Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

: or +;:;> CT, ..*;. I,, ~,.lx..maklnghis,final monthly report of .+ .&+ .. ~"1:* _:;:.-) .~,,collebtlonsafter his term.p_i,._~~fiBe,.has Y.--i. .., : * sexp*ed~l~" \,* .;:;<*LL- .,'7. _ :,--.L* .*‘l& '~"'~;.E*'~,Jjl;-...., ._.. .5x65 S$A .cl ,,‘..s !:;-fimjrD yc;;f s;>.fi : : i'>'.--.~,-&~ :. I.;;.%, -% J~,yc:.y.*?. i::"'j.?T~It'...is ,..T.? . i.Lyc.*, r i -i. &par&t. .~~~ hour questldn g&%&g; -,,;ii, .: '. : :T ' ":'..lies iiithe fadt'th&the clerical &xpenses Bought bye _" the outgoing Tax Assessor-Collectorare"to be Incurred @&$ a.fter.h@ term:of _,,;._,_,., ,-J,!~. ..,_.,office ,,,,_ ~~ ,t;ts ._,, ,erplred. :~; *::.t::: I ". y +I .::.. Article'3902, Revised Statut&;~ &'a&nde~~"'$ro- ,b. vldes for the appointmentof deputies, assistants or ;'l.: clerks for county officers, includingassessors~and collectorsof taxes. Section (b) of Article 38gg,,Re- vised Statutes, as amended, provides that each county officer who receives a salary as compensationfor his services shall be entitled and permitted to charge to his county all reasonable expenses necessary ln the proper and legal conduct of his office. These Articles' are applicable to the county offices of Grayson County. ,.. *. c Hon. R. Canon, page 2 This right to such expenses att&hes beckase~ltIs lnci- dent to, and a necessary part of the emolumentsand re- muneratlonsof such office. ~~However, It ls well settled that such a right begins when the officer takes his oath of office and ends when the term of offlce~ends, whether by expirationof tlak, death;tieslgnatloti norabolition of the office by law. Graves vsI Dullen~fClvllAppeals) 115 S. W. 1177. .Thisgoes not mean that one ls'not en- titled to recelveeqenses for services rtidered~durlng the holding of an ,offl~ce even thou&h paid after.theterm of the offlce.3.s over) but It Is clearly manifest that the expenses are incident to the title to the office and not to the mere performance of official duties. 34 Texas Jur&=i 513.' As a consequence,before the outgoing Tax Assessor-Coll&ztortiouJd recover ln a claim for such expensks;the wkild-&ve,to show that the expenseswere incurred dur+g the.holdlngof the office, a fact which he could not pro&. $;;i ~j:$ : : ,~':ti ihe ca se ~ofTarrant County, et &, vs. Smith, 81 S. W;.(2d),537;error refused; smith, after v had gone o~t:qf~oSPlqeas Sheriff, sought to have the county allow.hlm the amount he had paid a former deputy to make up his final report to the county. The court dls- posed of his claim as fOllows: ~',"There‘aias'no"~uthorlty'vestedin the sheriff to ?etaln a'deputy to make up, after :: the sheriff's tern-of office had expired, a flual report and to pay@atdeputya salary out of bel&to .feei'ofoffice which otherwisewould TarPant'Countgi.:Dlscussion.of.the polnij.I9'qupecassaky.," : :1"::'.;:~ ::.:~,.:. '."__ ~. :_ The facts lii;he S$lk'iase &d .thosikti~ar&here conslder- lng are substantiallythe aame.~ The fact ~that,anex- sheriff was the claimant ln that case an&an ex-assessor .andcollector of ~taxesIs the claimant ln this case Is ~~3%mat&ial.~--The ~:bf both claw. .Iis&n@ ,:, ,, rule _-'_,..:of law J. , itippliesto the legality : .,, ;:;:, " :.., y:':~ _,_: _: In vlei&f.%he forego&& soti question Is answered ,$nthe negative. ... Hon. R. Canon, page 3 j SUMMARP .The~&unty avditor of Grayson County cannot legally approve payment of claims allowed by order of the Com- :missioners!court for clerical ex- penses Incurred by Tax Assessor-Collect- or In maklng,hls final monthly report of collectlons~after his term.of office has expired. '. . ..~ Verytrulyyours ,ATTORN??XGENERAL OFTEXAS Assistant mxi:rt * ., _' APPROVED: .- APPROVEiOP~O~ C&IMI%'@h~, BY l?wB;cha1rnlan , .i : I .~ i. :. (