R-02
AUSTIN; TEXAS
PRICE DANIEL
ATTORNEYGENERAL
January 14, 1947
HonorableS. Id.Pliler Opinioh NO. v-02
County Auditor
Taylor County Be: Under the given facts
Abilene, Texas can the Commissioners*
Cot@ of Taylor County
grent an increase in
salary of th8'Oounty
Treasurer, tider the
provisionsof Senate
Bill 123, Regular Sess-
ion, Forty-ninthLeg-
islature?
Your request for an qpinion has beenrkceived
and car&fully coxisiaered.bythis Department. We.quote
from your letteti.6~follows:
"The Treasurer of Taylor County~,up~to this
time, has.receivetias compen,sationTwo Thousand
Dollars annually.:.Hehas made applicationto the
CommissionersV~Court for &I increase of Five Hun-
area Dollars annually add has requestedthat this
increase in salary be made rdtroadtiveto the date
when he was first entitled to make'applicationfor
increase in salary under recent legislation,par-
ticularlySenate Bill No. 123.
"Please advise me if the Commissioners*Court
may grant the increase in salary, ana also advise.
if the increase in Sdary may b8 made retroactive."
In 1940'the Federal Census ShOWea the population
of Taylor County to be forty-four thousand one hundred
forty-seven (44,147). The tax valuation of Taylor Coun-
ty is Twenty-oneMillion One Hundred Ninety Thousand Dol-
lars ($21,190,000.00).
Section 13 of Article 3912e, Vi A. C. S., is
in part as follows:
"The Commissioners'Court in counties having
HonorableS. M. Pliler, Page 2
.
a populationof Twenty Thousand (20,000)inhabit-
ants or more ana less than one hundred and ninety
thousand (190,000)inhabitants, according to the
last preceding.FederalCensus is hereby author-
ized, and it shall be its duty, to fix th$ sala-
ries of all the followingnamed officers, to-wit:
Sheriff, Assessor,andCollector of Taxes, County
Judge, County Attorney, including Criminal Dist-
rict Attorneys and County Attorneys who perform
the duties of Distri& Attorneys, District Clerk,
.CountyClerk, Treasurer,Hid8 and Animal mSp8C-
tor. Each of said.officersshall be paid in mon-
eyean annual salary in twelve equal installments
of not-less than.the total sum earned as bompensa-
tion by h$m.in his official capacity for the fis-
cal year of 1935, aed not more than the maximum
amount allowed such officer under laws existing I
on August 24.,1935; .proviaed that in counties hav-
ing a populatick.,of twenty thousand (20,000)and
less.than thirty-seventhousand five hunarea ac-
cordingto the last precedingFederal Census, ana
having an assesses valuation in excess of Fifteen
Million ($L5,OOO,OWXOO)Dollars according to'the
last approved preceding tax rolls of such county,
the maximum amount allowed such officers as sala-
ries nitiy'be increasedone (1%) percent for each
One Million ($l,OOO,OOO)~DOllars~valuatioh or
fractional part thereof in excess~.of said Fifteen
Million ($15,000,~00.00) Dollars valuation over
and above the maximum amount allowea such officers
under laws existing on August 24, 1935.;and pro-
vided that in counties having a population of
thirty-seventhousanafive hunarea (37,500)and
less than sixty thousand (60,000)according 'to
~.the last precedingFederal Census Lanahaving an
asaessea,valnationin excess of Twenty~Million
~~~~($20,000,000)Dollars according.to the last pre-
"-de&ing approved tax roll of such county, the max-
imumemount allowed such officers as salaries may
be increased one,(l$) percent.forpeachOne ,Million
($i,OOO,OOO)Dollars or fractional part thereof in
excess of said Twenty Million ($20,000,000)Dollars
valuation over ana above the-maximumamount~allowad
such officers WIa8r laws existing on August 24,1935, ”
The:;abovequoted Section of Art. 3912e~became
effecti& January 1;1936, and is applicable to Taylor
county. The maximum annual salary which canld have been
allowed to the County Treasurer of said county under the
i
Honorable S. M. Pliler, Pake’3’~
~~~~:'existing'~bn.,'A' ust-24,,',1935
(Art. 3943.,~V.A.C.~S.)
‘:~a& rvro.T~housand,
.,~ ~'li ( 2000.00) Dollars.
~,"rz:
I,,
~'In.hnswerto your first question, that is,
whether or not the Commissioners*Burt mey all- a
Five Hundred Dollar ($500.00)annual increase,in the
Treasurer%salary, we quotesfrom~AttorzII,y General's
Opinion
; !~100-,;‘:0&6*6.as follows:
.:;~'.
