OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

G- c. MA”” 

l-n GLIIsnAL 

Honorable Wolan Queen 

Crlminel Dlstrlot Attorney "' 

Parker Coucty 

matherrord, Tmis 

Dear Sir: 

Your reQu44t fox 

carefully aonslder6d by 

~cequeet as Folloqsr 

4n r80alv4a uad 

0 S$ls* seetirrn 

Coart to tix 

abatement Of factt3, 

tho coDppf4slOn4~4' 

he Shd.ii~llti 

Yok-&v~ also tan US the fuz'ther inio'rolatfon that 

the sh4tirr ~44 dll0~4d 4x-0tfi4iO 00~1 4neatlOn ior 

the ,fisoalyear 19sb ena that tble amount wu3 ]Pnclu&d ln the 

tote1 rlmelgts or $5,227.%8; 

The go~ul4tiOn Of Btrkar County, T4x44, ~OOordf!@ 

to the 1WO Federal Geneus, was 3&780 lnhubitants, find 


salary at $GS,2136.16 the amount aaraed as salary 

by the aounty clerk of said county in 1935. Later 

In 6abl month, January Xat, at e aall session 

of seaid aourf, his snlary ma fixed %t f?i,RSO par 

p46r. On January 11, 1937,,tha a~omltseioasrs* 

oourt in ragular session fixed hla salary at 

&5,000, for that ygsr;and on Jaauaay 10, LW8, 

said couzt fixed his salary at $S,OOO for aaid 

year. !Chlu wits $286.16 leas than the miaimum 

rralary for 1935, and @SO 1-s than the a&my 

aa flxod'by the order of JaaUary 31, 1956. Ap- ' 

peUe4 prayed dud&x&at for @92.S2, the differ 

aace batwean the $3,000 gsr year; for lBa9 and 

L(i38, aad the rpiniitws~ of ($S 286.16 as fired by 

the ordsr of'Jaduary~l.2 1946 or In the alter&itire, tar m.g1~0nt for boo $i the imler oi Yeaqtmy Sl, .lSW, pnaqwd at: thq~o,all.sd~e~on be 

faurid ‘prop.ar. phs J@$#i+w&a ltor @5wLse. 

: *8'oxhlak .a)~4 ordar flixic&'app4llur*s salary 

earnings ia'l885) en6 that being shim& to hapi) 

been $%,2&%6.16, thn coml11410~4ra~ oourt did not 

b4v4 the authority to ignorer this statutory prorimIon of mlalaum salary and fir the aalarg at 

W,000. 234 provisions, or the etatuta authorlziQg thk 05lfd.4~15A4~S' OOUti to fix the S&hrr at 

any mm not 148s then a oertain mlaimum, aad not 

~5~4 thsn a sertsain 3mdm3~1, are mandatory, aiiiT 

eould not be ignored by the membera z~f the aorurt' 

at th4l.r dioarutlan. The Or&a firing apgella4*0 

#alary at $Zi,iiOO wat? without autho&ty, find w 

void." 
To the eeme effeot eeo Barogdoohe8 County r..J'inklas, 

t\pp., writ retuaed, 14C S. U. (2) QOl. 

Upin5on Ho. 045858% OS ti.ie bepa-daent hol6s, am~pg 

other thinga,. that the ohenge in tha .opulnticn of Tr6vir 

Cynty, tf~xas, as shown by tha.Bxlera I: Cansus of 1840, bed 

no effect-upoa &ho s2&iMei of,the aitstrs~t, county elld preolnot oftlwrs or Bald county;ond thet the minimuin asalary 

of such en officer oould not ti lees than the tot& cum earned 

as oompeneation.&y the iucumbeut af th,:-.offfe~ Inhis airiclel 6tjpaoity.fox the fieoal ye.nr 19SS onG thzt the maximunr 

-s%laky aould tit be l~ore.tban'the,marLrnuP~naount allowed euah 

incumbent under laws~exieting on August 24, 1939,'and eLaae 

the lV30 Federel Census we8 than in effect euoh aeneu8 rae 

contro115n& be onoloee herenith a aopy all apinion No. o-2982. 

. 

,fn thie histan the population or rarker cOun*, 

.Texae, ye,Xena t&ah ZXi,OCiO inhabitante aooordlng to both thhs 

1930 ena ~194a,Fedewl coneuees.. 

0 lnlon xo. O-345 of thle Ua~rt.&k. holds thef under tbs OSf 4 oers' Salary Law, the LWtriat Glark of Lkaeittim 

,C~iurLy,~~~~.waa‘s'iititled to *aat .lsss than tha lx&al eue~ 

eernsd as.oonpem4atSona psther than wm sash 00iieOtea* ar 

yeaaned uti6 colleatedd*, and~in arriving at the corraet,aieLswa 

.salaryto to paid aaid offloor, the oommlueionere' court shculd 

consider ~th& tia totaL'of both foes, the oollected and un1$01- 

1eoted;:to #hiok 'he.would havebeon le~allg~on~tled $07 the 

yeeq193Is. Tiio op5nion~:altWhol@ that in ;ooq~uti@& said 

olerk~s' &U.&y the'. wmalerionsra.?~ awrt should .dkau& from 

the t6te.l ocuripen~a~~on~ earned, oalls6teU .land unoolleoted, the 

expeneea of the otfke Z'or the year 1935, whlchnere legally 

allcked by the.~onrafeeiirtrers' ociurt for th%t year. ml anclotie 8 copy of :o&&lon HO. o-345,. 

The caao.ot Aoderson Ccwity v. Hopkills, 187 8. W. 

1019, holds t&et-er-otrlcio oompaneotion cannot bh reerdea 

as ~8x0886 fwm* waler Article 3001, V. A. C. Y. 

,. ?ltbls~ thi feote et&&d the offioitll earnings ot the 

Sh8rifP.in 19SS uere $b,E27.90. mppea~8e OS m-ice or #qszo.OO 

deauat.64 f&a ~0 tottil lsavas 8 balanoa of &3,907.9& Sin00 

’ t&e $3#G.O0 es-cSficSo compensation cannot be rtxgtadai¶ as 

"exeees fees* under Article 3S91, siupre, earad ah&&I aleo bo 

deduoted, leaving a bel.aoe of @T,607.98, whiok bulen&e eonstitutas the total smarnt of fees for the yeer 19Zl8. From the 
sum or $3.609.98 we deduot S.2,400.00 (the 8heriff's first 

mxinurr. unGsr i.Ftlole 3883, V. A. C. 8.. sUpX%z) leaving a 

br:lance of $l,ZC9.W as escesa fees. We dlvlao the @1,207.98 

oxooss fme by thrrc (under Wtiolo 11891, aupre) whloh makes 

g$;;:&. 'he! aac; the ~ece.66 to the &,400&O whlo:r mskw 

To this ia alma added the ox-otfioio oompeneation 

of ~900.00, whiokt m&es tha sum of #3,108.66. liewevlr, under 

h~iols 9001, supra, tho arcoad or final maximum salary ie 

#J,OOO.OO ?or auoh Sbedff. 

flndar,the f&a ett,tsd the salary ot the she&S 

ahould be tired at exaotly $J5;OOOi(xf--pbither lllure nor l.eso. 

vary truly yours 

BY /a/ 

Wm. J. Farmim