Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Honorable Cleveland Davla County Attorney 3razoris county Angleton, Texes Cear Sir: Your letter of Dee the opinion of thla Dspertme reada in part as followzir therarore, I ntion to the or thet the Attorneys Di8triot Clerk, unty Treasumr of this it. under the ~rovlsiens oi 6 3Bl2 (o), Il. c. 8, 1985. *The lo40 Federal Cemucr ahewed that Brarmia Couaty hsd Edpopulation af~27, 069, and I hove been advf8ed by the Tax Aaesraor-Collsotor,that the 1942 valuation for this County la tts au.. of $&6,532,84S.C0. *It is my opinion that under the law existing on dugust 24th‘ 193% the artrlm~~ which ffoncrablo Cleveland Davia;Page 2 could be paid to the County Attorney, !‘ouhty Tax collector-W#~e~sor,Ce~ty Judge, County Clerk,Dlstrict Clerk, ahd Sheriff, was the, mm of #3,000.00 par year; ~8~ that this ~aziiouht is the mlnlmum amount wbloh would be urea In oomputlng the salsrlee allowed to raid officers under the provislona of said Section IS.* Your letter of January 9, 1948 aupplezentihg the above quoted letter is as rolloars: .“I appreciate very much your I?epartnant’r replying to my letter of 11th Deaembar, 1942 in rrfer%me lx aalarlea which may be paid the several connty Offlolals or 23rszorla county, Teras. *Further in reterence to this matter, Baa. 13 OS Art. 390&(e), appearing on page 12C of the 1942 @mnulatlre Annual Pocket :Fart, prbvides that In aountia8 having a populstioa of 2+0,000 and, less than 31500, aocardiag to the last prooading pederal Census, and hevlng an atrsesasd veLuAti8n fn axemcl 0?~#15,000 ooQ.00, acccraiRg-tg%tths last apprcved prwwding tax roll Of mt8h aounty, the aaximua miount allowed such OffiOerf3 as salaries may be inorsaseb 1% Sor eaoh $l,SOcJ,OOct.~Q ~luation, OCRrraafiohal part thereof, ln efoess of said ‘$15,000,000.00 vSluatfoa, Over and above then ms&eum amount allowed such ofsicers under laws sristihg on 24th August, 1936. ‘It #emno %I& thir Aet became effective 18th May, lSSS, and that the Act epeolficrlly repeals all laws in conflie~t therewlth. vfieretofora Braeoria County has been payin& its officera under tha~p~visioas of the last paragraph uadrr MO. 13 61 aal6 Art. 3902(e1), appearing on pages 122 of the 1942 Cum‘ulativa Annu.111pockat Pnrt, whiah provide8 thet tn all couhtfas having a population or not leea than 20,001 and not more than 23,000, according to the last prooeding Federal Census, and which Honorable Cleveland Davis, Page S .,,.. hm.rn aosessed valuation in exot3t3 .of fe~,ooo,oOO.oo, eoofwd~~g to the last prs- oeding approved tax:roll of suclh oountfee, the mexlmm salaries af mob offiosrs is fired et sjS750.00. It is my opinion that this Aot was passed duririg the year 1935. *A8 edrlsrd fin my letter of llth.Daomber, the 1040 Boderal Canme showed that Braroria Count7 had a populetlon of 27069, and the selarles whioh could bo paid the county offlonra on 24th .Auguet, 1935 was $3,000.00 par year. -It would seam to m that that portion of 800. 18 passod in 1935 fixing t&e sal.arles at a neximum OS $3750.00 ia in aonfliat with the amsndasnt of Sec. 18 whfoh was passed In 1959, and that auoh kot of 1999 repeals that portion 01 sea. 115 above mentioned. The lOSO Fedora& Constu, balng the la& preossdlng Foderel Ceneur a6 the t&me of the afhotive,date oi the kot of 1939, showed Brazoria County to have a population o? a little fin exoeaa or 225,000 gorsona, end our velufition in 1939 we8 around #45,00o,000.00.~ The popalation oi Bra~orfa County, aaoordingto ~. t&s 1930 Federal Can8u8 wa8 23,084 inhabitants. The popu- lation of BeId County aeaording to fho ‘1940 Consus iu 37,069 inhabitants. Artlole 5883, ?eraon*s Annotated, Civil Statutes, proridds In part: WExcept as otherwise prorldad in this Act, the annual fees that may br retained by a preoinat, aounty and distriot offiarrs nontionad in thfe Article #hall be ae tollowot "1. In f3our.itiss oontalnlng twsnfpflvo (28,000) thousand or lsss inhabitants: oounty judge, distrlot or eriniml dbtriot attorney, sh~orlti, OOUnty Hosorablo Cleveland Datis,Pago 4 clerk, oounty lttorasy, distriot olsrk, tax- oollsotor; tax-asssssor, or the eosossor sod oolleotor or taxes Twenty-Four Hundred ($:2400) Dollexs eaohi Jqsbios of the Peace and Constabls; lWelve Hundred (~12OO).D6llars eeoh: Artiols 9891, Vsraon*s Annotated Civil StetiCls, reeds la peeirt as rollma: T&oh offleer naaed in this okapter shall ffret eut of the ourrsnt fees of hi8 ofiice, pay or be paid ths amount allowed him under the pro- .tislons of.Artlols 5885, togsthor with ths salariss I# his assistants end deputies, and ttuttcrized expnnses’under Artisls I&%8)99, and the amoust neoes- sary to oovsr~~oo4t~oS