OFFICX OF 7’HE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTiN
Eonorable J . Ii.Udd, Jr.
County Attorney,,l&berg koaty
Klngsville,Texas
:
of this de-sent on
e atepa SLTB
iuitorneyof Klsbarg County,
u alnoa 1935, have been casleoted
kp~inducted into the seroice? It ia not my intsn-
tlona to raaate tb offioe hut to mal11tai0the saoxe
ead appoint au Arelatent CotintpAttorney. It la
al84 rqintentions to file for m-election at tho
future 005lng ,prlma~iPs.
"I d&u 8 salary of #Lts.oo peermnth, pIas
raoa whi#h,aso corned. Would I be autWorlzed to hire
an Assietant County Attorney and retain ay se?lsryto
$125.00 par tnonthand pen&E’ him to recelre ‘anddraw
Bonorubla J. E. Xi;ld,Jr., p.+a 2
tho fees of office and request the Commlaaloaers
Chid to allow him a'saleXy f'ros$1.00 to $138.00
per month etlmay he a&reed upon by the Commiesioaers
Court and SLySelf,aa Ocuaty attorney.
*I will probably ha90 to rs$@rt on or about
May 1st and we ha?0 e n&ulsr eesr1o.aOS aoert aeet-
ing on lOti day of April and it would bo eppreairted
ii year offloe aoald fatilah se wlth~inf~a&ion re-
quested prior to t&at t&w.*
Ia ilpbloa Xo. 0-S448, a oopy or whloh 1s sno’looed
for y&.ru convenlencs, thh departsuit held that the offiae of
oounty attorney did not aatoaatloolly be@me vacant aporkthe
induation of the inwiabaat~into th4 Azay. It wes tartherheld,
that the ooun'tyattorney was eatltl+d .$ohir eelaoy or eompenea- .
tian during the tom of hli qifioe or aatil a raoanoy Is @@tab-
llehed; Thor dopertaeat baa follo?ed'ttie itoil la aaid opia-
ion Ia atiroar other opinion&
Axtiolee 331 and 3908, Vernon's AxuIotatodCivil
Statutcf8,provide t&t OoUUty attorneys, b oousent bf the com-
~nia8loners~ooart ahall hare powerto appofat oae or more as-
si8texat8,but it ir spaoffioally preridrd in &tlole SO08 that
the 00mmls8lonsr~~OOW~ 6hel.lnob attempt to $nfluenoe the ag-
polntnbit of any potsea an an w0lstant.
This depaartnaat held in Opinion 100.04599, a copy
of whiah ia enclosed, thatr
"(1) Whare the county attoaney ha* taken some
action SE ths oam for the 98atO in the justice court
he would be entitled to the $5.00 fee QISa plea of
guilty in the jastfca aourf regardless of whether he
was preau~ntin the justice: court at the tit* the plaa
was entered. For example if your eortnfyattorney
filed a eomglaint ia ~justfce court before he left to
Join the Army he would be entitled to the 33.,00fee
it the defendant subsequently pleed guilty.
\.
. ,. . IC
LIonQorabLe
J. X. Kidd, Jr., p@z? 3
I
-(ai) It the couoty attorney h4r oot taken any
a&ion in mch a wide asd is not preseat aiidready
to reppwent the State at a rsgul~srtera of justice
txurt aad a defendant plesda guilty at suoh mgular
term, the couaty attorney rould riotbe entitled to
the tee. fforuould t&c county be entitled to the
re8. If ne rm iv due the ootmty attornsf It should
not be e&gqd against the’dehndant.
‘(3) fr the defendant pl.eadguilty ia jastics
00-t at any timother than the regular term of such
doart the aouaty attorney would be entitled fo a $5.00
fee even thoagh be naa not present and had taken no
aotion 14 the easer.*
*+ + l fib a a o a a t or salaTiea paid to as-
r%at.aatnand depatbs ahall also .lm clearly ahora ...* ~,.
by ruohotricer, gl~irq$the nam, positionand tha
aiaonnt psld eaoh; aad la ao event shall any offi-
oep show any greater amount than aotuallr gsld
any such esalstant OT dspity. The amaucltof such
bxpensm, together with ths aoroust of aabrieo
paid to aasiotmtsr, deputies, an8 ClsFka, ahall
.
In flew at the fore@lng, you am raepeattullyad-
vised that it is our Qpiltb3 that the offioe Or county attorney
doe8 not be&me rsoant ~3012yaw indUGtiOn into the Axa6d ;ierv-
lcea and that you are entitled to your oompensatfoaduring your
ttPiPOr Office, OT W&ii 61VECWUjr ia eUtabliSh&.
It la OU;Ffurther oplaion that yea are authariz~d to
‘.
1’7
Eoaorsble J. ii. Ridd, Zr., gsga 4 , l
appoid an asalatan , under the provialons of .~tlolea 351
and 3908, v6rnan’s innotstsdCivil Statotes, provided, of
COWB6, the ~.SWlhS .daero*court or said colintganthoritw
suoh apgointaorat. !hc salary of sach aaeistest,when ap-
pofnted, rata&t
be,9s A out of fees earnsd by the couat$ at-
t+lXiSY. ma aoaal IU~O&~T~* OoPrt O$ said eGunEy has RQau-
tbority UhRtrovYsr LO pay the salary of the aasiatant out
0r 00my rtuid8. s ;ated mother wayi the salary oi the ao-
l?ta ltslua btep a iL by the eoimty attorney out or ices
earned b y#o a ohr fi
mrr
‘IlouTs very truly
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Combined Opinion