Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE A’27ORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN ~riorable Joe. B. Dart uounty Attorney K4ntW.l COUity Ilaesns, %xo8 Bear Slrt opinion 80. o-SEW6 Ret 8houlU thr 4x-ofrioio sslary WU the aounty olerk %a 8 oounty whloh ooatalno Iam then 85,000 hh4bitantr.l?Q oonrlbered in aete~nlm(l the Mxlntum anapal .salazy o$ aalb ol4rk unbar thr i44 rtatutes of thu stat.9 This wllfask5aladge recbipt~of your 14ttsr s$ August BS, lW, mquerrtlngan cpinton of thlrr dapartmaat oa th4 qu44tlon Hated herein. Pps qu4t4 Won your letter a* tollwsr "1 hay4 been requs8t4Q by the Cmmalrslona~s* Court to ask you ior a ruling on tha iollaning ~usstlont Should the 4x-0rri0i0 salary paid the ofilolal (the County Clerk)~ be considered rees of oiriae In dotrmlnlng the Pnaual i54cimm and the offiolal'8 rrtatur uader the sxciw# iesa or ofi% law7 0. . . *The 4x-oiiicio Salary of the County Clerk OS Ken&all County was fixed at $1000.00 at the :irst meetly in January and is payable in monthly h.4t41&tant8. "Sho*tid the clatk take Into 4444unt this f;lOOO.OO in arrlrlng et hi8 nraximus or @3400&0 and fnulude it in a total OS hie fees of oXi end than after omditlng bimsaif with the ."1000.00 and earnsd f448 up to aluount of 3400.00 Sty14 all the r4St Of tbQ i848 COl- Dnarabla SOB. E. Dart, Fag4 8 14otsd as (311043s fe48 and take hi8 Oc4-thh& .tbwdraa; or should he ore&it his allowed :24OO.OC only with the Se08 4am4d, and ii this bo irswlficisnt to r45ah the ~WOO.00 t&an cre6I.t himseLf with oe much of the 4x9 otfiola s::lary un may allow his naxliaum com- pen..tlon from all sourc48 to meoh $3000.00, randmks an ad~justmnt with the oounty for any moufxt paid hlsrr In axcoss af &R300.00* ” “. . . Randall County has 8 population or 5,080 iohabl- tats according to the 1940 Tedera Cecrat and the oouz&y offlolaln of said oounty are oo-npmQnrated oc a ire bash. Article8 3N3 t&t spJ91,Ve~raon~8 Ancot;ato& Clvll Btatutas, permit a county oluk, in ooucti48 b*pYin&a pop- ulation ipf leas thuc 80,oco %&4bi,tW&t8, to retain ,48 00~. pennatiora and 4x4401 t848 the maximum #am of $S,OOO,OU. Articler ?i889t an& 3939, hmon'8 Annetated Clrll Statutes, srpr44sly authorize t&s Comds~lcuwr~~ Ctmrt, when, in their Judgment, awh oozspensstion 18 n4oosmwy, to allOWO4@p4n- 8ati4n for 4X-officio' 84mi448 Of th4 OOtlllty Oluk~ prov36ed ruoh ooapensatlo~ *hall not lnarmre the aoqsea,u nt;- as Ott the oounty olerk bepnd the aiax&m w#ouM et emp8anatien and 4x444~1 fees allmved to be rstalaed by hlsl uader the preoeding articles. These artl4140, two think, el44rl aa- tho&4 tho Co3&aission4r~~ Court t4 allow tha,elark at the county oourt in eountNt# having a population of 148s than 80,000~Inhabitant.@, 4oJlpaosatior. for 4xpffiofo oer~iaos, provided suah oonpenstatlon, t -8th~ 1~1th the feu rrklnod by him rxlldqrthe gweaedlng art T ale8, does cot u#uat $0 more than tJ,WO.OO per unm.a (See t;b4 case of Ander44n~ couctyi. RG$K.lQu, 197 9. we lO)Q*l m0 hst tw4 pampaphs 0r Artiel8 zEm, Vernon*8 Ancptatdl Civil Statut44, rsad as Zollom~ "The Cc~~anBatiOll, lin~t’ItiO5B 454 2‘hi.