OFFICE OF THE AITORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
&aorable Art16 Stephens
county Attorney
Eepklw county
Sulphur Sprinsa, Teraa
Dear Slrt
per anaum vhere the
reoelved a ralary
OOfnt3KbJearO~
a ralated queetion7
roquemlng an ogdnhm
r&m rtated bfu been
part aa follwr :
t have over to re-
&i&3
0.00 vhere
f the Couaty Trearurer refemed to abme
factsI
smlumy 1, 1933, the Couaty !rre~-
tvo thouwmd dollam ($52,000) par
atmum, whlah vaa I bellewe, the i!axUtm amount
of ieer he v&m ailoved atate 3.avto retain.
7 0, lnelwl~e, he reoslv-
During the year. 1933-19
sd rrlxteenhundred dollam ($1600) per annum, but
at the beginnfna of’the aurrent p%r the mRlW$
vaa rsduoed f'romthla $&600.figure to sLS hundped
$12; ($600), a Peducrtionof JSDevsa tbctasasd
l
mncrable Artie 8tephen8, page 1
'In Deoember, 1939, the Coml8eioner8 Court
publialy Pnnotusaedtheir Intention of rsduufag
the trearurer*8 mlarp f'rcm#lf&O to 600, begin-
ning Jmiary 1, 19'41.. . .'
Th4 questIan rubmitted to this dqwt.ment for an
opinion are a8 follovrr
'(1) Md the Ccmlrrlcners Court ban the
Is@ authority to make lwh a redwtlont
“r2)If aot, i8 the Caml8rlonerr Court leg-
ally obligated to pa)'the treasurer the diffemmeo
between the 8alary the tr ea mr er lhauld be ra-
eeivlng and the ralery t&at he La aotually re-
ooiYlng?"
Acoordl,ngto the 1930 Rsleral Ceruw, Hop&In8 Oounty
bad a populatfca of @,a10 inhabttantr,and ae~ordiag to the
lg 4 0 lald oouatp had a population of 30,274.
F eder aCen8uu,
l
Ssotloa 13 OS Article 39l2e read8 in pbrt a8 follovrr
'The ocmai8rloaer8 oourt ln aountler ba-
apopulation 0rtwbntyth0ti88ia (n0,0OO)lrhbi-
tantr ormore,andlerr th8~~onehundrednlaet~
thourend(19O,OOO)inbabltent8 ao-to the
la8t prooedzng Federal Comw, im hereby autbor-
lred mad it u&all bv it.8duty to fir t&e 8alarier
of all of the ?oZlowlng mamd offiofm, to-ritr
aheriff, aeae8eor and oolleetor cf taxer, aounty
judge, oountr attommy, InaWUng orlmbcbl dl8-
trict attcrneym and oouat attom who perromn
the dutier of dfwtriot at io~llc))r, birtriat olmlr,
couuty 01* treaeurer,bide and eni6nl ilmpeo-
tcr. E,Oh9~ oPf%eerr shall be paid ta money
aa eanual malary In twelve (U!) equal lmtallmeatr
of not lesr thaa the total aim earned aa aonQMm8a-
#don by hQa ia his oiiiolal capeoity for the fir-
oal year 1935, and not mare thm the irie&mm
amount ellowed suoh orfleer uad8r the law8 exist-
lag on Augumt 24, 1935. . . .*
383
HonorableArtle Etepben8,we 3
This departmeat has heretofore ruled on a amber of
qU~Sti~# SitibU’ t0 ths ?iF#t qtl88tiW prSr+nted in yOU? in-
q-Y* we aXW eMlO#iXig eOpie# Of the fOlkming MIltbMd
epiakms for our la?ormation. The oplnhaa are Opinion Xc.
o-nggs, O-13 J , O-2973 and O-1628.
Ia reply to your first question, under the above
Stit~ffWtS and invlm?e? beetion 13,&tlale3gLIM, rupra,
and the aMorLtie8 sited tithe above mentioned oplnlonr
~~#~t~~adV%#~tthatit18 the Opill%OilOfthi,
-t that the OOlWi88iOM~8' QOU't Of %pk%M COWAt
must fix the ralary of the oounty treasurer at a sum not I088
thea the total Slrme-d a8 aOmptMt8atiOla by the Oo\mty $l'Oa#-
urer in b&8 affl6ial eapaaltj for the iiseal ymu W55, and
sot more thau the mmlmum~untal.loved8whofiicnr8under
lW# OXhting Oil AU@l#t 94, 1935. !thOl'O?OX'O, PUP first qUO#-
tion as above stated is rerpeot?ulQ Msvared in the negative.
In tU8 your attention to &aate
Billso. 19, kIt# ml,
8eetien 13 of Artiole 3g912e, &El& that %lt~&i~tf.#
O~*ithfn~de#~t~~tiQn~tthr~adr#~~~#'
Oourt 18 aUthOriSOd to ?ZX the #a&U7 Of t&D GOWty trru~8'W
ltauyrtmaot less than $600psryea~,andnotm4mtbaa@700
Xawver, t.h28 #tatUt@ d-8 IlOt brbtrclle eff.&it8 Untill
p"-•
amary 1, 1943, and the population bra&et de8~t@d In #aSA
~st6i$ute
doer not lmolude 00Ut1eS haping the popu%at&m Of
xc@clM county. ?herefwe, the above meatloned armmheat to
Seation u of Artiole 3gWe has no applliutlonto the question
wder oomideratioa.
Ulth referenoe to your #OWEId qUeStiOn, yvur attsn-
tiOZI18 direoted to the Quo Of ~~~gd~@b@# &UntJ V. win&r,
972 cad the ease o Xaoo&doehe#County v. JinUn#,
9Ol(evmr rerucled f the first mentioned ease
hold In l ff& that the proririona of the
SktUte authari~ the ~arai##l~~~S' OOWt t0 fix the SW
e? a oounty clerk at anf mua not less then a eertaln mlnl.mm
and not aare thaa a aertala 8iadbu are mandatory and 6anaot
b ie;aoPedby WUbW.8~ O? the QOOCt at th&P dl#Ol'&io& %'hi#
6ase further hold8 in eifeot tha$.#iePa the OoUAty O~88~one~8w
6ourt rejected al&We,, prere~ted’to the oouuty mdlt~, for
/’
b&&aer of salary due tka Ulstriot olerk of the mnmty, rush
offloer ~38authorized to institute ruit egainrt the mu&y
for such b81W~~98, though the e1al.w Vere not audited and
appro?ed by the auditor, as it (co8fjheOOUrt’S duty to audit
and pa88 Upon thW. We thbk that the ebove mentioned sues
#pei?fOally aMver your second qUe#tlOII and in VbV Of the
hO1dl458 Of Said -808 it 18 OUP OpiniOIl thUt th8 Oaai881CUL-
~8' Oourt IS legally obligated to f the eoulltytraarurer
the dlffemnoe between the SabW7 UC &A he i8 b3&$8~y Ontt.tbd
to and the salary uhieh he Is aetULkllJreoeiYln&
Trwtlng that the ?orogol.ngfullyaa8verr pow in-
quiry,ve are