Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICEOFTHEATTORNEYGENERALOFTEXAS AUSTIN GROVER SELLERS mrr~RNEvGENER*l. Honorable J. Pinsa Smith County Auditor chftrokeccounty Rusk, Texas Dear Sir: by law to count wehve reeaelved .yo 100. 0n tb3 r0uoviag quma0w 1 “SNGOND, 3?he $tilsrgof the Diatrl~t Clerk vas ~~$2,4OO.OO~ptm yeti by an order of the SionorableJ. Fiuen Smith, page 2 >----mr*~ Court in 19S6 and hm 10 beeo eet eaah yea ado.oontlauedat that figure to this date. The annual report on file 61 the r&strict Clerk for the year 1935 shov@ a gross GARBED fee of $3,&0*98 with 0~ $1,472.17 of this tee ool- lected. Said report ale0 8how6 au Ex-otfimlal cem- PM~tl~ Of 41,28O.O3 berider the gross fee above mentioned asldns a total of $h,,Y~l.Ogas groua feea earned. !Iheauthorlted deductions ehw (65o.w for deputy hire, ho.00 for preml.&~ou surety bad, $3.00 otrloe aupplles, 446,22 arr ~-togs -6 $7.00 for trcltellngexpewes, lerpiag a mt EAREfaDiecrot 43.604.81. IO the right of the80 Evhat fQure, in your oplnlon, ehould govern ,thc Cwd68loner~* Qourt ia mttlag f&i . 88-Y ai the Dlatriot Clerk tn aooordtumeulth Art. 39X(1, Motion IS, (P.A.C.8.). Eonorable J. Flnaa Smith, PsfZe3 1Qcreased for the rereelnderof the year, or frm the time application for increase va5 applied for? Wl+TH. We would further like to knov, if in yaw-on, the Commla8ioner15 Court is bound by the 5nnual report8 on file for 8ald offiicers for the yeear1935, and If.aot, vho is to deter- II&ISand.vhen aad hov are they to determine vhat 15 the correct figure to govern in aettlag the aal.aryor 8alaries of the official8 mentioned in Art. 3912e, Section 13 (V.A.C.S.) "SIXTH. Artlale 3912e reads ia ptwt, Q&ah of rraim%aers shall be paid in money en awaaal 5ala.ryin tuelve equal ln5tallm5nt5 of not leso th8n the total num EARXKD as aompellsatloaby hl.m i ‘.j. 10.hi5 offlalal eapaelty for the y5m 3.935.' ~Do55 .'thl5 5msnb in your opinion, the.dROSS E4RlIIXGSof said offiae or the IKEI! EARBlDiosof 8ald offLee, after deducting all expanses of 8ald offleet' ;k. -IF% -4.~ ;i@y:>.-;:::::.i ..m -pop~tioQ::of~LQ&#p~, .Cwntro.:.i.r:i:43,g7o.‘:lrhrb~t-:, /:: ~,:, : _,,;: ,, ? mt5, Moordiog to the 1940Federal Cenra8. The 1930 Federal I Cen5u8 shoved a populatlen fof,aald county or 43,180 inhablt- : ult5. Therefore, Artlol# 3912e, V~IOQ~~ Aaaotited,Oivll Stat- i utc5, commonly knovn a8 the "offteerrl &l#&rg UN' la apliaable ; to 85id aounty. t Under the pr0?lsibn8 of Art. 3912e, V.A.C.S., your i Co5sala5ioner5~Court 15 authorised and Lt 15 it8 duty to fix the -1 annual 8alarlea of the County Clerk, Mstrlet Clerk and County t Judge of Cherokee County at an amount~'of sot lea5 than the : total 8um earned 85 coapen8stlon by hl51 la hlr offlolal cage- i elty for the fiscal year 1935, 5nd not mom th5n the m5x+uiit c tmowzt alloved 8uch offloar8 under lavs txlstlng on August ?4, 1935.” Said artlale further provide5 for an lnareabe of aaid ? wslmum amount alloved %I&counties oovdtq uith%n certain p6pti8- ; tlon brackets and havlug aertaln a88e88ed pm&arty valu5tioas. Our Opltioa Ho-.O-345, in response to a question whether the expenses for deputy hire, prem.tumon surety bond, telephone and postage should be deducted from the total re- ae;pta of the office La oamputlog the *total sum earned 88 em- pensat;on by hiin la his otflalal 08pMity,A hold8 thet the co!