-. . . .‘.’
. . . .-
OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
(.. ‘(
AUSTIN
lkmorablo Olereland &ml 8
oountyAttoraey
Bnrorla Oounty
Angleton,Texa8
Attention: Mr. E. 9. Stone, Jr.
near 8lr:
1onM~th0Mlarl
oounty aaa their doputlo
sentenoe of Artfole 39oa,&u&6,8
ho ~appolntmant of deputie8 *8aid
appllaatlon shall be aeaompaaied by a statsneat uler-
ing the probabh reaelptsSrom teer aasalmlons and
oompanmtlom to be oolleotod .bp u&l oirloe d~lng
the flsoel year ana the pnrbablo dlrrbumememt welsh
&all inalu&e 611 iralarleaurd expen806 of m~%d of-
floei and uid aourt ahall mak@ it8 order mathoAlclng
the lp~0i&tmWXt Of 8U6h dr&bie8, a8Si8tlLnt8and
. Oh*8 aad rlx the aompeneatloaa to be paid them
irlthiathb llaitatlonrherein pXW88tibed and de-
terxine t&e number to be appointed a8 in the di8-
cretloa of said aourt 8hall be proper........*
w que8tfon hn8 been rai8ed under the above
quotation that thlr prevl8loa amy be a llaltatloa
~Uponth8 Comi88ioaer8Q Court in authorix%q expendl-~
- tUlW& Of OrtiC by eJlOfttaet OILthe 8&w ba8i8 in
0x0088 Of t&O fe88 eqmSb'by tid OitiiOO.
ing probable'fee8 of-6rfiqe i8 for a gpid*~amIhelp
ior t&l 0oPurie81OtleI’8’ court; la it8 Uontlaa, to
fix the uihrie8 Of the ofrloe~.a8 wall a8 MbflO8
Or depUtie8 iladW@l8t6$lt8 but 18 Ii01ltitatiOn e8 t0
auabei.
.
lUader the stntute it is my opblon, that.the
'alaries or eleatea ~&ers ehall be tixed at-.the
Hoabrable Cleveland Derls, peg6 3
first regular meetingof thb hamlulon~~~ Court aail
the ealariea.of the depot168 ahell llkewl8e'be tired
at that tlae, sad the next regularmeetly oi.the'Oom-
mlsaloaers* Court will bo lioadey,January 10, 1944.
We thereiore'iW&e that if pO88lble you lot us hale en
opinion on or before Jcauery 10. then under the stet-
. t&C tbb cOfIUd88iOIWS' cOUZ% w PO0888 rXWA 6~ t0
Qay ifara reek and etlll be in regular-term. There-
fore please let em hme the opinion not later than yea-
uery l-3or 14.w
hae8tatbd in your letter,,Brczoria county has:a popula-
tion 0r 27,069 hihabitant aeoordl~to the 1940 Pederal C44d8.
Thererore the oouatp aiflolels 0r osld county ere~o0mjmasatea oa
en annual,salarybesi8.
Art&a3 3912e, Beot$on 13, Vemonts,Amotatsd OlAl
salax$e8 or ell the-rollewlag aeme&oiiioeti
towit: shsrlfr, a8w88or and oolleotor~0s~
~ooanty atttu3my,.laalUdlag orlmlnel :&l8:~
oouaty attarneys who perrozwthe Ah1tic)8 ,bt
dlstriot attoraey8i. dibtrlot.olerlc, ooiuatyale*; tr6amWti'~hldr.
.aW anbgl lmpbator~. T&e 8alarle8 of eald orflolala dare &&'I.'
~~_
#.
,.~: .+&;i.:::~
e q&t :.%a~., .Q+;::the : t,4t& :&WC.-& :by&hm .~ia,,.~~~~~~l~~L1,;-.
.. oapncltlee far thq flwal'year.1935and not aabe thaa:thema%@&.
emoun~~alloued suc&-o~rlcera:taulePlaw8 e%lstlng 011Aa&nst 24, ..
1935. Stated another-way; the ~8tatUteflxse the salary oi eeah. _
aoynty offlola at not lees thea the total 8U4 e8rneQ by himin
hltiofflalel oapairttyror the fl8orl year 1935.end aot ure than:.
the mnxbum amcunt sJloned~8uch~otflcer UILabrlew8 e&t* on
$l;OOO,OOO.OO vnlu@lon.
Sal4 )25,000,000.00
raluatl4n~4verand abote.the lpaxlnmsmont ril~aea su4h ofrloe~
UnQel’ laW8 4ri8ting 011 lugpet S?& 1935.
