OFFlCEOFTHEAmORNEY GENERALOFTEXAS 

AUSI-IN 

DDUroGIIUU( 

-- 

Bonorable E. H. 5ritfin 

county AttorneJr 

Young COtue~ 

~rahem, Texas 

Dear Slrr 

an: 

The pertinent parts oi your request \ a&pinion (I . .. 

"(1) Nay the Co 

Texas, legally pay th 

monthlr ax-ottioia 88 

raotr, in relatl 

1~ the year 194l. 

Countr pabaed an 

n Januart,'l9&!, 

010 oompensation 

1x1 twelve monthly 

ihg4 were made by 

to whether or not the 

ks the nmxlmum allowed by 

y hi4 offhe. 

"(2) Does the raot that the i3herlrr's olTio4, 

during ths year 1941, earneQ and oolleoted the 

jn~xilnum allowed by law, prohibit the payment ot 

an ex-orrielo ealery during the year 194229 
fir-:? Honorable IL H. oriran, P4g4 p 

"(3) Lb44 the raot that the deputlea' salarhea or said offi wwre paid tram the teea earn4d 

end oolleoted by se14 offioe during the year 1941 

end said ealerles would be paid irom the general 

rund or said County during the y4ar 1942 prohibit 

the payment or an 4x-orri4i0 aelary to the eaid 

Eherirr during the yeas 19423 

>. 

,' 

"(4) Doe4 th4 raot that the sh4rirr of Young 

county, Texas, oollroted 4xo41?4 fees during th4 

year 19b1, whloh h4 haa not 4t this time retunded 

unto the Treasurer oi eel6 Oounty prohibit the 

payment to the said Sheriff of 4n 4x-offiolo eelary during the year 19429 

(I (I . . . . 

Article 3895, Vernon~s Annotatrd Civil Statutrcat 

Ir'axae reada: 

ii; 

,, 

. . 

-: ;.,‘. 

2: ;“. : 

.::. :,.. 

. 

*The Conmlselonere~ Uourt i4 hereby d4barmd 

rrom 4110wlng omp4n4atl0n ror 4x-offioio 44ni044 

to county orrloial#i rhen the oomp4naation and exceaa tees wh%eh they ar4 ~4110w4d to attain shall 

reach the meldmum pr6viaed ror in this oh4pt4r. 

In oaaea where the omnp4naation amI oxoeae tees 

whloh the 0frioer4 am 4Uow4d to reta$n,dll.not 

reaoh the ~~xlmuiu provbbd for in this chapter 

the GoEmLis4ionerki* Gourt shell 4110~ ooqmneation 

ror ex 0rrioio 4enk044 uheu, in their juQm@mt, 

suoh ocxnpensatlon~ls neoeaaarr, provided, fuoh 

compensation ror ex oftiolo serrioea allowed shell 

not increase the oompeneation of the offioial bapond the mixhm oi ooanpeneation ana exooas fee4 

allow44 to be retained by him under this ohapter. 

Provfded,~ however, the br of'fioio herein authorizob shall be allowe& 01117 after an opportunity 

ror a public hearing and odly upon the afrirmative 

vote or 4t least three members of the Commissioners* 

aourt . (A4 amendafl Acts 1933, 43rd Leg., p. 734, 

oh. 220, #I 7.1" 

we believe the 0444 of TaPrant County, et al wi* 

Salth, et al, 81 s. w, (2) 537, an4w4ra your rlrst qusstlon. 
Honorable E. iL Grirrln, Peg4 3 

wth, Sherlit of Tarrant Oowrtr,waa sued by the County ror 

the reoor4ry 0r 0x0044 r4e4 and rorthe roturn 0r #800.00 

previou4lr allowed and paid hti aa ox-officio compenaatlon. 