pruelum 8n shatever surety bond ray bs requlrsd bj law. If the ourrsnt fess of suoh offibs ool@otOd ln any year bs moxa than the smoaat nssdsd to pay the amou&ts above speoifled, same ihell 'bs d4muod~oxbess fess, and shall be dls- poss$ of in th6mennor hsrrineSt6r provided. b *In, counti 0o*taiairy;~~'fn~nty-iiv. ('t35.000) Thousirid ar less inhabitants, di?tribt and oounty offleers nembd herais shall retain one-third of suoh exoess fess until such om~third to@tihiE- with the amount speolfied ia Article 6803, amou+s. to three thousand dollars ($3000.00). Preolnot officer shell retain ona-third until suoh ona- third; to&her with the usoant speoified $5 Artiols S&W& amounts,to fourteen hundred $oliars ($1400.@!$),. a6otloB 13 of ~&la~e.S912(s), VeSao~:s AMotet& Civil Citatutss, provides in pert; . T36otion . _ 18. The Conmlssionsrs* court %a aountles herleg a population of twontg thousand (20,000) inhabitants or POW, end 1688 than on8 hundrsd and ninety thousand (190,000) in- habitants acoording to ths last pz+sosdlng Federal EoaomIalo Clovelend Davis, hzgs B -~ .~~ .eT..s ~Cenm@, 14 herob rut&orbed end It ah411 be ito duty to fix ths salaries of all the fcllo~~ing nemd qffiosrs, towlt: Ghsriff, Assessor and Collsotor of taxm, oonnt.y judge, county attorney, including criminal district attornsys end county attorney4 who psrrom the dut$ss 0r dhtrict attorneys, dlstriat clerk, coest~ clerk, troamrer, hide and a&ma1 lnspeotor.~ Ee@h of said otflaers shell, be paid in money an aaeual aelsry of twelvs (12),epuel inetellmeats ~of not Lesa than the total sus earned es oompensatioa by him In hia offlaial oepaeity for the fiaaal peer 1939, and not more the4 the msrlmum are ellowsd saah offlasr undar laws axlsting on August 84, 1936; provided that in counties heviag e popolet~on of twsnty thou&and (20,000) aad 1448 than thrlty-ssvea thousesd five hundrad ,(37,800) aooordlng, to ths lest preseding yedsral Osnsus aad having any assessed valuation .ia 4x4044 of f~ftesn mnilllon dollars ($15,OOO,OOO) eooording to the last epgroved ~rsaedi~ tax roll ,of 8goh oounty the mexfgua amount alluwsd suoh officers es salary may be inorsased oas (1) per- * 8ent .for each one tillion (~l,OOO;OOC.OO) dollars valustios or fraotional *rt thereof, in excess of 4aI.d flftsan~mflUea (~15,000,000.00) dollars mluetlon,ovar and above the maximum amount allowd suoh off$cyf under lays ,ox.isting on kupuet EC, 1 9 SJ; l Sactloa is or Artiols 39Uis. Vavon*s Aanotatsd Civil 5tatute4, provides la part: R * * * and provldodthat Is all further aountiee of &Wt 1044 thea hfiV$Jlg H QOQUl8tiOn twenty thausehd am on4 (2O,OOl) and not more t,hen twenty five thousand (2&,000), aooordine; to the lest prsoediag yedewl C6nsu4, aad whloh h44 en es4e4sed valuation in t9me44 of 6Wenty five million (&?.5,000~OOO.OO) dollars eooordiog to the lust precedizq approved tax rOl1 Of suah oouiitles, the oouaty judge sheriff, couuty ettsrasr, assessor and oolieetor of tacos, oounty clerk ahd district olork, the mximum salaries hereby fired et thxeo tkoulend 4twea hundred and itSty ($3, 750.00) dollaan.* As Sxazoria County ha8 a population in exaam of twentf?flve thousand lnhabltants aaoordlng to the 1940 P‘edekal Census,~the forogolng provlrion of SoOtion~l5 of Al'tiQls 3913(0)~ aupw, is no longor applloabls to *aid oouat~. The aai.arlee oi the county oitioials or Bra%oria couqty mist bu dstormin~d and fixed 1~ aOoordanca with thd provlsiolu of krtlolo 3883,' 3891, and Seotion 13, Artiols 391S(e), supw . (see the oeee ot ijac?oSdoahslr County v. Windup, 140 S.W. (24) 972). Thie DqurtmenG ha* horototore renderud aevaral oplnlonm answer& queatlona al.euMi lndentioal to the question prfmented in p?;ur Inquiry. Two of these opihiosm are Opinion8 Nos. O-2560 and Q-2748. Copiuo of t:aas opiniona are onoloaed herewith. ha the popalation~of3rasoria Cotinty was trrsntf-three thoiwand rifty four inhabitant8 aooording to the lS30 Bederal~ ’ Cunaus, the mximum alarise of 8814~aounty of~iol~ls ior the year 1935 oould not exeeod the amour& of three thousand ($3000) dollare eaoh., ., In view of the iongoing you are ~8pi30tralipsdvi*ed that It is the opinion or this Dq#artaleAt that thu aaw aalorioa OS the county offiaiala af Exaaorla Coaaty, gamed ia. Article %lS(e), Soot&m 13, SUpl'aI for the year 1943, oannot exceed the aura or three thousand (+:$QOO) dollars plus one'per- dent thereof for saoh million dolla&-valuation or traotional part t~.ereor in 0xees8 ot fifteen nillion (#15,000,000) dollars. Tbueting that the forogalng filly answenr your Yours very txuly 1943 ATTOFNWGENEVAL OF TEXAS ;rY 14 Ax4011 ;killlam &dlltant APPROVEDOPIHTOIYCOMMITTEE BY Em CFLimwa AW:rr