OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Honorablr Tom A, Craven 

County Auditor 

-&y-QQuw 

, 

Dear slrr 

TOW nqw3t r0r 0 fully ooneihred by this de 

qunt a8 r0110wr: 

atantiallr as r 

oleoted and 

and the salary mt 

r hle sertlaes as 

r preolnot orriioero in 

emall diatriota, to sopofal inooars with earnings deormental aotirltler, and we 

int in regard to adbitional 

t 0r th0re preelaot orrfoerr (10 

thesreslrer ataileble 8t alI 

r orrioii duties might oome up. 

91 &all thanr fou to adrim I&O what, in your 

opinion, fr ttm rerponsibflit~ c& a 00aaty auditor 

in oonneotion with the approval or a olain ior the 

peynmt or salary or a oonstable who abeanbs bigaelf rrom his preoinot in the employ of a Railroad 

a8 outliaed abovb. 
Honorable Toa A. Cratea, Page 2 

Tha aonstabla In qurstloa has applied to tbs 

oamds~ionerr’ aoart for udhorlty to name a deputy. 

U&or ordinary WmditioM 00 deputy oonstablo in 

this praolnot is requimd me the reason fer the 

request is obvious rroa the oI?aunstanorr outllllbd 

above. In hi8 applloatlon to the oommlssl0aers* 

court he nda no mntlon or the malazy to br pai4 

the 4 o ty a ud it is l ssumb that It WORM bo him 

lntoat!on to pay the 40 

The o~mmfsal~~rs~ 

ty out or his oompmlsatlon. 

oour r has not yet aetod on this 

l QQlIaatlon. 

*Am a guide to Y, in the l vent a olak ls 

flied for a salary Of ths aoastable while thr oonr 

stable 1s oporati 

?a 

as explalnod aboro and 

hls dutlrs a8 oom ble through l dopo ty OS" 

riorms 

d br 

the ooaetablo, I &all tkmk you to advise m whothor 

or not the oemmf#aioner8* oowt would hate tho authority ta make an a%=raz@emnt dth a oonstable 

uorhla6 un4rr a 88lary paid by thr oouaty and his 

dutles delegated to a deputy paid bt the oonstable 

hired to do the work ap the oonstable while %he oonstab& 18 out o? the praolnet engagrd in other omploymsnt .” 

sootion 17 0r mAal 39320, Vernon*8 Atmotat0d 

Texas Olril Ststates, prorfdOat 

*(a) The term ‘Preolnot orrloors* a8 used 

In this Aot means jUstIOe8 Or the peaoe and eonstables. 

‘In all oounties in this Stat. suoh praolnot 

orrloers shall OontInw to be aomgensatsd ror 

their senloes on a r00 baslr until the OommIssionerr* Court r&l1 have 6otermIned oth~rrlso 

in aooordanoe rdth tha provIsIon 0r SeatIon 2 or 

this Act. 

“Ia oountlerr whonin tb Comaisololurs* Court 

shall hatr dotoalnad that prsolnot orrlosrs shall 

be oompensatsd on an annual l alary barrIs, but rhoroln 

they hate doterminod that county orrioerr #hall not 

br so oompensated, the OfrIOers’ Salary Rind or ~a16 
Honorable Tom Aa Craven, -0 3 

oounty ahall 80 oapoaed au3 mudo up or rem, oaamissiona and other oompensatlon oolleoted by the 

preoinot orr5.oars 0r ruoh 00untl sod aOp08ikd in 

said fund, and l uoh funds as ray be transrrrred ta 

cmld fund by the ConulIssloners~ Oourt oi tho oountr. 

.,(a) fn ooPntles where it shall hare beon 

dotormined that preolnot otfloors shall be oonpamated on an annual sal.ary basis it shall br tbodutE 

or the c0ti~d0~rd cf00rt or 8aah 00~ 

the l alary allowed to suoh orrio~rs. ho T o? seld 

offloors ahall bo paid in wnoy fin ennual salary in 

tW.lte (1.2) equal lnstnllmuts of not leer thaa the 

to ta l nun ea r no d lei oomponsat%on l a r n8d bf him 5.n 

his offioIa1 8apaoity for the flsoal ymar 1935 Md 

not aore t&n the aaxlmm tbn0tuht nu0~04 u0h 0rrioar under law8 rtistlng Au&u& 2b, 1935. 

