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OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

lkmorablo Olereland &ml 8 

oounty Attoraey 

Bnrorla Oounty 

Angleton, Texa8 

Attention: Mr. E. 9. Stone, Jr. 

near 8lr: 

1onM~th0Mlarl 

oounty aaa their doputlo 

sentenoe of Artfole 39oa ,&u&6,8 

ho ~appolntmant of deputie8 *8aid 

appllaatlon shall be aeaompaaied by a statsneat ulering the probabh reaelpts Srom teer aasalmlons and 

oompanmtlom to be oolleotod .bp u&l oirloe d~lng 

the flsoel year ana the pnrbablo dlrrbumememt welsh 

&all inalu&e 611 iralarlea urd expen806 of m~%d offloei and uid aourt ahall mak@ it8 order mathoAlclng 

the l p~0i&tmWXt Of 8U6h dr&bie8, a8Si8tlLnt8 and 
. Oh*8 aad rlx the aompeneatloaa to be paid them 

irlthia thb llaitatlonr herein pXW88tibed and deterxine t&e number to be appointed a8 in the di8- 

cretloa of said aourt 8hall be proper........* 

w que8tfon hn8 been rai8ed under the above 

quotation that thlr prevl8loa amy be a llaltatloa 

~Upon th8 Comi88ioaer8Q Court in authorix%q expendl-~ 

- tUlW& Of OrtiC by eJl Ofttaet OIL the 8&w ba8i8 in 

0x0088 Of t&O fe88 eqmSb'by tid OitiiOO. 

ing probable'fee8 of-6rfiqe i8 for a gpid*~amIhelp 

ior t&l 0oPurie81OtleI’8’ court; la it8 Uontlaa, to 

fix the uihrie8 Of the ofrloe~.a8 wall a8 MbflO8 

Or depUtie8 ilad W@l8t6$lt8 but 18 Ii0 1ltitatiOn e8 t0 

auabei. 

. l Uader the stntute it is my opblon, that. the 

'alaries or eleatea ~&ers ehall be tixed at-.the 
Hoabrable Cleveland Derls, peg6 3 

. 

first regular meeting of thb hamlulon~~~ Court aail 

the ealariea.of the depot168 ahell llkewl8e'be tired 

at that tlae, sad the next regular meetly oi.the'Oommlsaloaers* Court will bo lioadey, January 10, 1944. 

We thereiore'iW&e that if pO88lble you lot us hale en 

opinion on or before Jcauery 10. then under the stett&C tbb cOfIUd88iOIWS' cOUZ% w PO0888 rXWA 6~ t0 

Qay ifar a reek and etlll be in regular-term. Therefore please let em hme the opinion not later than yeauery l-3 or 14.w 

hae8tatbd in your letter,, Brczoria county has:a population 0r 27,069 hihabitant aeoordl~to the 1940 Pederal C44d8. 

Thererore the oouatp aiflolels 0r osld county ere~o0mjmasatea oa 

en annual,salary besi8. 

Art&a3 3912e, Beot$on 13, Vemonts,Amotatsd OlAl 

salax$e8 or ell the-rollewlag aeme&oiiioeti 

towit: shsrlfr, a8w88or and oolleotor ~0s~ 

~ooanty atttu3my,.laalUdlag orlmlnel :&l8:~ 

oouaty attarneys who perrozwthe Ah1tic)8 ,bt 

dlstriot attoraey8i. dibtrlot .olerlc, ooiuaty ale*; tr6amWti'~hldr. 

.aW anbgl lmpbator~. T&e 8alarle8 of eald orflolala dare &&'I.' 

~~_ #. ,. ~: .+&;i.:::~ e q&t :.%a~., .Q+;::the : t,4t& :&WC.-& :by&hm .~ia,,.~~~~~~l~~L1,;-. 

. . oapncltlee far thq flwal'year.1935 and not aabe thaa:the ma%@&. 

emoun~~alloued suc&-o~rlcera:tauleP law8 e%lstlng 011 Aa&nst 24, . . 

1935. Stated another-way; the ~8tatUte flxse the salary oi eeah. _ 

aoynty offlola at not lees thea the total 8U4 e8rneQ by himin 

hlti offlalel oapairtty ror the fl8orl year 1935. end aot ure than:. 

the mnxbum amcunt sJloned~8uch~otflcer UILabr lew8 e&t* on 

$l;OOO,OOO.OO vnlu@lon. 

Sal4 )25,000,000.00 

raluatl4n~4ver and abote.the lpaxlnm smont ril~aea su4h ofrloe~ 

UnQel’ laW8 4ri8ting 011 lugpet S?& 1935. 

