**OFFICE OF**  **THE ATTORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  **TEXAS**
**AUSTIN**

Kay 2, 1939 /

Hon. S. L. Crosthwalt County Auditor Dallas county Dallas, Texas

**Tour nquest**  **UUWtiOJU**

to the last 

### prooeding~ednal wnslu.

ME TM oommfseioners~ oottrt of euoh county, at ita rirt3trqular m*ctlng la January et eaoh oalendu yfm?, ahall deter&n9Hon. J. L. Crosthwait,May 2, 1839, Fage 2

by ordermade and entered In the minutes of said court,whether the precinct ofricera of el.chcounty shall be compensated upon a **salary** basis as provided for in this seotion, or whether they shall reoelve as their ooqenaatlon euoh rees of orrioe as may be earned and collectedby them In **the** performanoe of the duties of tlxir offloe, sublect to the lImItatlons hereinafterprovided; and It shallbe the duty or the oountyoluk or eaoh suoh county to formrd to the Comptroller of Azbllo **Aooounts**

### or **the** 

### atate **0r**Texas, onor ber0re thw?ilstday or January, a 

### oertlfltxl aam of suoh ordm. "(b) Where tho aoaad~~lonara' oourt ihall 

### haredate*04 the preoinot 

### 0rri0thraInupah **aounty**

ahall be 

### eompenut.4 ror theIrsuvIoo8, by the paymnt or an annual balmy, auoh offi

### oar8 6hallrooelve6uob 8alaryti lieu 

### of all other 

### rbu, oom&*8loru or oompen~atlon uhIoh they woul4 otherrire ba authccleml to retaln$ proride that the provLsionrr 

### or this 

## 8ubMotioIl shallnot affeot the payment or ~06t8 in olvll oaeu by the ntate but'all auoh oostII 80 &4 shallbe looounte4



## rt3ir bythe 

### 0rri0ciraooll*otlq 

### tha same, a8 they are requlre4 under 

### the prorisi~~~or this motion to acoouht

### r0-fha, d~~i~ll~, 4~14

00~taeoUeot04 

### rr0iti private 

### prtiur

“(0) Thetorr *goroInot 

### 0rfi00w as we4 IO this 

### Motion EIWIII 

### jUStiOW3

Ortha 

### PuOOarib oonstables.
"Suoh preoinot offloors crhalloontinuo to be 

### 00ompentsate4

r0r their ssrvIoa2~ on a 

### rat3 basle until the oommIaaionera* ooxlrt ahall haa deter&md otherwIse in aooordanoe with the

### pro-. 

## ri~iona or this aeotion.Hon. J. L. Crosthnait,Kay 2, 1939, PaKe 3

"The annual fees that msy be retained by any suoh preclnot offloer shall be Four Thousand Dollars eaoh; provided that in counties having a population In exoess of Three Hundred and Fifty-five thousand inhabitants, aooording to the last preoedlng or any future Federal oensus, such precinct officers may retain not to exoeed Four Thousand, Pive Hundred ($4,500.00)Dollars each.
-All fee8 or oomaI88lo~ earned by 8u0b ofrioial shall be applied 

### rh8t to thr, payment or'his 4eputIe8, authOrI oSf100, and to 

### make up 

### the of suoh offloe.
"All roe8 an4 oommi88Ion8 Over and above 

### thaamount

ll00088m to pay authorIse4 expen8e8 an4 deputy ealarles, an4 to make up ths maxlmam oompmwation above prori4a4 for, 8ball be beme exoass res8, and all axso isa8 no% pemitta4 to be rdalned shall **be** paid into the general run4 ot the oounty.

**‘ Delinquent**  **i&a JEW** **be** 

### u8e4**to** defray 

### the 8alarie8 0r dsputiae ii ourrant rass are 

### imrriolontfor that,ptirpouithay may be u8e4 also to maks up 

### the arlau oorp8n8atIon, sxolu8it8

### 0r exobohr088, allowed 8u0h orri0e~ 

### rar the 

### ii8061 year within uhloh roe8 were earned. Delinquent r-8 00ihi0te4 

### in •XOO$~ or 

### the mount abtw prorl4cd r0r shall be pi4 by the 

### 0rri06r oollestIng the same Into the general fun4 of the county.
*ResInat offIoer8,

### ai aafi~~sir In thI8 aleo- 'tlon,8hall **be oonipen6ateA**  **attar an**  **order dul7**  emaoted **br** the oomeIssIoner8*

### oourtas herein provided on an annual 8alary basis from said

Thousand Inhabitants,aooording to the la8tEon. J. L. Crosthwalt,Xay 2, 1939, Page 4

preoeding or any future Federal census, suoh salaries shall be fixed by the ooIpplssloners* court at a reasonable suzn not to exceed Four Thousand,

