OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

GROVER SELLERS 

ATIOINSI G”~=“A‘ 

Hon. J. P. Wllllaar 

County Attorney 

bar a93 

Yoakm county 

Plalna, Taraa 

Dear Slrr 

yodd t&Q be governed by thq laws under the new set 

UP1 as-passed by the recent Legislature? 

Y.-.-he County Treaaurcr’s aalsry ~8s not included 

in the recent lawa passed by the Legialaturua, what 

authority, It any, does the Commlreloner9a Court have 

ror adJustlng the salary of the County lhnaurer, In 

line with the aslarlea paid to the other ofrloers of 

the County?” 
Hon. J. P. ~~11~18m8, page 2 

Tho population of Yoakum County 88 shown by thr 1940 

Fedora1 Census la 5,354, and whhrn thr Commia8lonara’ Court ot 

aald oounty drtrrmlno8 that the ocunty offlOer8 shall br oanpenaatod on thr basis of an annual salary rather than on a fee 

basis, the amount of ths annual salaries whloh the 8ommlaslonera~ 

Court may rlx ror suoh orrloera la governed by thr provlalona or 

Sootloh 15 or Artlola 39128, Vornon@a Annotated Civil Statutes, 

together with the amendment to aaid Artiolr, set rorth in Smotlon 

4 or Senate Bill No. 123 

I 

Aota Of the 49th Legleleture, 1945. The 

above mentioned Artlcla a8 amended) oontalna g mar01 provlsloa8 

a# to the mlnlmum and mnxlmum l alrrlea, l pplloablo to’811 oountlra having a population oi 1080 than 20,000 Inhabitanta, agoordlng to the last roordlng Fedaral Cuxaua, whore the Cormnlaa~lonora’ 

Court has aetrrm P ned that the oountF ofilorra shall be paid on a 

salary basis, 88 wrll as spoolal Drovlalona, l pplloabl~ under 

pertain olroumatanoes, whorrby thr Coamlaaloner8~ Court may allow 

oortaln prroentagea or lnoreaae to br added to the amount of the 

aalarlea allowed nnder Dhr grnrral provisions of raid aeotlon. 

As a ganoral Dro?lelon with referOnOe to the minimum 

ehd maximum aalarl8a OZ OoWIty OfflOOrs, In OoUUtle8 having a 

population oi 18.~8 than 20,000 inhabitants aooordlng to the orceding Ysdrr0.l Census, wm rind the following language In Sootion 

15, Artlole 3912r, V. A. C. S.: 

‘Thr Commla6ionarrt Court in oountlar having a 

population of 1088 than twenty thousand (20,000) Inhabitants, aooordlng to the last preo8ding Federal Census 

at the first regular meeting In Janurrry oi l aoh oelendar year, may pass en order providing for dcinpensatlon 

of all county and preolnot offloers on a salary basis. 

The Commlssloners’ Court In eaoh of suoh counties in 

hereby authorized, and it shall be its duty, to rlx the 

salaries cf Criminal District Attorneys. In the event 

such Court passes suoh order they shall pay to each of 

said District and County OffiOer8 in Coney an annual 

salary in twelve (12) equal installments of not lea8 

than the tote1 sum earned as oompen8ation by raid 

orrloer lr hi8 said oifloial oapaolty for the fl8oal 

year of 1933 and not more than the maximum allowed suoh 

ofrloer under laws existing August 24th, 1935......” 
Hon. J. F’. “‘lllle?s, -,sge 7 

Thus, unZsr the above quoted general provision, tIm 

mlnlmum salary vhloh may be paid to the orrlcerr referred to 

la the amount earned a8 oompenaetion by eaoh retipeotlvo orfloor 

In his said orrlolal oapaolty for the fkroel yeer 1935, while 

the marlmum salary under raid general provlalon of this eeotlon 

la the mulmm! oanpenaatlon whloh each r8apeotlve offloer was 

ellowed under law8 existing Aueuat 24, 1935, ($),OOO.OO;for 

orrloers lnoluded therein, other than the oaunty treasurer; 

#2,000.CC ror the oounty treaaurerl. 

