FAGAN DICH!3OX
.,&ch 24, 1948 -usIIIwI
yn'the above aub,ject+t.ter.is, In;part,,as f+l.lqys~
,'.
.:4
"At thd Janrie;iy'term;th@ ~Commiss10nkp‘~s
'Court voted to remai&on*a 'fee~bksis' for-
th& sear ig48i, The Cog@ssiotiers* Cc&
~:set'the&xLti~kmount of fees to be re.-
.. ;t&+a'by the sheriff'(Arji;:'3883,3891:; ',"
etc.)".Ft $3,600.00p+ Jiear. .,
<. i
'By the.,author;tgana-&.r~b~ion~of"Ari.- '
6877-l Vernon's &n. C&v. @+?, Sec. 1 (c)
the Canrmissioners*Co-t entered &tiorder.
to pay the~sh&lff.anh hissdepn&i&"7q! pe??
mile for the use of.their persone;llgowned
cars'for each mile traveled In the ptiyf,qrm-
knee '0P official.'dutles.~~f.,'o,ffi~e.
:,~ j..I ._
"Quest&i' Ho. 1 --lk,li'th&~aniountpaid ,to.'.
the sheriff and hli deputies under the
above order be a"fee'o~.~'~thg-irher~fff's
of-
fke *ma+ Art.;3883;389%. etc., sna ifso
wall-it be~accoMtable.bJi'.himae 'other "
: II
i ...
"Question'No~ 2---If the'-'ans%rer;$@
Qkeg-. ' '
tioti'No.1'1s ~afflr&tive;~hould the pay ,:I
for this mileage be made to the shetilff'. .'~
to be by h$m paid ag ,w sees proper to the
deputies oF sh&la.$he &puts beg psi~.dg- _*
.~,.
rect? .. :
"Question No. 3 ---Since Art. 6877-l'is .a*-
parently mandatory, will Commissioner's
296
Hon. R. Y. King, page 2. (V-526)
courts have the authority to limit the nnrp-
ber of mll6s that till be approved forpay-
ment? That is, limit the sheriff to say
2000 miles maximum, first deputy 1500 miles,
etc.?
,_"
'Question~No.~---HOW can'~iheCommission-~
er's court determine what ndleage is offi-
cial auty?m
H.'B. 501, Acts of~,~the
50th Legi&at&e,~ti. S.
1947, (Art. 6877-1, V;C.S.)Vas held to be,.inandato+,'by
oti Opinion Ho. V-293. It was further 'held' in Opinion
Ho. V-515.that the traveling expense provided~by R. B.
501 was to be paid to.a sheriff on a fee basis out of
the general fund of the county and noLout of fees of
office. Ferefore, th+traveling expense OS a sheriff
provided by the provisidhs.OS H;.B.'501 is n0t.a fee .~
of office and will not be &count%8 Sbr tisa fee by the
sheriff. NeLther is quch travellng,exp+se.a portion
of the salaries,p&d those shertifs On a'salaky basis.
Therefore,.it.is.our 0plniOfiin answer..toyour 'first
question tb& the.amount +.id:a& traveling expenses ti-
der the order of the CommLSs16hers1 Cotit mehti6ned in
your request.is hot a fke of .th& ~h&+iSf~$'off'iceand ';
wlll not be accountable atia f&e tisz%iiring at the
sheriff's~ti,compensatio~. :,-..~ '..
.Ih,vlew of.our:an;ri;ei.~to.yo~,.'Plrst~q~~~tion,
it is not,ne@3ssary
., to answer que.stJon.lGdt,
?.1
S&ion 2'0s H;'B. 501.~p&&& &at'&& to
the present-Act there,wa& no atl~qtrgjklawprovld$ng for
transportationf66 kheriffs and'thelz depnties. There-
fore, the Legislature enacted.& & 5Ol:and did not
place a limit.on the~ikmb6r 'hbrdie's Qhlch'the sheriff
coald-trave>.In'theperformance dS.6SSi.ci;al, autfes. Ori
the contrary, the I&jis&ature pro+iaea ur@er subdivision
(0) that they "shall be paid,not.Zek~s:thEin rilx'cents (6#)
per mile.nor rnb-ti~teti cents‘'(I&) per ralle:foreach
ndle traveled in th6 performance of'WSlcia1 duties."
Therefore, it is our opinion that the Commissioni3rs~.
Court cannQt l+t the.number of.m$les whlch~.tl&e.Sher-
iif and hls:,deputie$mag tra+eJ.in $he perftir+anceof
0SSiclal duties. ,,. .:'I : ., " :..:.... .. :,
;H. B.'-561.states &at 'Bl~~don;pensation'pald
under the p~ovlslons of this Aot &hall be Pp&'a sworn-
statement of such sheriff.' In view of this pr?vlsZon,
. -
297
~Hon. R. Y. KQg, page 3. (V-526) c TV: ..
it is our opimon that the'C~&iiissioners'Court may re-
qulre thesheriff to furnish the Court in his sworn ac-
,count such information which is necessary for the COUH
to determine what 'mileage'~was~
traveled .tithe perSorm-
ante of those duties set out in various statutory pro-
visions prescribing .the dutiesof the sheriffs and their
deputies. See'Art. V, Sec. 23, Texas Constitution
ii?
SUMMARY
.l•~ Traveling,expense of sheriffs and
their deputies paid una&r the provisions
of H. B. 501, Acts of the‘50th Legislature,
(Art: '687711,V.,C. S.) is neither a See of
office in a See county nor ~a portion of
the’sheriff’s salatigin a “sklarg” County.
This expense is to be paid out of the Couu-
ty'sgeneral fund.
2, The Commissioners Court is not
authorlzea%o”llmit the number ~of.miles
the sheriff'may travel in the performance
of his offlcfal atities.
: ., .
3. Thb Commissioners' Court ntaxre-
quire sufSlolent information in the Sh&?-
iff's Sworn Aceount" of traveling expense
to determine how many miles were traveled
in the performance of his official duties.
Yours very truly,
AT!CORREYGERERALOF TEXAB
APPROVED:
..