You ere~reepeotf%llj aQvi8rd thet thi Comd88fOnOM' 

Court or Srezoria CcUaty has'the legal autho.rltp fd, .tlx the mlary 

of .eech or *e above nama ottlol~18 at .aot leas than the tetal 

8ua earned by him in his ofrla*al oapeolty for the f i8oal yea 

1935 and not mere than the maximmamouut allowed e~oh offloer 

. 
Soaorable Glbvelenb Davis, pa%6 4 

under hwe ex%log oa;August 24, 1935.. A8:8ald oouitty has a 

populitloa of maria than 20,000 and 188s.thaa 37,500 lnhabitantr 

acoordlng to the 1940 Federal Cbnsus, ana an arsbs8ed raluatlan 

la exoe8s or ~lj,OOO,OOO.OO aooordiag to thb la8t approve& preceding tax roll oi such county, the maximum amount ellowed such 

orlloer8 ror 8alarlcs may bb ihLO~lt8~d a$ for saoh (l;OOO,OOO.OO 

raluattod or rraotloael part thereor la 6x0*8* 4r 8ald $15.000,- 

000.00 valuation over qd above the maximum amount a8 allowed 

suoh orflcers under laws exlstlog on Augtiet 21~. 1935. (See thb 

ociaes of Yaoogboohe8 County v. Jlnklns, ll+O 8. U. (26) 901, and 

Neoogaoohss Oounty t. Winder, 140 8. W. (24) 972.) 

Artiolb 3902, Vernoa*s Annotated~Glrll Statutes, provides in part: 

" . ~; . The oompepsat$on whloh w~bc allored 

ahe depUtie8, a8d8tant8 or olerks abme naabd for 

their 8drvioes 8hall bb a mdsona~le Oae,. ‘not to a%- 

oud the SoUouing aqount8: 

0 . . . . .; 

"2. %a ooUn&8'havl~ d pk&atioa ~oi 0+&y- 

','. ;..~.l.;,:..~n.'.::iu~~~~.~.. *~,y*.~$~~~>~e &&~~~):: &&&;&+::$h., " ".. L: :ii~.~.:~::;i?

:l$i":~

. thirty~seveh thi&aaatl $3~4 hundred-( 3?*500) inhabit- 

'ant8, flrat ~aulatent or.,ohief Aeputy#et to exceed 

TwoThou8andDollar8 (#2;OOO;OO)pbr&inum; atheras8i8ttit8, depUtiCI8, or clerks not to 4#eee$ Seienteen 

Buad~d~Dolla~ ($1;700~00l'per annwn~~h+~ .iP 

In rlew.4r Art1016 3902~. veraon*d~Amiotate6.Olrll Statutee, you~~are re8peotrully idvised that it-~$a our opinion that 

the Coraml88lot1m~.aourt~ of,Bratorla Countyr~~~has~~tke legal authority to flx the salarlas of,thb deputlee of *he rerioue county ofilolal.8 eat any rea8onable amount provided a&& 8mount8 do not oxcoed the axlmuu mount mentioned in paraQaph 2 a8 quoted above. 

The 8elarle8 0r first a8818tant8 or ohler dbputlos can.~ot~exoebd 

the sum of (t?,OOO.OO eaoh per annum. The 8alarie8 of.other e8- 

slet8nts, deputies or elerk4 oannot exoesd )1,700.00 par annu+ 

sash. Art1816 3902 rlxes the mulmum ealar$ of asslstsnts, deputie6 and clerks but da68 not fix the m$aiBum stiary OS said 8aal8taat8, dbputle8 or clerka. It i8 our further eplqlon that 

the County Commlsslomers* Oourt of Bra%orla'Oounty ha8.th4 legal 

authority to rlx the salaries 0r the various county QfflCiai8 

named above at any e~~ount~, proriaea,.tha Iralary of each oftic4r 

1s not 1688 than the mlnlmum 8tatba abwe or morb then the merimllln 
Sonorvrble Clsoeland Cavls, jxge ,$ 

allowed by law en hsrotofgre mtntlaned and $hat the salarieo of 

the d&putise may be fixed at anp reasonsb1.s mm net e%oeeUlng 

the iparimun heretofore mentioned regardleas or the amount oarned 

aa iem and 0omal11alons by said county ctl"i6lale in their offloial oapeoitlee. 

Ws.thank you for the brief and yqur opinion rhtah h@r 

aided ua In passing upon your queatlon. 

Yours very truly 

ATTCRXWY OEWICRAL O? l%XAB 

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