I’:‘lth reference to s~eolsl provlolona slithorizing 

certain peroentegoa of lnoreeae to be added to the roregolng 

amounts eUowed under the general prorl8lona, the pertinent 

prorlalona are: 

R 

&la& or lea8 than twenty thousand (20,000) lnhab- 

, provided, thet in oountlaa having a 

ltanta, according to tho last preoedlng Federal Census, 

and having an aeaeased valuation In uoeaa oi Ten Mlllion ((10,000,000.00) Dollars ecoordlng to the last 

preceding approved tax roll ot such ocunty the maxhum 

amount rllowed such orrioers a8 sal8rlea may be lncreased ona (1%) purr cert for eaoh One Xllllon 

(~1,000,000.00) Dollar8 valuation, or rraotionel part 

thereof, In exceaa oi meld Ten Mllllon ($10,000,000.@0) 

Dollars valuation over end above the maximum amount 

sllomrd such oifloers under la w8 l xistlng on Auguet 

24, 1935, . . ." (Section 15, Article 39124) 

Thus, ::ken the ~omissioners ’ Court determines to increase the ofricers selariec above the amounts allowed under the 

general provis:ons (@,OOO.OO - r *2 , OOO.OO), under the above 

q1;oted Irovlsion, ;ne perof nt per rciilion or ?ractlon,thereof oi 

;unty tax vsl;%:.tlrr. akve .~10,OCO,OZO.G0 nay be eSded tc the 

:xe;oi.lg b.rounts. 

I^$ .i, “That ‘actlcn 15 0r Article 35120, Sevlsed Xv11 

-tetutee 3 Texbs, 1925, as amended, be end the 8aze 

is hereby amnded by adding thereto the following: 

“‘Lq The Commissioners Court la hereby authorizeA, 

-&en in t..slz ,iudtl;ment the ilnanc:al conditlzn of the 

.- __ ‘lnty 2 n i the ZETCS c: the cfficsrs, justtry the increase, 

- “_, - e2ter ~1.: -r.ier iiicreesing t5e ccm?enseti:n c1’ the 

;:,tci..ct, ckinsy 2z~L d:a;rict oific~rs In 3 s?dl-,isnsl 
Hon. J. F. “:illlama, page 4 

rmount not to sxoeed twenty-tire (25%) per oent 

or the r um l llcmrd under the law tor the ilboal. 

year o? 1944, proridrd the total oolpsnbation 

ruthorlbbd under the law for the tlboal Fear oi 

1944 did not sxoeed the bum o? Thirty-nix Hundred 

($3600.00) Dollarb. (a 

. 49th Lbglblbture, 1945) 

(sec. 4, 9. a. 123) Aotb 

Thle prorlbion authorizer the Comlealonsrb’ Court 

to allow an inoraees in the balarl~b o? the OttlOsrb referred 

‘to, not to bxoead twenty-tlvb peroent bbove thb amount allowed 

under the law a8 oompenbatlon for buoh ottlorrb for the tl8oQ 

year 1944. Thub, in order to determine the ~xlmum b#brleb 

allowable in Yoakum County under thlb prorlblon when beid oounty 

ohanger to the ralary bybtem on January 1, 1946, it lb ffrrt 

neoebbbry to detrrmlne what amount wbb bllowed under the law tor 

bald oiiioere in Toakum Coiintq tor the tlboal year 1944. In the 

tiboal year 1944, bald ottloerb o? Yoakum County were oompenbated on a ?ee basib and were rubjeot to the provisions ot 

Artloleb 3863 and 3891, V. A. C. S., l x o eptt he 0Ounttreasurer y 

whose maximum oompenbation wab governed by the provision8 or 

Artlola 3943, V. A. C. S. The oompenbatlon allowed those otiloera governed In the year 1944 by the provision8 ot &tloleb 

3883 and 3891 war llmlted to $3,000.00, while under the prowlblonb OS Artiale 3943, the oompenbatlon oi the oounty treasurer 

web limited to $2,000.00. Se note here that the provisions oi 

Section 15, Artlole 3912e, authorizing the amount bllowed under 

laws existing August 25, 1935, to be inoreased at the rate o? 