Y':,"So.;- B.:123).A&s oftthe 49.th, Legislature,
..:
'-Regdar~~Ses~ion~;~'1945,-3s,
..e*
.~ ::,: in part,* as follows:
~7 :-W~lSection 3. ~That'Section~l3~of'Article
39128, Revised Civil Statutes of Texas;~l925,as
amended, be and the same~is he:eby ,ve,$d by
,::t,
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ad$+ng“.thereto~; the f~~+nv+: ~j
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,:"t (6).,The'Co~issione~ Comt'ii her&y &--
-::thorizedi when in their judgment~the~~finanidal c~bn-
: aition~or the-county~ ar&the neeas.of'theofficers'
.z::.:jastiQ~~ the.increase,~~to-tinteran or&r increasing'
~:~.
the:,compensation of the precinct,~county~and~'dis~.
trict officers in the precinct, county and distric~t
officers in an additional amount not to .exceea
twenty-fives' (25$:per bed bf~th&'sum~llBwed:un-
der the.law~for~tlie~fiscal year,of71944,provided
the .tbtal” compensation.authorizea under the law
for.the~.fiacal year of.1944~aid not~.exceed the sum
~of~Thirty~six~Hundred'(#?1~0~.00~ Dollars.'
.~"The Compensationof'the county treasurer of
GalvestonCounty is controlledby Section 13 of
Article 3912e.. Under Section 13 of-Article 3912e
'the~county.'treasurer~isallowed a~-compensationof
'not less.than the total sum earnea.as compensation
by him.in~his official~capacityfor the fiscal year
1935, and not more than the maximuriismount allowed
such officer under laws existing on August 24,1935.'
As Galveston County has a populationof 64,401 in-
habitants according to the 1930 census the maximum
~compensationthe county treasurer.coultl'have retained
was the sumof Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000.00)per
annum (Article 3943)."
In'.viewof the foregoing, it is the opinion of
this Department that the Commissioners1Courtof Taylor
County has the authority to allow the twenty-fiveper
cent (2%) increqse as provided in Section 3 of S.B.123,
Acts of the 49th Legislature, Regular Session, 1945.
HonorableS; M. Pliler, Page.4.
As to your last question regarding the author-
ity of the Commissioner& Court:to grant increase in said
salaries retroactivethereto, we point out certain pro-
visions of Section 44 of Article 3 of the Constitution
of Texas, which are as fqllows:
.!The $egislatu,reshall prov~ide,
by law .for
the compensationof all officers,:servants,agents
and public contractorsnot provided for in this
constitution,.but shall-not grant extra compensa-
.tion to any officer,agent, servant .orpublic con-
trsctor after such phblic service shall have been
performedor oontr+d:,enteredinto for.th8 per-
formance of the ssme.wl..
1. :,y..
'oti&
~p~~...h'-.'~~~~~
o~~6.-76':.hol~s:
in.8ff.,%;'thatthe
foregoing provisionof the Cbnstitutionprohibits offic-
ers who are paid.undeI:,.-t.he'Genera~
Salary~Law from receiv-
ing an increase in salary:for, any certain part.of,the
year for which the;woyk,has.~alrea~y,~be,enpe.rfolmea.We
believe the principal~emphasisof.: th$s.holdingapplies
also to.theninstantsca?.e~ad~.the,:.$nc.rease
.%&salary may
,notbe made.. retroactiye.:
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.~ &J&&: &rs ;i;'I s&&~2, T~;ea&re~r.oft'Ta
yio$
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..~ .;:.County:,.is
r:+JviIlg'.anannual< salary
!~of $2.,p~~,~~~s..provided,nnder
Article
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..,~3912E,.,Se,cti?n;:
13,,.V.A+c$.2-.S.-, the
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i Comm.issio,ness!
C.ourl.,ma$&antan ,in-
crease of $500 annually finderArticle
.'3S91, .Section3,;R.,:C. $..(Serde Bill
,-123,,Apts:of-the 49&&L+gislature.,,~..
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.,;R. S.; $.9+5).+,,_.
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..~ ,~., Y..,.The.said~incr++e:shall-,not.!~b,e~~.rnade.
~" .retroact.lv+
: '. as it is:prohibiteaunaer
.: ~Sec. 44 of_Atit..~3.~f.$he,Constitution
,..Iof T+xas..'.;.: " ,:".._.~
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