- aums hmeln fixed in this Aat for oSflcem shall include ~5 apply to all oliiaor8 nmntioned harain in esch aa& every aounty of tcis %f8to, and it $8 herebp Ueelarsd to bs the intOCtfO5. of the L&sleture that the ;r0~~814~ OS tU Aat shall apply to 44& of Miff 0Sti~~~S, 454 mmrablo So&B. Dert, Pa&e 4 s*rn etate3ente, kaeplng eccounts end axpen acoountn re- gs~~~ing county official8 oongeneated on a rer baris. IR answer to your inpulry, you clreadvlaed that 1% i$ the op%nlon OS this dspmtmlt that the 9x-0riici0 Owl& p.nsation OS the ootmtp alark must be conrldered and aeootit.d for in arriving at the praxfia~nannual ei:m~neatlon of eaid ol6rk* The elsrk rhall firat out of tb. ourrent.ia.6 or hl. &Sloe pay or bs plhld the emomt alloewd hbu under th. pm- ~l.lotu vi Article aeS3, together with the salaarier of h%6 ~istanta and deputiau, eod authoriaed exgea.e. under Arti. 2lWQ end the antcunt neossrrary to cover the eost of prdum 05 WL tevar ltwety bond may be reau1r.d by law. If the aiwrent Seen of such offit? colle6Osd la'ony year h6 mere thim the apfstintneeded to pay the 6m6unt8 above rp6olil6d the name almll b. de6ia.d ezaee. fear and th. clerk 16 ptrc &ted to rota15 on.-third of sadh 4x46.. Se.6 until 6u.h o+thlrd, togthor with the awnmt. spealfied in kticl. SWS, &uvunts to $S,OOO,OO. IA&her word., the oouttty obrk 16 6ntitled to retain all th.~.onq.neatlod 6llou.d b Art%016 3383, together with the one-third exoeer teei al- lowed,@y Articls 3891 until 6wb one-third, togctthsi rlth th* aamunt rpeoiriea La APt1016 9883 amount4 to &3’000.00 per annum* 31 the ewa nemtlon .llo&ed under Artici6.3888 ana the OXBIBB $6~ al f”orsd under A~tlale SBSl do not rmoh the mm or C3,000.00 per annum, th6 Ci%n8l6eione~8~ Oowt 18 lut&orlsed to pay the sl6rk an ex~ofilal~ aoia1~~8oi.on, prwid6d ,S)uOhOom~ene.tlon* tog6thar itlth the fees +-mea by,hla undrr Artialer 38f39 and .WQl, doe. not amount to more than t3,000.00. Them OM be no 6xoeer tcea until th6 awnmt of #2,400.00 is reaohetl ad the deduatloaa whl6h are aUmmdbplawar. med.. To lll.arrtrat. the aounty olerk carmot take Q1,400.00 •~ reer unaor ~~A16 3289 and tbup add the &OOO.OO ex-otflaio ooapeaeetion to make a totd OS -&&,400.00 and them MY 611 fee6 oadllngInto th6 .otifoe 00 are outhorlzed by law are 6x6668 t668, and that--j, snttt.164 to ona-third ot the mee. In ehcwt, beforr'~tbo cler? 16 entitled to any exo.s. tsar under APtlale:58Bl, he mu& first reoel~e a~ irea the amount of ft2,4001OO not in- eluding enp part of the 6x0of?i.io omp~nsation aPt.r nraki~% the legal dedwtfon6 as 6llowed by law and alter this emu&t hen been reached then the olerk ie entitled to one-thbd of euah exoea. tees a. prorlded by &tie16 3891 end e. above 6tated if'this does not reeoh,th. total a.XlSui% Of ~~,oOO,OO pnr annure,the Co?nmi~slonere'Court may in its dia. or.at$onIlefl;ally allow an sx officio oo?-yunsatlon;irovidedsuch aonpasatioa, toqathdr with ths fees retainsadunder tbe above Qent:oneSbarticlq doss not sxoeed $3,OCO.C0 psr annuz. Trusting that the foragoing fully anawera your in- tpirp,we am .,i Youra very truly E'IKT ASSISTANT .z ATTORJWiY GENE&& Ardsll wl.ll1a?M Aariatan~