Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Honorable John C. Ilianohi county Aud:tor Yictorls County \llotorie , Towa ..csr ar: cpillion30. o-7lu As: II it the duty dlrtriot alaa Your latter cbia dsparkaent on ‘.‘_ hla dSSloe, without thin addltlonal ezpanss on the \, ‘~C)frloem~‘salary Sund or the County.n : “~.A&~&& to the 1.940 Psderal COIIOUB, Vlotorla County Las a pcQuletlon of 23,741 and the oountg OSSlolals are there- fore oompsnsatad on We salary baals. .\ 3lanoh1, do:;.Cchn Y. Fw4 2 "'Ph0 salary Or cmolumenta are lnoldent to the title to the 0rri04 and not to lta ooou~otlon or tkd ;ttrroraanos 0r orri0iai dutm. In order to 2:'covo t2e amount, the ofrloer la not required to znow that he has dlsoharged the dutlea of the ot- Lice; nor la he prealudad from reoovsrlng by the z’aot that 50 Car been wrongfully dspklved or the I’i;=.ht to gertorm the aervlo4a or that another per- son naa performed them. Thus an~olfloer who her : 5aen wr0neruu.y renoved from ofSloe say reoovsr >: ke oalary or emolum4nta ot the 0rri04t and eA OSfloer de jure may moover the amount from a de Zooto ofrloer to whom the money has been pal&.* 211s CepertEsnt ha8 mgeatedly hold thet no vaoanoy la ore- 8kd Glure a county oftlclel, without realgn~, volunteers or a8 Crel'ted into the srilltery aervioe of the 'United Zjtutes, fior .ftik;:dronlblted from drawvine his salary rron the Officers* .. see our cplnlon ilo. O-5791, a aopy or whlcn ia $uwiiK?&g~& It la our opinion that the Same rulo la %tru~-Aera a dlat&, olcrk la abatnt from his offloe by maa br ali30cid4a. T&%refOre, It 18 our OQinlOA thet the dlstrlot tlcrk io entitled to hla full ralary. ..rtlcle 3902, Vernon@8 Annotated Civil Gtatutea, provider b 3.-t, 08 rou0w8: Yhenetor any dlatriot, oountyor preoinot officer &all require the aez4loe8 OS deputies, aaalatanta or alarks in the porgornenoe oi his duties he Shell apply to the county Comlsalonere * Court of hi8 county for au- thority to appoint suoh deputies, asalat4nta or clerks, Stating by sworn applioation the number needed, the ?oeltlon to be filled and the amount to be paid. seld application ahell be aooompsnled by a statement showing the probable moelpta from fae8, oommiaai3na and oon- ;ensatlon to be oolleoted by,sald office during the fisaal gear and the grobabla disburseidenta which Shell i~:0h53 all Sulorios and ex~.ensea 0r Said orrloe; and mid court shall m&e it8 Order outhorizln6 the aPpoint- zllt or such degutlee, nssletanta ond Clerks end fir the coqxcsatlon KO be jald them within tne ltaitStions ;:us-e iii crescrlsed and determine the Cuber t.4 bu up- ;oizted as iA the 6iSOl'tttiOA0s SOid COU't -Y be ;rop,~*; provided that in no 4490 ah011 t;le Cxula- 314nr;rn’ i;ourt or sny Aenbar thureOf tittuL%ptto i;;fluenoe the appolntient of coy prson as deputy, sssistant or olerlcin any 0rsi00. Jpon tlioentry 0s ~uoil orcur the Oiflcers applying for 6uoh asalatanta, hgutiaa or olarka shall be authorized to eppolnt them; govldsd t&at oald coupenaation snallnot exoeed the .~axLma amount herelncftar set out. "r'ho000p6nrb tlon zzlch tay be allovmd to the deputlra, aasl6t6nta or clerks abare nanmd Tar their eerrloea 6hell bo a zeaeonable one, not to exoeed the following anounta: ie quote rroraOpinion 30. O-5388 of thla drpartient aa fol- loas **It fo 'our o?lnlon thet It la dlsorationary with t.ie comlssionors' oourt aa to whether lt will euthorlze Ike) arqloyimnt or extra or addltlonal deputlea, osela- ttIAt3 oud alerkatir thr various aounty OSfiOiSiS during iAe time the regular dbputlea, a6816tant6 and olerka -253 be OA v6oetlona. In the abssnoe 0s 6uthorlzatlon of the oomnlealonera* court aa outlined by artlals ;:;02,v. A. c. 3., 6upra. euoh extra help oould not 3~ >ald for SrOn the WflcierS Salary ilund Of the oountJt. 0n the other hund if ziroperlyauthorized by tke comls6lotera~ oourt uncor nrtio14 3902, 4. ire C. .2., cupra. such ecdltlonal deputies, alerka end assistant6 :.ould se entitled to be paid rrom the rifflcera~ Lalaq And of pour aountr.” (emphasis ours) It io our opl8ilon that if the extra deputy and ths inoreaae kl pay of the regular deputy have been allowed by the oocmlesion- 6csc Oourt, same la payable out or the orrloera~ sielery iruud 0s Your county. It 16 our further opinion that it la not the duty Of tho dlstriot olerk t0 pay for this 6ddltlonal help. Yours very truly, .e.S-Li , 8. c”r 3avi.9,I 6. h6al6tant t.1:;;