OFFICE OF THE Al-t’ORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorablr J. 8. Be~uld~ln
CountT Attomw
Johnson Cotmtr
Cleburw, Tasar
Dear Sir: Opinion No. Q-
~68 orfi06r6*
Your nqu68t ror 0
oarofully aonsldered by this e quote froa your
requsrt a8 tollaerr
t6an or orrio*
sented thr com-
ill for Buns
Retlaod Clril Btat-
ubioh he olaime
oatltlrs him sums for tlmrs yeE38,
the last prroedlng
vlng an asaes86d nlu-
firteen Hilllbn 015,wo,-
traotiond part thereor, ln excess of said
Pifteen !.!llllon
($15,000,000.00) Dollars valu-
atiw over and lboqr tha maximaura
amount allowed
m8h 0rrioerr undrr laws lx ir tingon ktwst 2b,
19351'
3910 ad810-r8* court ha8 lmnwiy rix84
the 8OkdO8 Ot thh, TU~OW C&OOtiT@ OrriOU8 Or
the Qoanty, at thr brglanlng of th8 yoar1 bwoT8r,
OOW Of th. 8dUi88 UUO i5OrMl88d th. POlrOCItOgO
authorIs by the above m8ntioard law.
'I vlaw OS th8 holding In 'Coi4~slonera;
Court 0t Rae0 doOh. Clo unty
VS.F 3a dr lrt a l
11) 3. %'. (d 277 it 18 y OpiaiOn that th;'
aOSXd8siO5U8' COIA would not be llthorlamd at
t&i8 tint8 to lntu a5 ordu that would oha
the aotlon ot the Coti in ii* the
Or th0 OmOO?8 for WY Of th8 PTW&OW pa289
Y&at tha portion of tha Statutr uotbd above,
i8 not Mn&atOTy On the Coeai88iOnWB to in- 8 OUrt
oraaaa tha salaries 0r the offloars la q;;;e;t-
parwt rm. a reaafn~ or the provlsfon.
Court hariw railed eaoh year to m&o atah an la-
oraan, and hari~y 86t tk 8alarg of the offloor
r0r 8aoh yau in 8OOOTdBIM8 with othrr pm~8lne
or the law, ruoh lation would be blade
Comi8810n8rr' OoUI't at thi8 th8, a8 2 80 Oil the
6iti8tOJit Oirb~8 Of t&i8 8oUnw holding OrrhO at
the ttu the 8OhdO8 WOT8 8.t.
TOUT O~i~hWl 18 dO8iTOd With ~OfOFOIlO8 60
whathar or not suoh oiTi8ar ha8 a mild @lain
againrt the bounty ror any 8am or am bl rea8on
of thD 0&dOSWr8' OOlUt hibIT t0 i5OrM8.
t& 8alUiO8 Woh ma? th0 &‘UO8nt~O allonbh
unau the a-0 prod8ioaa.
"Ii SO, would the payment or mm, at thir
tlma, by the JI?88Oat ha=i88ion*ra* Court, br in
erreot ohmglag the pretioua aotlon or the aourt
ia ii&g thr 8elarles for the rsspeotive p?an,
in sash a gm.nor that would oonfllot wlth the holC'
ipr or th0 a0m in the Naoog&eh@8 County oaar?
W. l . l
.
‘, ,
. -
5l2
Nonorabh J. II.Baaldwin, Wo 3
The oomi88lorU8’ Ooat la ww-
tL.8 ~~l:*~~UhtiOfi Of tW.litr th6ur@lbd(?o ooo)
inhabitant8 or
clodmore
1088 than 0~ huad.reQ&a
nlnaty thouaaod (196,000) Inkabltantr 8OwrdiIIg to
tha lart preoeding Fodoral Camn I8 hmoby aothor-
ire4 and it e&all be it8 dut to hx the Baler188
0i ai th0 r0118dng nana 0 I tlo8rr, t84tc au-
lff, aaae8aor end oolleotor or tax.8 oouaty @duo,
wunty lttornolr, lnoluQlngcrI8lnal AIitrIot atbr-
nor8 and Omnty attOrMy8 who JWfOT8 t&O dutie8
or Qlstrlot attornqr, dlrtrlotoh*, aoantr olork,
tnamrer, hide and anIma1 lnrpeotor. Eaoh oi raid
ofiloers8hall be pal4 in money an aIUNIa1laleq ln
twrlrs (12) equal lnetallntmts oi not less than the
*atalau0 earned at oogpemnatlon br his ln hl8 orri-
olal oapa0IO~ for tha rhoal par 1935, an6 not more
than th0 ISUIJWI wow rllmea suoh OrriO8r on&u
hW8 Ui8tily 011,h@l8t 44, 19551 mOrid*d bhat in
oountle8 havlag a population or tweatr thtxtaand
(20,000) and 1888 than thirty-aoren thousand fiV@
hundred (37,500) aooordlng to the la& preoeding
Federal Census, und having an assessed YalUation in
lOWS Or FirtIBW mliOn ($i5,000,000ao@ D0iiU8,
looorbing to the lsrt approved preoedliq tar roll
oi 8-h 80&r
th8 16tiillO~~t til8UOd 8U8h Or-
ri088-8 a8 8alulos be lnona884 8~0 1s) pu
oant for "9 ion ($1 000,000~00 Dollar8
eaoh On0 XI1
~luatloa or fre*Uoml rt hereof La lom8 oi
uld lUtea Yillion ($1 ,008,%w! &lb?8 -S-
ation over 8nQ abwr tk8 Mama arOW& 83.hW8Q rOOh
8fflOU~ MQU l&W8 lXi8thg 8n Awut % 19351
. . . .