You ere~reepeotf%llj aQvi8rd thet thi Comd88fOnOM'
Court or Srezoria CcUaty has'the legal autho.rltpfd,.tlxthe mlary
of .eechor *e above nama ottlol~18 at .aot leas than the tetal
8ua earned by him in his ofrla*al oapeolty for the f i8oal yea
1935 and not mere than the maximmamouut allowed e~oh offloer
.
Soaorable Glbvelenb Davis, pa%6 4
under hwe ex%log oa;August 24, 1935.. A8:8ald oouitty has a
populitloa of mariathan 20,000 and 188s.thaa 37,500 lnhabitantr
acoordlng to the 1940 Federal Cbnsus, ana an arsbs8ed raluatlan
la exoe8s or ~lj,OOO,OOO.OO aooordiag to thb la8t approve& pre-
ceding tax roll oi such county, the maximum amount ellowed such
orlloer8 ror 8alarlcs may bb ihLO~lt8~d a$ for saoh (l;OOO,OOO.OO
raluattod or rraotloael part thereor la 6x0*8* 4r 8ald $15.000,-
000.00 valuation over qd above the maximum amount a8 allowed
suoh orflcers under laws exlstlog on Augtiet21~.1935. (See thb
ociaesof Yaoogboohe8 County v. Jlnklns, ll+O8. U. (26) 901, and
Neoogaoohss Oounty t. Winder, 140 8. W. (24) 972.)
Artiolb 3902, Vernoa*s Annotated~Glrll Statutes, pro-
vides in part:
" . ~; . The oompepsat$on whloh w~bc allored
ahe depUtie8, a8d8tant8 or olerks abme naabd for
their 8drvioes 8hall bb a mdsona~le Oae,. ‘not to a%-
oud the SoUouing aqount8:
0. . . . .;
"2. %a ooUn&8'havl~ d pk&atioa ~oi0+&y-
','. *~,y*.~$~~~>~e
;..~.l.;,:..~n.'.::iu~~~~.~.. &&~~~):: &&&;&+::$h., " "..
L::ii~.~.:~::;i?
:l$i":~
. thirty~seveh thi&aaatl$3~4 hundred-(3?*500) inhabit-
'ant8, flrat ~aulatent or.,ohiefAeputy#et to exceed
TwoThou8andDollar8 (#2;OOO;OO)pbr&inum; atheras-
8i8ttit8, depUtiCI8, or
clerks not to 4#eee$ Seienteen
Buad~d~Dolla~ ($1;700~00l'per annwn~~h+~ .iP
veraon*d~Amiotate6.Olrll
In rlew.4rArt1016 3902~. Stat-
utee,you~~arere8peotrully idvised that it-~$a our opinion that
the Coraml88lot1m~.aourt~of,Bratorla Countyr~~~has~~tke legal author-
ity to flx the salarlas of,thb deputlee of *he rerioue county of-
ilolal.8eat any rea8onable amount provided a&& 8mount8 do not ox-
coed the axlmuu mount mentioned in paraQaph 2 a8 quoted above.
The 8elarle8 0r first a8818tant8 or ohler dbputlos can.~ot~exoebd
the sum of (t?,OOO.OOeaoh per annum. The 8alarie8 of.other e8-
slet8nts, deputies or elerk4 oannot exoesd )1,700.00 par annu+
sash. Art1816 3902 rlxes the mulmum ealar$ of asslstsnts, depu-
tie6 and clerks but da68 not fix the m$aiBum stiary OS said 8a-
al8taat8, dbputle8 or clerka. It i8 our further eplqlon that
the County Commlsslomers* Oourt of Bra%orla'Oounty ha8.th4 legal
authority to rlx the salaries 0r the various county QfflCiai8
named above at any e~~ount~,proriaea,.thaIralaryof each oftic4r
1s not 1688 than the mlnlmum 8tatba abwe or morb then the merimllln
SonorvrbleClsoeland Cavls, jxge ,$
allowed by law en hsrotofgremtntlaned and $hat the salarieo of
the d&putise may be fixed at anp reasonsb1.smm net e%oeeUlng
the iparimunheretofore mentioned regardleasor the amount oarned
aa iem and 0omal11alons by said county ctl"i6lalein their of-
floial oapeoitlee.
Ws.thank you for the brief and yqur opinion rhtah h@r
aided ua In passing upon your queatlon.
Yours very truly
ATTCRXWY OEWICRALO? l%XAB
7
,,