one percent per million or fraction thereof or county tax relu,stlon In exoess ot $10,000,000.00, according to the last approved 

tax roll, applies only to those oounties operating on the salary 

basis. “lnoe Yoakum County was not operating under the salary 

law In the flsoal gear 1944, the one percent per million in 

excess of ten pillion reterrsd tc i:. said salerr la:: oc,uld net b 

apTlIed in deterzinixc the aEo:ount of tte salaries aLlox.?5 under 

the law for the oftiolals o? Yoakun Count;? for the iiecel yeer 

1944. Thus, In a county, such as Yoaiu~ County, that opersted 

on a fee basis in 1944, the amount allowed undar the law tor 

the fiaoal year was governed by the llmitatlons of Artloles 

3883, 3891 and 3943. ‘::hen the twenty-five peroent Increase 
Hen. J. :. “~‘?lllece, pege 5 

591 

authorized by Seotlon 4 o? S. B. No. 123, la added to the 

maximum amount allowed under the lbW ?or the tleoal year 

1944, the total maximum snuual salary allowable by virtue 

o? buoh proriblon would be $3750.00 ($3,000.00 PlUb 25%) 

for all orrloerb referred to, exoept the oount 

whobe maximum bnnuel balarg would be $2500.00 T 

treasurer 

PlU* 25%). 

$2,000.00 

adrlsedr 

(1) 

(2) 

SummarIb?.ng the above and foregoing, you are 

Under the general provlbIonb o? Seotlon 15, 

Artlole 3912e, wlthout reterenoe to the applloatlon of any speolal prtnlalon authorizing 

peroentager of lnorebbo, the maximum annual 

bblbr~ of the ottloerb lnoluded therein lb 

the maximum emount o? compensation allowed 

buoh otrloerb under laws existing Augubt 24, 

1935, ($2,000.00 for the oounty treasurer1 

$3,COO,OO for other ofiloers referred to). 

Under the special provlslonb authorizing peroentages o? lnoreese above the foregoing 

amount8 under the general provlalona,the 

mexlmum peroentage o? lnoreabe, lnbotar as 

Toakum County 1s oonoemed, would be twenty- 

?lre peroent, unless the tax valuation of 

said oounty an shown by the approved tex 

rolla of 1945 wan suoh an amount that an 

Increase o? more then twenty-five percent 

could be authorized. stated dl??erently,It 

viould be neoeesary that the 1945 tax valuation o? Yoakur: County be In exoess of 

~~5,000,OCO.OO before the fore&olcg amount.8 

(t?,OC,O.CO end ~2,GCO.OO) could be ICcrezsed 

more t,“.Er. t.iient.y-five yeroent. Thus, If the 

1945 t,zx vzluEtl)n or Yoakun: County is 

:35 ,OOC,OCO.CO or less, the mxlmum annual 

salary of the county treaeurer for the flaoel 

year 1946 would be $2500.00, ant for other 

oiiloers governed by the salary law, the 

maximum annual salary vrould be $j750.00. 
Hon. J. P. ::‘illiams, page 6 

Nlth reterenor to Jour question as to the bdjubtment that may be made in the OOunty trebburer*b bb1br~, the 

foregoing dibOU#biOn inoludeb the prorIbion8 l pplloable to 

the county trerburer where a oountf oompenbateb it8 o??loerr 

on the baa18 oi an annual bblary. When a oounty operate8 on 

a balary Habib, the QrotibiOnS o? hOtiOn 15, AX%iOle j912e 

(ab amended) l re l ppliobble to the ocmpenbatlon of the ocuntr 

treaburer. However, when a oounty oompenbateb it8 OffiOerb 

on 8 fee babib, we know of no prorlblon authorizing anr lnoreaae beyond the ,62,000.00 maximum ocmpenbbtlon authorized 

by Artlole 3943. In thin oonneotlon we refer you to our 

Opinion Rio. O-6588, addrebbed to you, wherein if wan pointed 

out that Seaata Bill Ho. 12) in no ray amended the protlblonb 

l pplloable to the mbXi.lIIUm oompenbation of the eountf treasurer 

when the oftloers of the oountf are ocaapenbbted on 8 tee kblb. 

We trubt that the above and SOregOing batib?aotorll~ 

anbwerb your lnqulrleb. 

Yours very truly, 

ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

BY 

J. A. gllib 

ASbiStSnt 

.-.