## THEATTORNEY GENERAL


### OF TEXAS

Honorable R. F. Robinson County Attorney Willacy County Raymondvllle, Texas

Dear Mr. Robinson: OpinionNo. O-7419 Re: Construction of Senate Bill MO. 123 of the 49th Legislature as to its applicability to County Clerk, under the facts stated.
We beg to acknowledge receipt of your request **for** an opinion upon the above-captioned subjectmatter, your letter being as folllows:

"Iwould **like** your opinion at your earliest aonvenience on the question as to whether er net the authorized increase in salary to County offlolels In en smount not to esseed 23% would be applicable to the amount eutherized te be paid to the County Clerk for keeping the Finance Ledger of the County. "TheCommissioners*Court of Wlllacy County has passed an order increasing such salary for the keeping of the Ffnanc Ledger,provided the same sheuld be considered lawful.
"I feel sure that this matter has probably been brought to your attentionbefore this time and that yeu will be ab$e to fu,rnish

us with your opinionwithin a very short time.
Senate Bill No. 123 emended fht fellewIngArticles of the Revised CSvll Statutes,making them to read as follows:~

"Artl.cle



### 38%: "(a)The Commissloners'Court is hereby authorized, when in their judgment the financial condition of the county and the needs of the officers justify the imrease, to enter an order increasing the compensation of the prezlnct, county and district officers in an additional amount not to exceed twenty-five 

### (25%)per cent of the sum allowed under the law **for** the fiscalyear of 

### 1944,provided. . c



### Honorable R. F. Robinson, page 2 (o-7419)



### the total cempensation authmized **under** 

### the law for the flsoal year of 1944 

### did not exceed the sumof Thirty-s%x 

### Hundred ($3600.00) 

### Dollars.” Artiole 3902t “9. TheCemlssloners Ceurt is hereby authorized, whenin their 

### judgnient the finanolal oendition sf the oounty and the needs ef the deputies, assistants end olerks o? any distriat, oeunty w precinot eflicer 

### justify the inoreeoe, to enter en erder lnoreeslag 

### the oompsnsetion 

### of such deputy, assistant er 

### clerk in an additional emmnt not to exoeed twenty-five (25%) per cent of the mm 

### ellQwed under 

### the law for the flsoal year of 1944, provided the tats1 ooapensetlon autherlced under the lawfor the fiioal year ef 1944 did not exoeed Thirty-six Hundred ($3600.00) 

### Dollars." Artiole 3912e, Seb. 13: “(e) The Cemmlaslmners 

### Court io hereby authorleed, when 

### in their judgment the flnanalal omdltbn of'

### the oetmtyand 

### theneeds 

### o? tha efiioersjwetify the inoreaoe,to enter 

### an orderinoreaslng the oompo~iclattionof 

### the prrolnot oounty 

### anddirtrlot effioecs in en additional amunt nok 

### to exooed twenty-iivo (25s) 

### per aant Of tho auntallonod undor the law iOr tho fIlloryew of 1944, provided tho t&al oo~onoatlcn autherlrod under the law for the ilaoal 44 did not 

### rxaood thesum mT Thirty-61x 

### Hundred7 Dollarr.” Thormr~grnay olaurr 

### Is a8 rrllcwnt "The 

### feOt that 

### thr Oost @i l%ving IO rioing 

### and the pu~oharlngpowrr of the dellar Ir 

### drorra#lng,and that 

### nagor and 6alerxlrr in prlvatr indurtry have 

### inorrarrdte an 

### extmnt that publ3.o olflorrr and 

### ompleyorr oontiauo in their 

### off%oar at 

### a raorlfior %n

### menyInrtanorrJ and the further faot @f 

### thr orowdrd 

### o@ndltl@n Ofthr oalrndar WOatIO kn OAIF fenoy and 

### an imprratlvr 

### publio nrorrrlty 

### &hatthr Cow 

### itutlonal Rule rrqulrlnp P$Jlr to br read @n thrro 

### rrvrral day@ in 

### raohHourr br 

### rwpendrd and 

### raid~‘Rule 18 hrrrby ruoprnddrd 

### ad ChirAot 

### @halltab l 

### r'rOtamd be 

### roror

### rrawn

and abar 

### itmpamaga, and 16 JLIoo maotad.” in


### Eaoh rf thr 

### artLolrrad 

### root%onr thum amrnddrd

### authori,zemthr twenty-fivr prrornt 

### addlCUna1 Fount or oomponratL@n tQ praoinot 

### oounty and dirtriot oiliorrr. 

### lnoludos hhr CountyClerk. Undoubtedly thi8

Smetr Bill No. 123, auth6rleing suoh lnoreaso or

### Hmomble Il. F. Robinson, 

### page 3 

### (O-7419)

.

cscmpens3tfon.

to the officers coming within its 

### scope, makesno dis'tfoztion

as to the character 0f servicesperformed by such offl.cero

p an3 the increase is nst allewed for any partloular class of"serviae, but is an overall increase in the cempensationhitherto allcwed to sush officers.

Perhaps the 

### confusion glvlng rise te your spealflc mention of keeping the finance

### ledger grows 

### out of the faot that ArtloSe S43 of the Revised Civil Statutes,Vernbn's codiflcatlsn, provides sper~Iff~3al2.y for a compensatlsn for that particular 3ervfce. However, Section 3 of Article 3912e forbids the extra compensation in your county in the following emphatic language:

"Inall caseswhere the COmmisslonersl court shall have determined that aounty officers 

### or precinct afficers in such county shall be compensated for their servicesby the payment of arzual saSary,neither the State ef Texas nor any county shall be chargedwith w pay to any 0f the officers so compensated,any fee or commission for the performance of ary or a91 of the duties of their offices,but such officers shall rew&ve said salary in lieu of other fees, commissions or ~:omper:sa%3ons

which they would otherwisebe authorized to retaq,pL;

+++ +."
We t:xx:t

that what we have said sufficientlyanswers gclu7i,nqu

h?y0

APPROVED OCTOBER 4, 1946 Very truly yours ATTOREEY OENERAL OF TEXAS /f&i(>~p<i,v,$~

Sellers /S/ Ode Speer A.TTOR?JEX

GENERAL OF TEXAS Ocle Speer OS-MR.-AMN Assistant

APPROVED Oplnlon Committee

By /S/ BWB Chairman