OFFICE OFTHEATTORNEY GENERALOFTEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable 0. C. F'lrher
Dietrlat Attorney
San Angelo, Texas
D6er Sir:
Yoor reoent co nlon of this
has bean rc-
er to me puts the
to maximum r8*6 in
with a poptnla-
otticdo salary or ofitem be
oonsibersd in arriving at the
$ZGOO ouW.mtm, or the $3006 sari-
tatus,
or sithur? The t+m’ity of-~
flofols ia thin ooam are aom-
“iI, with (19
penootrd on dlire bar
a44itfoaal nutapal4 ohem a8 ex-
rrftlcloealario#.*
Donorable 0. C. Maher, page 2
ArtIclea 3883 en4 3891 of Vernon's Civil
Annotate4 Statutes read in part 88 r0iiow0:
rhrt. 3883. 3881 to 3883. Xaxlnum Pees
--itXOSpt 88 OthSXWi88 DrOTi4.4 iXl this
hat,the annual fees that map be retained by
prealnat, county en4 dietriot otr1oer8 men-
tioned in thlr Article ahall be as rollowez
*1. In countiie containing tw4nty fire
(25,000) thoullandor less inhabitsnt8: County
Judge, Dlstriot or Criminal M8triat Attorney,
gherlfr, Oounty Clerk, County Attorney, Die-
triet Clerk, Tax Collector, Tex Aseeeeor, or
the AS8088Or @Uld~OllSOtOr Of t'ttX88,
hellty-
four Hundred ($2&W.00) Dollare eaah; Justice
of the Peaoe 6n4 Conlrtable,l%elve Dun4re4
(fl.ZOO.00)Dollars eaoh.
". . . . .
"Art. 3e91. Disposition of fess
%aah offleer named in tbie Chapter
shall first out of tha current fees or
hf8 offioe pay or be paid the amount al-
lowad him under the prorluiona of Artlole
3883; together with tha aalarle8 or h18
assistant8 an4 daput188, and authorlaed
expansen un48f Art1018 3899. and the amount
neceaoary to oover uoetn 0r premium on
~wtever earsty bond may be.require4 by
Xi the current fear of such oP?loe
colieoted In any year be more then the amount
n&edab to pay the emounte above epeoitle4,
8sme shall be deemed excee)LIree8, an4 shall
be disposed of in the manor hareinarter
provided.
-In oountiee oontainlng twenty-five thaus-
6na (25,000) or 18J38 fnhab1tant8, District an4
County OifiOer8 nemd hereln shall retain one-
third of crushexcaas fe6s until eiuahOne-third,
together with the amounts rpeclfied in Artlals
3883, amowes to Three Thousand Dollar8
(8.3ooo).Preainat of~oera shall retain
one-third until suoh one-third, to ether tith
the audnt epsoitie6 In Artiala 3654 3, smount8
to Foartsan Hundred Dollars ($1.&W).*
Eionorable0. C. Ploher, psee 3
Sterling County baa 8 populetion of 1,431
lnhabltaats, accordi~ to the lsrt tedersl aenaua.
Artiole 3895, veMOll'8 Civil Annota‘ted
Stfltut8etprovides that:
*fat. 3895. R-otflclo 8errloe8
"The Comnie8ionsr8* Court 18 hereby
debarred rrocqallowlw companaatlon for
8x-orriolo saniaes to county o??lclale
when the compensation an4 SXa88Cifee8
whloh they are allowed to rrtaln shall
reeoh the smxlmun provl4ed ?or in t&la
chapter. In aa~as where the com,pensetlon
and exaees feao whloh the otrlaers are
ellowe4 to retain shall not reeoh the
mOXiaUEk JWQYid8d ?Or in thim OheptOr, the
Comls810nsrs1 Court shall allow oamperma-
tloa ?or ax of?lcio 8ervlces when, In their
judyant, euah ooapenoatloa Ir neoeeoary,
provided, suoh oompeneation for ax ofrid
eervieea allowed 8hall not lnoreaea the
ooapaneation of the of?tialalbeyond the
maxlmuiu of o~pene8tloa ati axe888 fee8
allowed to be retaloe b,yhim under this
ohapter. Frovl4ed, however, the ax o?~l~lo
herein authorized 8hall be allowed only a?- -.~
tar an opportunity ?or a public hearing and
only upon the af?lmatlve vote of at least
three msabers of the Coumi8eionera* CourLn
Article 3897, VCIMOQ~O Civil Annotated Statuter,
ma48 In pert aa fO11OW8:
"Art. 3897. Sworn stateuent
*Each district, oounty and precinst
officer. at ths 010~6 of eaoh tlsoal ear
(DeasaPber3let) shall mke to the di8r, rlct
court ot the oounty ln which he resides a