~8 qu0ts ire8 the 8ourt’r oplnlon ln the oan 0i
aOlsiS8iOIy)T#' cOtITsOf Be 408h88 OOMty 1. wi!kb? 8t il.,
113 S. W. (2) Pe 279, l8 to1
-f W8:
“All lesus8 InvolvaQ in this a
moot. speed T. Keyr, 109 8. a. 24
Suprcms Court. The order In lmm, br it8 hm
and by r0rce or the statute, rxplred at
.513
fxerg ~~l&at# Oen8.t b8 r8qair.4 EM rtu Y
order lo 1938, YIxlmg mlarler fbr 1937 *iti
On it8 fO0e rOti& be Wi& ti - d88iOWO~
a0mt fn l
l3-r .a nt8rLy tke lrdu b i8u0 up
pellee8 are net wlfhout ramQr Raak fJou& t.
RI&tower, Tot. 011. APR., 202 8. II.802.
-A~JwI dbU4I8806." (%68XWaOTh Om8)
The olalms ot WI&r, Oouaty ClerL,lad tialttn8,
M8trlot alert,agalnet NaO0&SOOh88 COUaty, lnV0lvoQ In the
above ltri04 suit were lbtbr tri04 out on their merlt8.
We quote from the ooPCtp8 OPiaiOn in the 8aw of
Naoogbooher busty v* VinbOT, A&fJEL w. (2) 972, 88 fOiiOW8:
"The r0uorlng facts a** without di8putrl
Appbii~, xinder, wa8 thb 4u.y 0leoted, q~ifl04
a nd
lotlog Oouety Clerk Or Naoogdoohee Oeuaty
&wing thb year8 1937 and 19% Na8ogaoohu Cotan-
ty ua8 under tb 8alary set law, ArtIrla3912e,
8eOtiOn 13, 'lblVlOB'0 hill,CiVil 8tidQtb8, bll4t
Artlole 3891 R. C. S,, ~@mon@8 Ann. Clr. St.
art. 3891. kdsr the80 statutes the ralary 0r
the County Clerk of Naoogdoohes donaty wae poterned
by the &&mum or ealary earne4 So 1935 an;ia
maximum ealary of $3,300. The Oounty Cierk oi
Ha00 dOOhO8 Oouaty In 193 eamd u nation
or hPo ortloe the 8IIaof 28b.16. T uuary
Oa
13, 1936, at a n(tdar 8088Lbnoi the eOId88iO~
er8' wurt, 80 order wa8 en8er8d by 8aU ooart
ririag app01100*8 8alaxy at #9,W,l4 th8 moua
barnad at 8a&X'y by th8 WNEty lti 0 .t Uia ..oD,
ty in 193s. Later in raid month, f rnuav 3lrt,
at 8 oalled t3eseion 0r 6aia aourt, hi8 nlary ma8
iisea at $3 350 per year. Qn Juuary U 193
t&o ~d8don.T~~ OOUrt in H&U “8dOP R 406
hi0 rala at $3,000,for S&t par,
on Jar+ md
uary 10,‘p 938, da court ria hla ralam at
~3,000 ror da yeem Thlr war 9286.l61808 than
the minimum 8a&ary ror 1933, and S3SO lsrs than
;;&e:slary a5 rlxea by the order or January 31,
Apgellee prayed odgabnt for $572.32, the
bl&woe 3
between the .3,OOO per ye%s rOr 1937
and 1938, and the alniaumOS #3r286r16as fixed
-.-514
-Ho think thhr0rd.r rizirrgqqollro'r ml4ry
aa* at tlw ro&llAr tom on Jam&~ l), 1936, war
in aooordwoe rlth tha law, aa4 that t&a womt
then iixed w t&a enma nlarr or l ppmll.0,
$3 286.16, andor the fmotr ud t&a law U(LI propor,
.afki la oontroll.linghem. Artlole 391k, motion
13, V@7lon's Ann. Cilc Bt., flxw the salary of
Couatr Olorkr in the tiara of oouatlor in WI&&
$j,OOO uw dthoat ruthori~, and 10 void.*
ur o to th e
sa wllYo o t lw th r WH o f Hwo g d o o h u
COIM L~1. finklaa, uo 8. w. (2;)901.
