OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
.JwqorableRahLphBrook
County httornsy
kbbook Cwsty
Lubbook, %aae
Dear Sirs
OQlnian
no.
A.: 0811the
rhleh I ham rondared
to the Couut ve to a mtter,
like to here your
my muOh ror yvu
1 rqlort et the aounty
a110 ana1oa.d. It
thlr OVUPt dloQosed
w in addition to'thia
one hundnd and
IIthe mornlw
look in the
afternoon.
has lnoraawd the salaries ef all sooretarlaltilp, and the
help in hla vrrioo cmd 1~ my ~ftioa is not sear&aria1 in
every ~~88, ror in vrdax to keep hillr,the COUW hl#~*,
Honorable Ralph Brook, page 2
f'roehaving to ollmb the stairs to the Clerk's office
from ten to flftaen times a day to sign birth oertiflaata
matters, this book of th4 Probate mfnutss is belw kept
by his secretaryin his offloe, which is, as you see,
oleriaalwork. Then in addition to that, as you know,
under the statute, he Is required, as I, to 1n4kemonthly
reports, end with the volum4 that is passing through the
two offloes, mine and his It la entirely impossibleto
44oure help theftIs effioient at the 8100,OO figure whloh
the county has heretoforebeen able to secure.
Win keeping the birth oertlfloaterecords as they
er4 kspt the County Judge's ofsloe Is savlnq,the employment
of on4 additionalasalatant oounty olerk, and on aooount
of congasted oondltlonsin this part, the secretary to th4
County Judge ls olerking the County Court, sixi the Clsrk
would not bs able, u&der the prosent s4t-up to lmrr aa I8
r4qoIrsd by law a alerk to attend this Court, and with th4
amount of,buaInessthat is bblng'oonduotedIn the County
Court, it would bs n4044~ry that the County Clsrk employ
a full-tla4 as,sIetantol4rk totak4 oar4 of this buslneaa.
*As Is Sndioated in thr 14tt4r to the Commlssionoreg
+.::,,
..%
_:. :~Burt; ~-itIa,:njl::~opIut4n-that
.thera-,salari4s~~.oollld
be,raIa4d.
and these employ4ea Gould be dssIgnat4d-asclerk& In this'
cowmotion let m4 say_that you know full well that s4or4-
tarial or clerioal help does not depend upon just bavlng
someone around. You have to have someone that understands
what It is all about. I .dotest you all1 give mo an lmmsdlate
opinion on this rnatWr.*
~‘&,tr opinion addreaa4d to the Honorable Commlaalon4ra*
Court of Lubbock Wunty, Texan, on ths.abovs stat6d question roada
as f0l.l0ws:
*You have queetlowd ma relative to rohatheror not the
County CommIsalon4ra~Court oan authorize'thepayment of a
salary In 4x04~4 of $100.00 per month to an office eaalatant
of the,CountyJudge and the aecre$ary of the County Attorney!s
0fri ~8.
“Artiole 3902 of the Revised Civil Statutes provides
a4 follows:
Ronorable Ralph Brook, page S
WIWhoneoerany district, county or prscbot ofri04r~
shall require the s43~lo48 of deputies, aselstantr~ or
olsrks in the p4rform4noe of his duties he aball apply to
the County Commlssloners*Court of his county for authority
to appoint such deputies,assIstanta or olerks, ,etatIng by
sworn appliaatlon the number needed, the position to be
fill46 and the amount to be ~16. Said appllcetionshall
be acoompaniedby a statamant showing the probable reoeipts
from fees, ooadssionr and compensationto be collectedby
said offloe during the rlsoal year and the probable dla-
bursements which shall Inolude all ealarles and expenses
of said offloe;landsaid oourt shall make its order authorle-
lag the appointment OS suoh deputies, aslslstanta and olerkr
and fix the compensationto ba paid them wlthln the llmlta-
tlona herein prasorlbadand determine the number to be ap-
pointed as In the disoretion of eald court may M,properl'
proridod that In no oaas shall tha Commlsslonera~Oourt or
any manber thenof attempt to lnflu4uo4 thr appolntwnt
of any person an deputy, aadmtant~or alerk fn any affloe.
Upon the entry + suoh order the offloere applying for saoh
,a~esfptantsdeputies or alark t&all be authoilzoa to.appoint,
.th&; p&bad that saltIcompensationshall not eroead tha
maxluuu5'aWunther4lnafteraet out. Th4 oompansatlonwhioh
: tiI .M~aU.woa
.":,,.