mwra atatuaent in triplicate (on torts6de-
stgned en4 appmved by the Stste Auditor)
a copy'of whioh ststemmt elm11 be torwarded
to the State Aualtor by the olsrk o? then
dfetrtit aourt of 8ald oouaty wIthIn thirty
(30) d.ays aftrr the e-8 ha8 been ills4 la
hi8 offloe, an4 on4 sapy.k, be ffled with
the county auditor, if any; otherwise,
Honorebls 0. C. Fisher, page 4
said oopy shall be filed with tha Com-
mIssIonare* Court. Said report ahall show
tbs asotmt or all taes. oommlsslona and
c.zapensatIonswhatever earn& by said o‘i-
ricer durlnc the flsoal Year; and asooad-
1-1,shall abor the amount of fees, oom-
mlsaions and oompenaatlona 00m0t6a by
him during the fiscal year; thirdly, (laid
report shall contain aa ltmlrcrd atatemant
of all fees, co~3alseIwa and compm6atIons
sarnsd during the ilacal par whloh were
not oollscted, together wltb the name or
the party owing eald fees, commiralona and
ooapea6atlon5 . . .*
Ths last two paragraphs of Artlcla 3891,
R~Iaed Civil Eltatutsa,read aa followrr
*The comneasatlone, limitationa aad
maxImuM herein fix0a In thla hot root
orfloers sheillInclude and apply to ell
officers mentions& herein In aaoh and
eray county of t&Is State, and It 18
harrby drclarul to ba the latcatioa of
the Leglalatura that the pro~lal.oaaoi
th15 Act shall apply to raoh or eaia
offlaers, aad any 8peoIal or general .$:
law laoonalstent with the prorIriona
hereof Is hereby expressly repaalrd In
ao far as tbo sams may be Iaoonalatcnt with
t+Is Aat.
WLS ooapansatlon, llmitatioas and
marlmuw herein fixed shall aUo apply to
all raes and compeaestlrm whetltoeta aol-
laoted by said offlt?em in their offlola
capaolty, whsthar aoocuatabls aa fess of
offlcr uadar the present law, an8 any lea,
pmarsl or spacla~, to the 6ontwry It3
hereby erpmealy rspselad, The otiy kin4
and aharaeter of onmpexwiatlon axef&pt fresa
tts pro~irilonsof #la Aot ahall be rcrwarde
reoalrra by SherIf'fii for eppr6h6aaIoa of
crIminala or fugltltas fram jae,tleeand
for the recovery or sDol~a'~property,and
~~nonepareosl.rrdby County Judgeo and
Justioes of the pttaceror ge~f=mriry
asrrlago o~remmles, whlhtoh am shall riot
not be aaeoolntablafor and not r6qalrM~ta
be reported 8~ faearof otiit~.~
Honorable0. C. PIshsr,page 5
,ArtIcle3895, 8upra, apeaItlaa~l~prohibit@
the eo~~~l~eloncra~ court froa 11lowlng'eoapeascrtlon
for ax offloio senlo68 to uuuatyarfIo$418when the
aompeaaatlon and 4x88~8faer whloh thef tie allawrb
to mteia 8hnll resah the maximum prOtid6d lbr by
Artlolrs3883 and 3891,8upra. 2%4 oaly car8 where
the aomttioner8* abnrt 18 8llorrd to proride oom-
pen5atIoaror mx oiiYtI0 84rvi448 i8 when the ooa-
pUl88tiOn and 4XC448 i6e5 rrhiah the OfiiO8~ 8M
allord to rataia ahall:not r4iolt tha amximun ro-
ridad Zur by Art10183883 an4 Art1018 3891. TL
phre84 -'all foes and oompeU8atIon’rhat8oeter 0017
14ateabr aald ufrlorrsIn their QrfiOialoapWty,*
obrao4s everykind of oomp4nsatIoa4llowedby $8~
to SIX& OffiCi418, LUIdU&86 aXO8ptd by 8OXI4 PTO-
~18iih or the statute,the ua4ptloa8 are so derla-
ite that by implloatioaall tees and oompea8etioas
aut meatlonrdIn the exo4ptIoaear8 uoladed there-
from, aaa therebylaolobedwltkla the requlrcmmts
of the maxlmnn 144 rtatotae.
& tibw of the forrgeiag rt8tUte8, pi
8ra respeotfnlly a&lee& thet It 18 tha opinion OS
thir aapartmentthat comp4a8atIon allowed Sor .u
OffiCiQ 84lTiC44 t0 tha OOUllt~ OfriOhi8 Of at8rliW
Couatymust br IaaladedIn lrrlrisgat the M
OUIlQ8ll8atiOn
SIbWed SUCh OrfiOi~8 OadUr mia.98 ;
3~83 =a 3891. For explaastloaoi the ior4aofng w4
eno~ose 8 oopy a? Oplnloh 043B.5.
Trustiag that thr r0r8gag rally aaowera
yodr laqulry,w4 ramala,
Yours vary trul#
AT%lRi4SYQESERAXI OF %%XAS