The LM&UD a mint l oountr oftlaor of Johnson
Oow~, Tesw, (raid oowt7 hali a popuktiw of 53 317
inhabitanta l.oorbin( to the 1930 hderti a.--) @odd r@-
tainumlmr Lam llstlnglrywt24, 1935, bdor~raarrgh
3 or Artlolo 3891, V, A. C. 8.) war #3,YJO.O0Jwr mnn~a
In t&la ooxlneotian180 opinion Ho. o-2582 of thL dwlut-
merit,a oopy of uhioh 18 moloead hrrowitb.
The population of Johnson CoUnt7, Texas, aooording
to the 1.9i+OFederal Conella ie 30,384 inhablt?mt8.
vem wi*hto a th 8b 8h a)wuu lf wa ua mu a t
Artiole 3912@,t. A. 0. SC, quetr4 in mm lotk?, 8lhdy
th aldea lo a er 0a 0
~ uItela a r o w ea
8 b r koe
fllYlo a rw-
a
da rth eOr fla uatia urAdy Inth awthedotill#e4 b yth m
etetutr,le rloulv pmlulm ad Uewetiiat3a~~it 18 ler-
talalyaot mzdrbw.
lt 18 ear oplnlon that t&a umnt7 et#oor uelor the
h o ts sta t.4wo uld mo t b a lm l nlr r r la la a g 8uetus wa n*.
Tha wmleelonora~ wurt of Johwoa Oowty roula not be om-
p8ii0e to eet the eelary 0r 5i7 oouat7 offl80r uulu the Of-
floere’8nluy Law at more than the efflolele-1 of 881~
ror thr ?lsoai peer 1935 mad stun
orrlocrr mm1Y@ be wb-
tkat
lot to the l!mr lw a inp a
set ph 3 of Artlele 3691, V. A.
d . 8. (rrletlagAwwt 24 1935 T * MA wuld not *row!4 $1,joo,co
The oourt In its 4laontlcm et tka prepr Urns
fizF?x; 8llarrdefxlltlonaL eumti(in L!ltlon to Chr $3 506 00
mxlmm) as sot oat io the portion ot ArMale 39120, f&o&n i3,
qaotd in par httrr, rotldsdtha rnlratlonraathorlcadmm,
but lt 18 cur oplnloa tRat 01etiIy lib wmt woal(Lsot at thin
tlm allow seam retro*otir*l7 for tL, past four us aa ro-
quaat& bf thr oiiioer. To 8Un mah additioll8.Powe rrtro-
aotlvely would al80 br lahiblted b7 seotion 53 of A?t101. 3 0r
our Stats Constitution, whioh providesas ?ollawer
lSee,
33. The L&eleturs shallhat. no
parr to grant,Or b authOris aa7oount7 0T
mklnlolpallathopit7tograat,an7oxtn oompm-
atlen, toe or allowmoe to a pablleefflwr,
agent, eonant er rontra*tor, after nr+l9r bre
bean rfhnaua, or a mntraat &a koh uOer*i
inb, end ~rfOmled illwkolo OQ in #UC; no%
pey, ear a8thorlzrtha pwmant or amyolala
onat8d lgalnetan7 oounty or miuJol#6llt7of
lgroaImntor OoBtraot,made
the State,andor a.117
*i&hootauthorityof law.*
Aim 800 the follalmg oano~l
Pierson1. OalvortonCount7,131 S. y. (21 27;
Jones v. V~ltmenn,171 S. 'X.i?87.
Very truly your0
ATTOR8ETGBJXRALO? FUA3