+ e5s;onerq' Court should dsduat fs?omthe total aolapsnsation Ronorable J. Finw Wraith,page 4 esrtted,collected urd unaollected, the expewes of the orrlae for the year I.935 vhluh vere legally allaved by the Comalesion- era' Court for tht year. Our 6eld Opinion No. O-345 also holds that the ex- paid M officer In 1935 should be taken in con- offlci.alrsrl.Ary cral5ryof ruah offluer slderrtlon In aaaputlng the airpilaupr under the pre5ent lev. Art. 3863b V.AdLS., wovlder that, exoept as other- wise provided in thfs hat, the anaual fee5 th5t xay be retain& by the county judge, oouuty clerk and dlstrlot clerk in ooun- ties h5vlng the popul5tlon0s Cherokee Oounty 5h5llbe Thirty- floe Hundred (&AKL) Doll5rs each. Art. 3891, V.A.G.8.b provides that 5u0h offlaers 5m.l first out of the oumtnt icas 0s hi5 offltt p5y or be p5i.athta1~nntaIlovtdhlt5under thepm~181ons 0rbe.3883, together with the mlarfaa of his arrlsta~tr and dtputltr, and authorWd espenrm .\ardorArt; 3899, 5nd the mount metslurry to eovtr aostr of premfmn on vhattver surety bond say be re-. qpirva by 28v;and 2s mt ourrent rtt5 of tush 0rrb5 eolleot- ::_. laiauy yy.M&k .;+#fpeatbra..thr.~iamwat. ed .: :~.~;tQi;~:?tbu...xmonnt. , above spta%fltd,~stae dsllbe dttwd feea, a&t 8ueh exataa 0rriatm sha.ll~tainOne-thlra 0s ruahawers rcsr unt%lmoh oaa-thedb together uLth the amwit~oiiisd %mAH. 3886, samate to Forty-tve~Buwlred lid Nifty Dollar8 ($@50). Sat& tit*. 3883 tab 3891, V.A.C& utre txktng &I agplla&ble to Cherokee Clom?g OR Asgnst 44, ,393s. ‘Ehartr0ra, la antvtr to your first quaatlau, ia Wder to determint the - u&r tha dmthorlcea Mp5n555 ($5 7b rtta of $8,938.52, Tht mtmtiit +d quent fear io 1935 La not to bo here beem wune was aot tarnta in 1935. After SW& dedwtiorrr for authri4ed za 010~ or the r0rtgag, we answer your 5eoopa we* tion *a $olZovsr 93 aWlVe at thd llliDtmar fQW@e that i* to Bmoreble J, Fiwn Smith, page 5 ~~OVO~Ssaid Co~MIoner~’ Court iafi.xlng the Dbtrict Ch!kts salary for the aurrent paar, ve must deterl&le the exact 4kmo~t OS current fees that such District Clerk would have been al-. loved to retain (18co!tQeaSetloaior his servicer ia the year 1935 13 such less aarwd bad all been collected by b3.m.After all authorized deductiona were made, ynu show the amount of $3~604.~ a; tp; yned feea for the year 1935. Under raid . ., the annual ieea thnt map be retained Art: 3883: V:A:C.S., t&z annual fee4 th4t mey be retained .by the Mlrtrlat Clerk aPtounta4to $3.500.00. Thlr lcares $104.81 that AS to be *eated as exaeas fees aacordlng to the prv?isivas of said Art. 3891; V.A.O.S. Oae-third or 8uah ox- cew feea amounta to $34.93 g/3. Thla one-third OS the cx- teas tees tatty also be reta%Md by said District Clerk. There- fore, the eW of $3,534.93 p/3/ la the exact emouat that euuh DlistrlctClericwould have been alloved to ret&in..Sn 1935 If all feei wraed had beea ool%ected, and this la th4 mi$sS.mum flptucegovernibg the O~a81oaer’(1~ Court”ia.ffxYng the Dle- trlut ~Clerk~a28alaryfor the curreat year. The mexlmum ftgurs ia,$4,wLoo. :-’i trerted an exuesr fees uader sold Atr. 3891, V*A.C.S., a& the ak-ofSclo 8aapeanatlvareuelved by *gr. aomty judge’ih 19% exact~~ualedtbe plpguntallovedhlmuader aald Art.=, V.A.C.S. After deduatlng the suthorlzed expea~s; ,riioh exaeal ~feer amount $0 $189.46. !fhereiWa, oa!kyone-thl*d of Such 6X- ;BglLi3ef could have been rstiataedby maM 0Stlaer ae4oxW.U This one-third ($63.15 14) added to 43 500.~ egaln*$3,%3.X5 l/3, whioh La the mlaiwnp &umm~ vhich.gweras tb 0aolPli~mtbfm~ 04mFnftiFagtb 44bry0t aaid abunts judge for the unrrent year. ObviouSly, the pwieat ammt re.oeivedby your CaWW 1 (f3,5W.O~) la avt within the lirnitr ps~~ded in Art. 3913 , sectloo. 