Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

-. . . .‘.’ . . . .- 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 ,,