~. :~to +iha 4oputi4r i asriatanta~. .or...*larkm ~~awro.,~
Pi
named for th9Ir~@ervfosrahall be a reasonable ona, ntitfo
iroeed tag r~omwtng ~ourlta: In oouutler havhig P pupulk-
tion of thfrty-maventhousand five hund d and one (57,501)
and not mra thaa sixty~thoueand(60,000 7 @habitants,
fldt arr$istantor ohioi daputy not to @roeed Twaaty-ona
Hunbed (#?lOO.OO)Dollars.perannum; other assistants
'deprrCtLns or oltika~not to exoeoa ltl&htaanHundred (~l&.OO)
.Dollar~per anna eaoll. Provided that nothing in this dot
shall be oonstruedas ra ealfng or airacting Baotion S af
R. B. PIo.694;~Chaptq.r SP5, Acts 19S5, Forty-fourthLagIala-
tun, 7M.'
TJnder t&Is artlola it ~os?msalaar that the County
Commissl,owr8*C6urt shall have the power to authorica
tha ippolntmant.ofsuoh deputies,araiatanta and alarke
that may ba needed by th4 Oouuty Judge atw!l/Or the County
Attorney In tha parformanos of thslr dutias and to Six
their oompansatlonwIthin the llmltatlonaprescribed In
SwtI6R~S of Article 3908, oinse Lubbock County 00mn within
thetpopulatlon braoket.~Under Section 3 the CommIssIoners!
*~~CourtGould be authorized .toappoint a Clerk to the County
.,;;'Judge*s ?ffIq6 to s47i+e inthe~ County ;T~dge~soffice~at~a
,~salary of not 'toeroeed $1800.00 per yeear. Likewise, the
‘~~Commlssionera* Court may authorize the appointment of a
Clerk in the County Attorney's off&a8 et a salary not to,
~exceed461000.00 #4r year,
.'Honorable R&h Bfock, a&s 4
*Section 13 of krtlale 3912 ,provides
'asfollqwa:
-'The Commhdoneks~ Court inoouatles having a
population of twenty thousand (80,000) inhabi.tante or
more, and leas then one hundred end ninety thousand
(190,OOO)inhabitantsaccording to the lest preoediug
FWl0rtal ‘hnaus,ia hsiaby Qilthorizsd endsIt shall be its
duty to fir~the rala;rlss or ~11 the following named
.0rrici~, totit: 5herifr,asseesor,endcollector or
taxes county Judge. county sttorney, includi?le 'crluinal
dlstrjot attorneysend county ettorney, Including criminal
distrf& attorney5end count7 attorneys who .parfqp the
duties of dietriot sttorneye,distriot alerk, county clerk,
treaaurar;hide and animal lnspeotox.:ICechof said oiiioere
shell be paid in,mooey. and annual salary in twelve (UT) aqua1
lnatall3nent5 oftnot l&s than the total SUDSearned 8~ oom-
pe?~eQ$ibn by big in his 0rrii0iplcep@ty'ror:t*e rl5oal
par 1935, end~nfl mom thdn ths,meximumameugt,a&lowed
such bff'fherunder'lewca~ ed5tI.W on,August~.24,,~1?3F~;
.~prbylded thet .in oouutle5having a population-of.twenty
~thourand (~SO,OOO) 5nd loss #an thirty45verithouland five
hUndrtWJ(37,500)E'XJOi+iiQf3 ,to.the'&%et;
pr49?ding.Federal
Ahulsus, end having en eeeeaeed 9el~~ion'id,6~O~?s at
:;;i:g+
~(~~
: :~:
~~,'~.::
.b,:;~
.::
a :::i!
5:::yiftaan
'id& M~lllon
,app*sa (~@S 000 OOO)~
_:pr~ee~~j~~.&x OolXara;,aa?oxd$ag;to
.;mllOf .:.a,e~~, the
~o&nt* %?a~Ba*m :
amunt~al~lowad ~auoh&fioers es eelerios map ‘be .%n@reeeed
daq(l$) lperoent ror ;&eohOne tailllon~(~1)OOO;@O.OO)
Dollare valuation or rrectionel pert thetieor,in sroeie
~ or said Flrtaan Hill.ion($16,000,000.OO)Dollar5 valuation
over endsabove-ths~sa&.~ amount allored suob offioers
under laws existing on~August 24, 1935; and~&kOoided that
in oountiee h&ring a pohletiqn br tblrtf+rvon thousend
riro hundred '(~s?,fOO) aqd ,iees:than~aiFW'thoUs+ ,(80,000)
aooort?l&~tethe last ~preoedingFed&e1 CWMLUB, end hering
an esmesaed oaluetlon:$nlxa,eeeof Twenty.iiilPiq(Q%O,OOO,OOO.
Dollere, eacording to.the laet preaedingapp~#d tax roll 0f
suoh county, the ~xlxagm amountalloubil such otfiaara as.
eeleriea may be increeeed oae (1$) Peruaentior seoh one
tillion f#i,OOO,~,OOO.QO) Dollere veluetion or freOtiOna1 pert
theredt,~in exoeas.ofaQi& Twenty hPillloh($ZO,OOO,OOO.OO)
Dollar5 valuation over end above the marifaumemouut allowed
suoh orfloer under lnua existing on Auguet 24, 1933.