### Y'Lve

Buudred(~4,500.00) Dollara eaoh, provided further that $n such counties lr. which the oomlssloners~ coort determines to place justicesof the peace and constablea on a salary basis, said conmls~lonars~ court shall not be required to place said salariea In all preOinOt8wIthin the oounty at equal amounts,but Said oomi~sloners~ oourt shall havn 4Iaoretlon to 4otamIae the amount of sal8ry to be pal4 

### to each 

### or saI4 JustIo~ 

### 0r the pea00 aud to eaoh

### or said oonstablss la 

### the severalpreolnots in 8aId oountywfthIn tha lkmitationshereluatovs set out In aountim where t&b.OOIMiUioll~S oourt 4etarlalnes to plaoo the justio88 of the peaoa on a salary 

### bMi8 th. jue;tiwOr the pclaoe Shall raWI+. 

### in &44itiOn-thWet0 

### S&J. reM, OOLI&SSiOM~

01 paymanta for performingmarrlago oerwmr&m dud for aotiug a8 regI8trar iOr the boar4 oivital StetiStiOS tUl6 when aOting as 6X-OtiioiO notary publfo. t

As nmenba4 In 1937, 45th Leg., p. Se, Oh. 35, 3000 l)."

In your **letter** fou **oail** our attention to ArtIola s918e-1, and 3aotlon 0 

### th~00r; whloh ~fK%dS as 

### r0ii0tm

-Art.89l3e-1. The provlslons of thl* seotlon shall apply to **an4** oontrol in eaoh oounty in the state of %~aa having a population o&Three Runbra Thousand ($50,000) Inhabltaziks

or more audlo88 than Three HuiMrul 8nd Fifty-five Thotmaad (335,000).InhabItantr aooording to the last preoading Federal oenSu8~ "(0) All j~stloes of the pea00 and oon-



### ~0rForty-riveUundr44 Dollars ($4,500.00)eauh, provided however, that all 

### foes or 0015~IaSiOnSFion.J. L. Crosthwait,Uaay2, 1939, Page 5

whether cur:ent or delinquent which ore oollected by the incumbent during his tenure 

## or 0rri08 shall be applied

## rir3.t to the pyBent 

## or his deputies, authoriaed expensesor his office and to makeup the maximum aompensation provided for in this subseation. No such offioers shall be entitled to receive for any surpoee auy reaa or aommiaslonsthat are oolleoted @for he aaasee to hold such 0~100.~

It la alearly apparent

### fronta read5.w o? thlm artlola that this artiale appllw to jnetiossOS the pece end ooaatablea.oiruoh ownt1.w Who are oaapwwted on u fee basis. 

### This artlola 

### sata the mum of Four Thouwad Five HuaUred (k,SOO.OO) Dollars ss the maxUum wuat 

### of annualf&en and/orsclrarf nhioh pa%ainot oifi0u-e aaj retain. The~e.oiiioar8mwt o? wur8e oollwt thwa ieee batore %heq owld retain them. Fwa 

### obrlmuly **wulU aover** **’ be**  rstaiwU unlwa they were iirat earnad ad ooll.soteu.The word 

### -rotain”is defined 

### byWobater'm Diotlonary as *td hold or to keep.* It is also 

### OGar4 **appuwt** that.this artieh pea th+ em 

### or arty-five HbaUrodDallar~ ($4,600.00)wthe maxiwm amount OS 

# r000that a prwiwt offioer imaylegally retsin oat ef the legal foe8 he aotually earns and oolleots. The ~ offlwr While on the tee 8ystaa would retal auah iem as he lo@.ly wllooted provided the wme did not mowa the w, For example, ii the oifioer oolleatedfew of Fifty ($50.00)Dollar8 for oae par, thatwould 

### be hi8 anaualfeoe and/or ealaw.

we understand, however, that Dallas Cotmtr, 

### Taxw, 

### as providedby law, has plaowl their pr’aoinot 

### orrioara upon a salary basis, a8 provided under Seotion 19 of Artiole 3912e. Bevised Civil'statutea of' Texas. Sin00 tbia is true, Ssotion (a) of Article b912e-1, oited

### by JOU In your letter, would bare no applioation to thi8 

### question. Seotion 19 of &tiole 3913s. Revised Civil Statutea of Texas,would therefore oontrol.Hon. J. L. Crosthwait,Xay 2, 1939, Page 6

You are thererore, respectfully advised that it Is the opinion of this Department that the commieslon

### eras* court or Dallas County, Texas may set the salaries
or the precinct offioers of the oounty at a 

## rea8onable taum not to exceed Pour Thousand ($4,000.00)Dollars eaoh.
TrustinK that this answer8 your inquiry,we are



### ” Wm. 3. lhne~ Amai8tant