13, V.A.G.S. The au&mm figure in $S,WLOC. ? our mmter to your fotith quertha la aa tollcove: Oti inions xos. O-1595 aad 0-6%?3 each hold La 6ubstawe that%a 0 C0ms.8alvwre~ Court halasthe right fix tba ~slari98 at artahbftlcera with&i the au vba nut& ~larlea have awe been fixed, ehaaged duH.n& thdltYb=. Thiah~lngabcfvre us the quertZolnvhetherthe Cm+ rpL~si0g~rst Oawt 115 Mtttiag ealarles Of offlwrs la araounta not authorized by lau, fixed mush s&laxS.esIflthln the ooatg- putloo of the next abo%i%jldlnge. We do not think no. Honorable J. FiWn Bmlth, page 6 the.aaa9 OS B(ecogdocbeacounty v. Jlaklns, (Clv. A&Q. - vrit refded) 140 E. W. (*d) 901, an order of the CocUeelonere~ Court fixing the district clerks 1 ealary at a ewn less than the tinlmum fixed by lav ut$sheld void, and a judgment ln SavOr Of said clerk for the difference betueeo the salary p&d &la sad the lainlaumWy allowed hla by law war atflrmd. (Ill80eee Xaco@5bahea Co. v. Ulnder (010. App. - writ refueed) 140 8. K. (26) 9 , for similar rullag on judgmnt ln favor of County Clerk. T Therefore, it 10 ow oplnlon that la such oases Where the sabrier have not been fixed lawSully, the Comalaaloaer~f Court OwlUg the current yew should Six the salmler of the aouaty offiaerr nmmd In Sec. 13 of Art. >912e, V.A.C.S., au dlreoted by #aid article, for the yeaarlg45. 8uoh tiles, when Sired accordlug to l&v, would be anmel saleries, payable la twelve equal lartallmentr. Thud= enoe between the aoathly suma paid such officersduring the yem befor4~the ealarles ware ~flxed anf3the amount 0s the munt inatallmeatm of such u%larler after same are flxed fc@ 3 tlp~8r aocOrQln$ to I&FIwould be due aad payable to the osfleeru iavolved. In 80 aa8e could them annual salaries be Stied for aye8.r thsthad’explred. (See aormaisaianerrr~ Court 0f X~Ogd0~h0a OOUaty v. Winder et al, 113 9, W. (W) 277.) ;.,~(~:jl: _..,, ::!:! ..:;.:;:p ::..~:-:-~:.;:,,::,!‘.:,:::i:: iii:::‘ :,::::, :‘L:li..::r f;.: ::;i:::.i.::z; ,.:.,,y,:.::. ‘:?.:.... ,~,,, we a&r y0u.pf~&bq&jjt~on 88 ‘foll&i~’ &it. 4896, .V.A.C.S.; providee that ewh district, county sad gzoo$aot otflusr shall keep a correot rtntmat OS all Sees earaed by him, eta., aad that it shall be the duty 0r the sounty audlt- or to aaaually exaaiae the booke aad amounts of suah otila- era aad repat hla fladlags to the grand Jnry or to the dis- trict aourt. Art. 38!?7, V.A.C.S., provider that each dlrtrlct, county had preulaut bifioer rhallmke, at the aloae of e&ah flwal jam, a rapert shoulag the amant of all ‘fee8 4ad 00m- pewe&lonr earned during the fleoal 6lr,nQk¶ ehow1ngthe amowt of same aolleated, aad ltendrGJ that part of .aa!ne aot eolleoted, chewing the aame OS the party oviag ruch kin- call.eat& feea, wmalaaioaa end amqwmeatlons. The annual reporto ara n4t aooolucrlveproof of the truth OS the i’sotssOate+ thereh and u?e aot binalw on the C&salowra’ Court in determl&6 the s~~unt oS ~~u~~ ml- ary to pay its ossioers. See 34 Tex. Jur. P* 600. Ye belf.eve the ncturl apra\rat of au f*e? yap a?;.; mls,sionaowned by the officer nieybe detertiwa to tw mamae- fautlon of the Caaalsaloaers~ Court, b’~ the Count.g auditor’s disuharge of the duty inrpoeedon him by .Maid Art. 3896, V.A.C.S. RCXlOrableJ. Finen Smith, page 7 ; Your sixth queatlon la fully answered hereti by our a&suers to your firat, seaond and third queetiaar. Ye are enclosing herewith copies of said opinions Noa. O-345, o-1595, and O-6223, utiah fully net out the text OS the etatutea la questiou. We trust the foregoing fully answers your queWtlOn8. Yours very truly A!WORBEURtiR?ALOFl’RXAB /rlstle4/ mRobert L. latt~lmsJ;. APFRcwRn Oplnfaa ~Comfttee By /a/ U.Y.B. chlllrlaun