**OFFICE OF**  **THE ATTORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  **TEXAS AUSTIN** 
**GROVER SELLERS**  **ATIOINSI G** **” ~=** **“ A** **‘**

Hon. J.P. Wllllaar CountyAttorney 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 roradJustlng the salary **of** the **County lhnaurer,**  In line with the aslarlea paid to the other ofrloersof the County?”Hon. J. P. ~~11~18m8, page 2

Thopopulation of Yoakum County 88 shown by thr 1940 Fedora1 **Census** la **5,354,** and whhrnthr Commia8lonara’ **Court ot**  aald oounty drtrrmlno8 that the ocunty offlOer8 shall br oan**penaatod** on thr basis of anannual salary rather than on afee basis, the **amount** of ths annual salaries whloh the 8ommlaslonera~ Court mayrlx rorsuoh **orrloera** la governed by thr provlalona or Sootloh 15 or Artlola 39128, Vornon@aAnnotated Civil **Statutes,** together with the amendment to aaid Artiolr, set rorth in Smotlon 4 or Senate Bill No. 123I Aota Ofthe 49th Legleleture, 1945. The above mentioned Artlcla a8 amended) oontalna gmar01 provlsloa8 a# to themlnlmumandmnxlmum

### l alrrlea,

### l

pplloablo to’811 oountlra having apopulationoi1080 than 20,000 Inhabitanta, agoordlng to the last roordlng FedaralCuxaua, whore the Cormnlaa~lonora’ Courthas aetrrm ned that the oountF ofilorra shall be paid on a

P salary basis, 88 wrll asspoolal Drovlalona, 

### l pplloabl~ under pertain olroumatanoes, **whorrby** thr Coamlaaloner8~ Court mayallow oortaln prroentagea or lnoreaae to br added to the amount of the aalarlea allowed nnder Dhrgrnrral provisions of raid aeotlon.

As aganoral Dro?lelon with referOnOe to the minimum ehd maximumaalarl8a OZOoWItyOfflOOrs, In OoUUtle8 having **a** population oi 18.~8than 20,000 inhabitants aooordlng to the orceding Ysdrr0.l Census, wmrindthe 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, maypass en order providing for dcinpensatlon of allcounty 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 maximumallowed suoh ofrloer under laws existing August 24th, 1935......”Hon. J. F’

. “‘lllle?s, -,sge 7

Thus, unZsr the above quoted general provision, tIm mlnlmumsalary vhloh may be paid to the orrlcerr referred to la the amountearned a8 oompenaetion by eaoh retipeotlvo orfloor In his said orrlolal oapaolty for the fkroel yeer 

### 1935,while the marlmumsalary 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’:‘lthreference 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, andhaving 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 maybe lncreased ona (1%) purrcert for eaoh OneXllllon (~1,000,000.00) Dollar8 valuation, or rraotionel part thereof, In exceaaoi meld TenMllllon ($10,000,000.@0) Dollars valuation over end **above** the maximum amount sllomrd such oifloers under law8 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 2ni

__ the ZETCS c: the cfficsrs, justtry the increase,

-- e2ter ~1.: “_, -r.ier iiicreesing t5e ccm?enseti:n c1’ the ;:,tci..ct, ckinsy 2z~Ld:a;rict **oific~rs** In 3 s?dl-,isnslHon. J. F. “:illlama, page 4

rmount not to sxoeed twenty-tire (25%) per **oent** or the rum

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 bumo? 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 buohottlorrb for the tl8oQ **year** 1944. Thub, in **order to**  determine the ~xlmum b#brleb allowable in YoakumCounty under thlb prorlblon when beid oounty ohanger to the ralary bybtem on January 1, 1946, it lbffrrt 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?YoakumCounty were oompenbated on a ?ee **basib** andwere rubjeot **to** the provisions ot Artloleb 3863 and 3891, V. A. C. S., l xoept the 0Ounty treasurer whose maximumoompenbation 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 and3891 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:ountof 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 IncreaseHen. J. :. “
~‘?lllece, pege 5 

### 591

authorized by Seotlon 4 o? S. B. No. 123, la added to the maximumamount allowed under the **lbW** ?or the tleoal year 1944, the total maximumsnuual salary allowable by virtue o? buoh proriblon would be $3750.00 ($3,000.00 **PlUb** 25%) **for** all orrloerb referred to, exoept the oount whobemaximumbnnuel balarg would be $2500.00 Ttreasurer PlU* 25%). $2,000.00

adrlsedr (1)

(2) SummarIb?.ngthe above andforegoing,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 maximumannual **bblbr~** of the ottloerb lnoluded therein lb the maximumemount o? compensation allowed buoh otrloerb under laws existing Augubt 24, 1935, ($2,000.00 for the **oounty** treasurer1 $3,COO,OOfor 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 ToakumCounty 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 **bdjubt** ment that maybe made in the OOunty **trebburer*b** **bb1br~,** the foregoing **dibOU#biOn** inoludeb the prorIbion8 

### l pplloable to thecounty **trerburer** where a oountf oompenbateb **it8** o??loerr on the baa18 oi an annual bblary. Whena oounty operate8 on a balary **Habib,** the **QrotibiOnS o?**  **hOtiOn 15,**  **AX%iOle j912e**  (abamended) lre 

### l ppliobbleto the ocmpenbatlonof theocuntr **treaburer. However,**  when **a oounty**  **oompenbateb** it8 **OffiOerb** on 8 fee babib, we knowof noprorlblon authorizing anr lnoreaae beyond the ,62,000.00 maximumocmpenbbtlon authorized byArtlole 3943. In **thin** oonneotlon **we** refer **you** to **our** OpinionRio.O-6588, addrebbed to you,wherein if **wan** pointed **out** thatSeaata Bill Ho. 12) inno **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 aboveand SOregOing batib?aotorll~ anbwerbyour lnqulrleb. Yours **very** truly, ATTORNEY

GENERAL

OFTEXAS 

# BY
J. A. **gllib ASbiStSnt** 

**.-.**