**OFFICE OF**  **THE AmORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  **TEXAS AUSTIN** 

Honorable Xelrin Combs COule~ AtAoraq Jer~r80n **count7** Beaumont, **axu Dou**  **air1** 

# A .oplnlcn

lo. O-30 R.1 aalar

7!t + @P 7tu UU Ox-8

of Joi lrDoa aounty

. 

## Your requert carefully oonaldrrsd br thlr your requert u follov8:

"5. In coiitiea having .a population of one hundred thousand and one ‘(100,001) a~ld zlot ZC:E thar oz~e h.xiZred and fifty thoueand (l’ jO,OOO) lnhabitantr, firat assirtant or chief

### Bonorrble Nelvin **Coabr,** ?age 2



### deputynot to l aeedTventy-rix Eundred (~2600.00) Dollar8 

### per annum~ herd8 of dep.wtmentr may be 

### aloved by theCo8m18810ner81 

### Court,vhen In their judgment ruoh allovanoe 18 juottlled,the 8um of Tvo Hundred **($200.00)** Dollar8 

### per annum in addition to the amount 

### hereinGloved, vhenruohhe& of department8 rota&t to **be** rppolnted rhsll have meriowl~ rewed th8 oountr **or** pollt~.oal**rub-** ~dlvl8lon**thereof** for not lerr than tvo oon- %lnuow rearmj other 

## l r rlrtmnt~,

deputier or **olerkr no%** to l oeed Tventy~three **liundred (~2300.00)**  Dollar8 per annum 

### l aoh." The main problem prorented by the quertlon rubmlttcd 18 vhether the word8 "rhall hare prevlou8ly rerved the oounty or pollbltal rubdlvlrlon thereof ior not lerr than tvo contlnuour yeara" 

### l



### houldbe 

### oonstrued totiean

**tvo** 

### oontlnuour

yearm next preoediq the ~ppolntunt, or m tvo oontixkuou8 year8 sedlng the appointment.

Where the 8tatutory language 18 uablguoum or.admlta of~more t&m one mimning, It la to be taken In ruoh ti8epIe a8 vi11 oo&iformto the 

### l oope and intent of the A&, and vi11 beet or rort **eertalnly** 

### l aoompllmh It8 purpole vlthout do- violence to plain rtrtutory language. **A** oonrtruotlon that vlll unduly limit it8 plain purpome, ~111 be 

### &voidedIf po88ible. 39 Ter. hr. pp. 218-219.

In permitting the payment of a larger 8alarf to the head of 

### a department rho 'rhall have prevlourlj rerved the oounty or polltloal rubdlvlrlon thereof 

### for not 1088 than tvo contlnuour year8 , ” ve believe the bglrlature intended that a head of a deparwt with prevlour experience in oounty mattera rhould be entitled to a larger 8alary than an inexperienced person. By requiring the prevloua aervioe to be “not leas than tvo continuous yearr” ve bellwve the Iaglrlsture Intended to set a minimum length of experience required to qualify an appoLntee to the additional salary, and to eliminate those persms vhose previous service totaled tv3 years blz:t VZS were. -



### Sonorable llelv%n Corbm,F8gm 3

employed only periodically. It 18 a matter of
._ . . . --. - ._ , oommon knkwledge
._ - - **tnat 0ertu.n**  orrioerm or tne county governmnt, partruuariy the tax 

### l

88e88or-oolleotor, 

### requireextrahelp during oertain rumhp8riOdD.

To oonrtrue the vordr in quertlon am reanlng tvo ooAtl.Auoua

yearm the a~ **Undue** limitat bppolntment vould 

### be plrolng purpore o? -thertatute. 

### 8uoh 

## a oon8truotloA~vould



## l lialtnite

sum7 **able** 8en rith mny year8 o?~ oontlnuow **rerrloe**

. 8uoh a oonrtruotlon vould alma prerent a rerlour quertlon am 

### to the le offloe on Sa~uary 1 1941,



### d tF h of time that UL 

### offloertaking

oo d valt 

### before appointing the head8 o? the 8eTer departmEnta 

### without havingthetvo OOAtiAUOU8 p-8 AeXt preOedi~ 

### the ~ppOb¶tmeAt interrupted Duifieientlf to make ruoh propored appointee8 ineligible to 

### qualify for the additional salary. It vould tend to penallre the of

### fleervho moat oarefulry and dellberately~attempted to appoint the beat **qwlifimd** per8on8. We oannot apee that thm purpore of the rtatute IA quertlan ju8tlfler rush a lirlted oenrtruotlon,

It 18 our Opinion, therefore, that the **VOrdD** "Dhrll **have prerlourly**  **rerved** 

### the OouAtJ **or** politioal 8ubdi~i8ioA there**Of ?Ol!**  AOt **le~88 t&M**  **tV0 OOllti.!NlOUD**  **~e~8, ’**  **in** 8OOtiOA 5 O? ktiele 3902, mupra, rhotid 

### be eonrtruod am meuii.ng x tvo eontlnuow~m preeed.bg the appointrent.

You are, thereform, rempeotf~l~ 8dvLred that it ia the oplnlo~ of thlr department, under the futr rtated, 

### that thm 88lm7 **of the**  **ohle? deputy**  **cannot legally**  l xoeed

**th8** mum of ~2600.00 

### and thatthe malu7 

### of theother**doputr, haad**  **of the**  

### autaaoblle

tax 

### department,

cannotlegallyl



### xoeedtherum of $2500.00 per uinu8. Your8 very truly ATTORHEY GElfERALOF TEXAS

EP:RS BY Edgar Pfeil Assistant

APPROVED MAR 19, 1941 /a/ Oerald C. &DA ATTOREEY 0ElGM.L OF TEXAS This Opinion Conridered and Approved in Llmlted Con?erenoe