Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN GROVERSELLERS ATTORNEY GENERAL Zonorcble S. H. Allen county nttoxncy Hadlton Counbp Radlton, Texas Dear Sir; Your lstter ot Fab request1 ng the opinion or. this department ‘ompcAaation of the 9 .?htrlff of:Ystilton C as followo: f ~flolals or said oounty are oonpwuwted Q perforwmce of their oflfloisl sarvioes ual salary basis. 61, i.rtlole 16 or the State Constitution, anonrj other thiog, provilss in ef’ieot that tne Coadsslonara* Cart in Counties huving a pOptibtiOU Of lea6 than twenty thousand (20,000) lnhabitcmts sooordln~ to the then last prt~csding fe3eral census, s&all have tiae authority to de- terdne whether county ofl’ioars mhall bb compeiisatc.6 on a fbt haeia or on a ealerp baeia. Iionorabls 3. R. Allen, pa&;* 2 ’ .:;eotlon 2 of Artiolr 39126, ?ernoa’s Annotated ClVil ::tatutd8, provides iA part: *IA oountles havlnc: 4 population of lees than twenty thousand (?O,OOO) lahabltanta ao- aordlng to the last praorlllng tedbral. eonbum, it shall likwise be tne duty of the Conmlssion- lrs* Court, by its order duly 1~38 and eatsred of moor6 at it Pirat regrller meetin& in Jan- uary ot eaoh 0,4 Unbar yeer, to dstwmlno whether oounty 0frlOiA of suoh oountp (cxolucilna oounty uurveyorc, registrars of vital st~tlstlos and notarj p&lios) shall be OOmpGrl8etd for t(?e fisocrl your ou the basis of an annual salary or whether they shall Oe oo=.>wwntrSU on the basis of fees earned by tbm in tha perfomaooa of their offiolsl duties, an3 it rhall also be the duty of the oowty clerk to forward to the Comptroller of i’ubllo Accounta of the Otete of Texas, on or bbfors the jlst dap of Januwl,‘a certiflcd copy of sail order of ealri Cormisaionsrs~ Court.” \ Art!.oler 388j and 3891, ~el’non’c Annotated UAdbX' Civil Me maximum oompansation that mcy be ra- Zitatutes, talne3 by tbe .“.hsrlrf of :iao;ilton County cannot ~xobsd Throb Thouband ( $jWO) '30111~s per aniium. The lherlff Is authorlssd *under Artlole 3891 to psy or be pal:1 the amcuat rtlig#edbin under the psovlalons oi id%lole )82j, together with the salarise of hla aaeistan$s and deputjas. an.i a&horized exp&~~ses wlur Artiols 3839, and the awlunt ~aeaeasary t3 cover costs of prelrium on wnatsver siiretg bonds that may be rbqufrad by law, out of the o.irmnt feee of Me. o,Crloo. If tbc o~rrTi?.lt fees of auoh ofriou, oolisoted 5~nany yaar, be r.ore than the amount naeded to pay the fu!mmt above 8geCiflea. the BC~ snali be .iea;,& axoeos leas and &-ml1 be dlui.0.~ed of ln ~JJGwnncr Etated ln ,.rtlcle 3691. 310 :shdrr 16 a&hrized to sake the atove ded.mtloae in arri+in.:, at his maximum oospensatioc. Honorable 3. R. Allen, pa&e 3 hrtlole 3934, Vernon*8 Annotated Civfl Jtatutea, ~rClVidO6: Vherlffs, ahall also rcoeivr the following ooapensationz "(1) Tar all prooees tesuc from the 3ipreaie Court cgurts or Civil or Appeals, terted by ther, the mffie f6a8 es are elloued ttem for rlz.ilar services upoz&roaena issue frocl the Metrlct Courts. “(2) For eum~onlng jurora In dlstrlot and aountp oouxU+, serving all tl6otlon notlwm, notice6 to overseers of' road8 and doing a11 other Fubllc b;rslness not otheruloa provided ror, not exceeding ijne Thousand ($1,000) 3011~s per annum to be fixed by the Comlseloners~ Court at the awae time otimr ox off1010 salaries are fixed, snd to be psi3 out of the general funde of the oo$lntyl provided that no auoki ox offZolo salary shall be allowed any EhQriff who baa reaelved E ~maxf.mum s&lary al1we.i by 1ew." :,z sboro s;atcr;1, und6r id.iole 383 and Artlale )891, Y6rLlsll'B AflIlOt@it+d civil i%tUtGE, the :liaXihlU!? COB- pensetlon of the 3htirirr of t.Kailton County oaanot oxces~l Three Thousand (&jOOO) ‘Dollars >er annum. Under the above mentioned statutes, the C&I&B- sionars’ Court ~an~legallg allow the aherlff 61 otf~clo compansetlon not to exceed We l&uaand (jlOO0) Dollars per ye*r, provided, that the soid ex oXicis aoepeneatLon 4oee not l,ncreaee the eom;ensatlon of the sheriff bejran.1 the maxlmlm *e provl3ed by law. Honorable 2. II. Allon, pnse 4 In ooaaeetloa with ths foregoing we want to pQint out that la rlew of ;\rtlole 6869, Veraon*s &m(rtated Civil Ststutes, that it is our opinion that the Coami~8fonsrs~ Court oan legally pay the salaries of deputy snerlffa out of the general fund ol the county, if la the opinion of the Comissfoners* Court, fees, of the ahmiff’s ofii@e are sot sufficient to justify the papent of the salaries of such leguties. The sslsriss of a;lah 1ayJtlea are to be dctermindd as provided by Art:crle 3902, Yernmfs Annotated Civil ‘:tstut6s. Yours ver;l :r4ly,