and it shall be fts duty to fix
snlarieo of all th? offiaers 5med t~orala a% a sua 5ot
less t&ah tbz tote?. am essmd i5 co~persatio5 by suoh officer
in his offlclal cspacf ty Sor the fiscul year 1933* ari mt
mre thaE tk raximx azunt sllo-m~¶ suoh officer under laws
existing on Aqpst 24, 1935. I5 1935 the aozpensatio5 or
salaries of the ofticara scred in Sectior. 13 OS ArtLcle 3912e,
eupru, was Shed z-i;1 based upon lam cristiq on Auyat 24,
1935, with reference to the ZSXLBUUI a``~52 allowed such officers
and said article provided that the ``ir&xua should not be less
than the total BUZ oarned as coqmnaattm by such m?ficera in
their ofrich c a-,;citie3 for t>a;effiscal year 19%. m0raing
722
Honorable L. L. G-men, Page 4
to the 1930 Zederal Census, Limestone County came within
the population brackets applying to aoc;ntlas hav1r.g a
population OS 37,301 to 60 000 Inhabitants. :;‘e are OS
tte opinion that the salaries for the offlcors namd I5
geotion 13, Article 391.2e, sulma, I5 counties -having a
po$ulation OS 2C,OOO i5habItants or nore, and less than
190,000 Inhabitants, according to the last yederal Oensua,
should be Sixed for the year 1941, as provided by law
existicg Aqust 24, 1933, regardless of the population
OS euoh counties as shown by the 1946 Federal Cansus.
Bowever, 15 countA.es having a >opulatlon OS gO,OOO anb
1~6 than 37,500 inhabitants aooordkg to the laet preced-
lng Federal Census, and. having an assessed valuation in
woes8 of ``15,000,000 . , aooordkq to the laat upproved
preoeblna tax roll OS suoh county, the maAz!wa mount
allowed such offloers as’ealarfes my be lncreaeed one
per cent for each ~l,OOO,OOO. valuation or fractional
part thereof, 15 exce8s of said $lS,O’X,OOO, vsluation
over and above th? zzaximm amowt allowed such olfioers
under larr existins oc August 24, 1935, azd IS the 1940
Federal Csnsus Is officially announced and becomes eSSec-
tive before Jan. 1, 1941, Limsstsm County will oom +.vithIn
the above mentioned population bracket. !Thercrore, it Is
optional xith the Comaiesloners’ Court OS said Bounty to
’ allow the one >er cent as above nentionad ovez and above
the ~ximm amount allowed by laws existing August 24, 1935.
Ze note that In your 15quIry you reier toloounty and dlstrlat
osricials, we presum that you have reference to the officials
nsmed In %+ot.ion 13, supra, acd tiiis opinion Is to be construed
aa applying only to thoee OSSIcIals naned In es10 section.
Therefore, you are respectfully advised that It Ie
the opll;ion OS this Je?artaent that tLe ComissIonorsf Court
OS Linestone County shall Six the salaries of the oSSioIal8
naraed In Action 13, Article 3912e, supra, of said county
t.6~ the year 1941, the ninimua salary OS eaol: ofiicer aouid
5ot be less thas the total sum earned as co3;lansation by him
in his orsIoIal capacity for the fiscal year 1933; In other
words the zInl.mm salary OS any sfficer above named oould
not be fixed at any mount less than the total sum earned
by the particular orfice under consideration for the Siaoal
year 1935. Ths ;caxImxn salaries oS the above mentioned
-&
_ .. l
Honorable L. L. &mm, Page 5
ofticers for the year 1941 could be $4,250.00, plus two
per oent oi that w whloh ia $?A5.00, ~h10h wo11J.df!iake
a maximum salary of $4,X33.00 that any 6t the above _
named officer8 of said county could receive.
Trusting that the foreg~l~ fully answers your
inquiry, we are
Yours very trills;
XiToRii GcNmAL OF !rExa3