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 rirt3t rqular m*ctlng la 

January et eaoh oalendu yfm?, ahall deter&n9 
Hon. J. L. Crosthwait, May 2, 1839, Fage 2 

by order made and entered In the minutes of 

said court, whether the precinct ofricera of 

el.ch county 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 

collected by them In the performanoe of the 

duties of tlxir offloe, sublect to the lImItatlons hereinafter provided; and It shall be 

the duty or the oounty oluk or eaoh suoh 

county to formrd to the Comptroller of Azbllo 

Aooounts or the atate 0r Texas, on or ber0re 

thw?ilst day or January, a oertlfltxl aam of 

suoh ordm. 

"(b) Where tho aoaad~~lonara' oourt ihall 

hare date*04 the preoinot 0rri0thra In upah 

aounty ahall be eompenut.4 ror theIrsuvIoo8, 

by the paymnt or an annual balmy, auoh offioar8 6hall rooelve 6uob 8alary ti 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 

shall not affeot the payment or ~06t8 in olvll 

oaeu by the ntate but'all auoh oostII 80 &4 

shall be l ooo untert3ir 4 b y the 0rri0cira ooll*otlq tha same, a8 they are requlre4 under the 

prorisi~~~or this motion to acoouht r0-f ha, 

d~~i~ll~, 4~14 00~ta eoUeot04 rr0iti private 

prtiur 

“(0) The torr *goroInot 0rfi00w as we4 

IO this Motion EIWIII jUStiOW3 Or tha PuOO arib 

oonstables. 

"Suoh preoinot offloors crhall oontinuo 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 

tha amount 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 imrriolont for that,ptirpoui thay may be u8e4 also to 

maks up the arlau oorp8n8atIon, sxolu8it8 0r 

exoboh r088, 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* oourt as herein 

provided on an annual 8alary basis from said 

Thousand Inhabitants, aooording to the la8t 
Eon. 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 justices of the peace and constablea 

on a salary basis, said conmls~lonars~ court 

shall not be required to place said salariea 

In all preOinOt8 wIthin 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 

several preolnots in 8aId oounty wfthIn tha 

lkmitations hereluatovs set out In aountim 

where t&b.OOIMiUioll~S oourt 4etarlalnes to 

plaoo the justio88 of the peaoa on a salary 

bMi8 th. jue;tiw Or the pclaoe Shall raWI+. 

in &44itiOn-thWet0 S&J. reM, OOLI&SSiOM~ 01 

paymanta for performing marrlago 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- 

~0r Forty-rive Uundr44 Dollars ($4,500.00) eauh, 

provided however, that all foes or 0015~IaSiOnS 
Fion. J. L. Crosthwait, Uaay 2, 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 expenses or 

his office and to make up the maximum aompensation provided for in this subseation. No 

such offioers shall be entitled to receive 

for any surpoee auy reaa or aommiaslons that 

are oolleoted @for he aaasee to hold such 

0~100.~ 

It la alearly apparent front a read5.w o? thlm 

artlola that this artiale appllw to jnetioss OS the 

pece end ooaatablea.oi ruoh 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 annual f&en and/or sclrarf nhioh pa%ainot oifi0u-e aaj retain. The~e.oiiioar8 mwt 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 by Wobater'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 r000 that a prwiwt offioer imay legally 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 oolleated few 

of Fifty ($50.00) Dollar8 for oae par, that would be 

hi8 anaualfeoe and/or ealaw. 

we understand, however, that Dallas Cotmtr, 

Taxw, as provided by 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 commiesloneras* 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