“In oountl.8 fn uhloh praolnot offloora an 

paid a salary ao oompensatlon for their servloos, 

auoh OftIoer@ deolrind to appoint one or wra deppaties or assIstants shall make applloatlon to the 

Comnlss~oners~ Court for authority to appoint suoh 

deputy o,r deputies, In the fnanaer and iors prosoribed ror applIoetlons r0r 4 

“p 

utf oounty orifoem by Artlole 3902, Revised 0 vll Statutes 1925, 

as awndad within thr prorfsIoos oi this Aot) the 

Oommlssloners~ Court ehell not author120 the rppofntnent or any deput 

Ii 

oonstablo at a salary eroeedlq 

FIrteen Hundred ( 1500.00) Dollara per year* The 

salarler or deputies authorized to be a pointed under the provIsions of this Seotlon shal P be pai out 

or the Orrloers~ Salary Fund. 

*In ts0unties wherein the oounty orrioere name4 

In this Aot are oompensated on thr besle or an annual salary, the State ot Texas shall not be ohargut 

with and shall not pay any to0 or ao8unIaelon to any 

preolnot oirlobr ror any rsrrloss by him perrormed, 

but said orrher ahall be paid by the Oounty out of 

the orrioers’ sn3.a 

3 

?une suoh rr08 and aosn8fsslons 

a8 WOUM otherwlao (I paid him by the Stat0 for auoh 

servIoe8.a 
Roaenbla Tea A. Oravon, -0 41 

Artlob 3902, Vornon.8 Annotated Teoar Civil Statdoa, provldos la part as follas: 

Whoawot any ef8triot, oouaty or proolnot 

0rrioOr 0hnn require tat0 80n:008 or ebpati08, 

asels&nts or alorks in the porfoz7smo* 0r his 

eat108 h0 8haU 8pply to wm County Qomlsslonors~ 

Wart of his ooanty ior authority to 8ppolnt 8uoh 

40puti88 l s8isto nts or olorks, rtatlw by ffOrn l pplloatfon the number maded, t& posltlon to 

br flllad ard the moan8 to be paid. Said appliration shaU bo aooorpanled by l r ta to wn% showing 

the probable rooolpta from ior8, aomIsaions and 

oompansatlon to be oolle~t~d by mid orfloe 4pYiw 

tha rlsoal year and the probable dlsbur8emnt8 

whloh shall Inoludo all ralarlo8 and l xpansss or 

aeid orrloq and ~14 sourt shall stake its order 

l utho~slag thr appointmsat 0r sooh 40ppati08, ar8f8tant8 me 050m1~le rizth0 oaap0110a011 to b0 

paid thssi rlthln tha 1lmItatlons herein prrsorlb8d 

and dotersUe ths niusbsr to be apppoloted as in the 

dlsoretlon of said oourt nny be propert provId6d 

that In no o&m shall the Cosmlsslomrs~ Court or 

any member thereor attempt to Influ~oo the appolntmant or any parson as depaty, assletant or olerk 

in MY orrlor. Upon the entry of suoh ardor the 

offloors applyling ror sooh asel.sttmts, dsputlos or 

alerts shall be authorltod to appoint them; provided 

that said aompansatlon shall not erased the maxlmum 

amount heroinafter set oub. The oompensatlsn whIoh 

may be allowed to tha daputles, a#sIstantS or olerks 

above ntuwd for their earvIoss shsll be a reasonable 

one, not to Oxoeml the rommlng aaounts~ 

l * . . . î 

You am respaotfally adtlerd t&t under thm iaotr 

stated by you It Is tha opinion of thI8 dspartmmtr 

1. The oonrteblr is ontitled to raoslra his salary 

and you should approve Herr salary rmrantr as long a8 ha holds 

hi8 0rrf0h 

2. Under ArtIolo 3902 V. A. 0, S., It tha oonstable 

deslnr a deputy he Is required &i rile with ths oommf8s1on8rs~ 
Lloaorablo Toa A. fJraron, Pa&o 5 

oofprt na application for l athmlty to appoint a8 outlined 

the Artlolo4 m OOiUfS8fOoIuF8’ MUFt 4, if it do&or, 

by 

(Imtt h0 l uthoF:ty urd ti#OOOt bh8 O&h- Or th0 dOUe 

dthla tha st~8utory limit, k bo paid oat of the Otf P OON 

s8l4ry mfbe 0r tho oouatyi