The Court there eeidr 

"The sherlrr w44 paid in advance in 1928 

by the Commissioners* aourt $800.00 a$ 4x-ofrlol~ 

rtms ror sunauoning jurora. . . That year he mad4 

hi4 maximum compen4atlon 0r *5,QO0.00 sxo1u41~4 

0r that $800.00. In euoh event it ~44 his duty 

tmclor auoh above atatute to return the #800.00 

to the County. He did not do 40. Thle holding 

doea not amount to eettlng aalde the judgment or 

the Gommisaioners' Court whioh order44 the $600.00 

paid. w4 aaawne that judgaent to be valid. By 

th4 aubeequent eventa, to wit, the oolleotlon other-. 

wl44 and thereafter of the maxlmom pay, Mr. Smith 

became obligated to return that mone,J.* 

* W4 beli4~4 it 1~44 thai?ein ezpz-4444 recognl4ed that 

thy Waurdsrloners* Court could, In thb oxerolae or ita dlaoration, allow ex-offcioio oompeantlen at the begInnIng or 

any time during the par subject to a final eobouutlng~dt the 

end or the year. Xmr rlrat queatlon 14 anawend In the 

afflrmati*e. 

We do not believe that the colleotiod or the 4iaximm during the year 1941 would rohlbit au 4x-otifolo allow4nc4 ror 1942. The raot that t 1 e office prodUcted surrlolent 

nrentlb in 19U to make the maximum oompenaatlon.for the ofrloer 14 no aaauranoe that the inooma from the offlce during; 

19&2 would likewise provide the mexilpum oompmsatlon. It 

.tol.lowa thct your eeoond queatlon la answered in the negative. 

In your third question you atate that the deputi44 

were pd.4 from the rees of office during 1941 and are to be 

paid rrom the general rund in 1942 and a4k.U i!uch fact weuld 

prohibit an ox-orrfoio allowance to the Sheriff for 1942. 

Article 6869, Bernon's hnnotated Glvll Statutea proride4 for the appointment of deputies Bnd make4 speoitle provision ror the payment of their eelerlee out ot the general 

ruBd 0r the 00unty *. . . if In the opinion ot the Gomalesioners* 

Court rees or the Sherirr's orrloe are not eurrioient to jwrtlrfp the payment of salaries of euch deputies. . .* We assume 
Bonoreble E. B. Griffin, Page 4 

aat the Commleslonere* Court haa so round end ordered. W4 

&c not believe this would prohibit the Comairsionera* Court 

fi-~m making an ex-orfiolo ellowanoe to the Sherirr. Or oourae 

any ex-orflolo alloweuoe must be taken Into aooount et the 

end of the year and If such ellowenoe, together tith the rees 

of offioe and 4x09~4 reea allowable by law exceed the maximum 

provided by law, suoh offleer must return the exoesa thereor 

to the County. 

By your fourth question we presume that the Sherlk 

cclleoted exoeas fees whloh,edded to the regular lees or orfloe, exoeeded the mexlmum provided by law during the year 

194.l; that suoh facts have been duly reported but tbet he has 

not paid the exoesa thereor to the County. It ouch eseumption 

14 true, we think It proper to here point out that the County 

ha4.m adequate .remedy et law to Bue for a reooverg of the 4x0044 teee. See Tarrant County ~6. Bolll4, 76 S. W. (2) 196, 

and oaaea there cited and Tarrant County ~4. Smith, supra. 

We rind no Constitutional or statutory inhlbltlon 

egainat the Commlasionera "Gmrt providing an ex-orrlolo al; 

lowanos in the lnetent oeae. It 4ufSlo44 to say, however, 

that it 14 hardly oonoelreble that a Goasaisaldners! Court 

wtnee-wrn duty it 14 to eoonomlcally adm%nister.Oounty ifnan 

ror the pub110 good would 44 ~44 their 414oretionerf power vt 

voting ex-orrlolo compensation ror a publico~floial who wmld 

~iail or reruae to .aocount ror and delitor to the Treaeury auoh 

4x0644 reea aa 14 required by Article 3891, Vernon’s Annotated 

Gl~ll Statutes. 

W4 thank you ror the epiend3.4 brief made a part 4f 

your request and ror your expressfon of opinion upon the queetlona presented with which opinior~ we have oonourred. 

Your4 very truly 

ATTGBBBYGEBEBAL OF TEXAS