-*(a) The CommL5eionars*Court mey euthorlza~theemploy-
ment of a stenogrepherby the oounty judge,.enU pey for such
ssrvloe6 out of the (generalfun& of th5 orruntyto ed amount
not to rxceed Twel9e Ebndred (12OO.00).Dolleraper year+
Honorable Ralph Brook, pge 3
‘7fOU will notiac the provision in this Article which
authorlresthe employmat of a aeoretery to the County
Judge et a salary of not excaeding $l200.00 per year,
however, the seoretary to'the County Judge of Lubbock
County has greeter duties and greater responsibilftleo
than ordf.narysecretarialwork end the work that ehe
nuet~do inthe oirioe oFthe Gounty Judge oannot be
properly desoribsd as secrsterialwork. In other words,
her duties go beyondthose of the ordinary aeoretery.
She rifle out birth oertificateefor the oounty, keeps
the books of'the County Judge(s office and perrorms
numerous other duties outside the general aaope of eitore-
tar$al work. It is thereforemy opinion that she should
properly be designatedaa a olerk to the County Judge
and pursuant to 8uah Ueaignatlonby the Comuiseioneret
Court, the Commissioners*court would be authorizeCto
f$x her salary at a sum within the limtte prescribed,
abo9e. It le thereforemy oplnlon that the Commissioners*
Court of Lubboak.County, Texas would be within their legal
rights fn euthorleingthe appo&ment of a clerk to the
County Judge and CLClerk~to the County’Attol%ey at e salary
in eeoh instance. of not to exoeod gl800.00 per annum.9 '
This.Dsge~~ent ~haa.hereeoforo,on ~se9eraloooaeL,ona,
':':I~,'.'::nritt~~';"oplnions'
on pra~t%Dally~
the eeme~question or,queetiona
lnrolred in your inquiry.
le direct your attention to ODInion Do. O-1620 holding
in erract thatthere is no authority ror a County Attorney to
,employe atanographer.
We uall your attention to our Opinion Ko. 04874 whiah
holds that when a County Attorney oompllos with the termtaor
Artlole 5908,~Vernon's Annotated Civil Statutea, e olerk may be
appointed by the County Attorneyti
83th referen& to that part of your quezMon regarding
the euthori'tjor the~Comaiselonors9 Court authoriefngthe eppoint-
ment of an oftice assistant for the County Judge end the paymnnt
or e aelary in excess ot One Hundred ;($lOO.OO)Dollars per month
to such essistant, It Is our .optnionthat 8 County COmmiseionsr8t
Court la not authoriied under Artiole 3902, Vernonts Annotated
Civil Statutes, In the absenae of the specific grant of power,
to pay any salary Eor an essiatant for the County Judge, an4 that
in view oi'the provlalona of 36ctlon 13(e) or krtlcle 3912e,
VernontttAnnotated Civil Statutea, ap lyi~ngto COunt%es 91th e
population o!'twenty thousand (20,0007 lnhabltants or more, and
less than one hundred ninety thoueend (190,OOOjInhabitants,the
County Judge in such oountles can only employ a stenogragherwith
the approval of the Co.misslonera*Court at a s&sry not to excee8
Twelve Aundred (312O(i.@C)Dollars p.r yesr. Our conaluslonthus
stated with reference to the first part of the question quoted
abose is eupported by our Opioloa MO..O-1449.
Honorable Ralph Brock, page 6
In your opinion addreese to the Flonorsble CormIs-
sionera* COUrt Of Lubbook County, Texm, YOU atate ill dreOt
that the Conmiiet#lonm?~* Court or said oounty would be within
its legal right in authorfzlngthe appointment0f a clerk by
an4 for the County Attorney at a salery not to exueed Eighteen
Hundred (#.6OO.O0)Dollare per annum. We think that this is
a oornot statement with reference to a olark for the County
Attorney and the salary to be pal4 rauoholerk by ~lrtue ai
Artiole 3903, 6upm. However, ae above lndloatedwe 40 not
agree with that portion of your opinionwith reference to a
olerk ror the county Judge.
In eupport of the ~oregolngwe oito you the r0iutw~~
opinion4 end enoloss a oopy or -oh ror your oonvenlenos.
opinions here rererred to are Bos. O-383, O-3146, O-1449, O-8342,
O-65, O-1649, O-1874, O-3743, O-1950, o-1097, an4 0-1630.
we trust that the toragoing Sully answers your inquiry.
Your8 Averytruly
AWROVZD M&R. 18, 1943 ATTORHFiY GEUEUL OF TWXAi
m :.:
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?IIIsTASSI8TAliT
ATToIllnry G%!?=L
AR/PO
AtiROVXD OFINIOiPCOh&IT+EE BY.B.W.B. CEAI=