### 665

OFFICE OF THE AITORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN

Honorable John R. Shcok Criminal Dlatrlot Attorney SanAntonio, Tarar Dsar Sir: Attention8 1



### nd l m~loyaar o? sngagrd for **and** pub110 health thr timeruoh **ra** abeont from f and engagad in la1 training whloh to makctham brtto **.rendir** rarrlor

oplnlon on the **abotr** rtatrd br thfr department.

othank you ior tha **oitatlon** OSauthoryour Inquiry, whioh hna aldrd u8 in

-‘ramTexas Jurisprudenos, Vol. 11, page 564, M quotr as follonerHonorable John R. Shook, pega 2

%mmleslonere~ court.8 err courts 0r limited $zrledlotlon, In that their authority axtande only to mettere pertaining to the general WalZare of their raepeotira oountiae end that their poware are onlf thoee 

### l rpreeely or Implladly oonierrad upon tham by law, --that 18, by the oonetltution and e~tatutae of the l tate.a

we quote from Texee Jurieprudanoa, Vol. 34, 535, a8 r0ii0w8t *Samante and

### l

aployaee maybe engaged upon en7 terse of pepant thet mefbe aooaptabla to the pertlee **to** the contract of amployment
. There must, however, ba authority 

### for l ntorlog Into the agreamant. A ozmtraot appointing a person to perform oarta5.n eer~lc6e end to pay hIa a oomaleelon therafor, **aade by** a etate officer pureuant to an tmoanetltntlonel etatute, le 0remroroe, andthe appointee 18not entitled to the oom- ~188lOn. Again, e county ie not boundby a oontreot which has bean mede.by the oonmieslonere~court wIthout authority3 nor la it praoluded from aeeertlng that the oontract 18unlewfal end removering tha moneywkipp hee been paid tharsundor.
. . . .* Soetlo~, ,5J~oi Article III of the Tarae Conetl- )utIon reaae 48 rollowe t

me Leg~elakire ehall 

### hareno power to grant, or to authorlee ‘any

### aouatf or enmlolpal euthorlty to grant, any axtra oompeneation, tea or allowance to apub110 oflloer, agent, eervant or oontractor, aitar eenloa her been mmderea, or a contract has been entarad Into, andparionned Inwhole **or** in **part;** nor pay, **nor** authorize tha ~peymantof, **any**alaim orsated again8 t any **ooucity**or aunlcipalItr of the Stats, atier any agra6mant or contraot, madewffhouf authority of law.*

### 66

Honorable John A. Shook, page 3

Article 44181, V6rnon’e AnnOtatad Revised Civil St.attltae of T6xam,reads as follower

*It shall be lawful rot the &ate DaperWent of Haelth to eooapt donetlone and’ oontrlbutlone, to br expradea In the lntarart of the public health and the anforearent of pub110 h68lth lane. TheCommleeionare Court of an? County shall hate ,th6 authority to appropriate and expend money from th6 ganerel revenues of its County fir and In behalf of public health and eanltatlon within lta County.* Anoffloar 18not antltlad to any oompaneation in addition 

### tothet uhloh has been fixed by law for the perforaance of ths dutlae of hla offloe, oven though the, ooiupeneatlon so fixed is unreasonable or lnaarquata. Hemaybe rsqulrad bralaw to perfors epeolflo ea~lcae or dleoherga additional autlae for whleh ao SOmp8nSatiOnIs proYlded. Ths obligation to parfoxa euoh eenloae is lnpoeaa ae an lnclaant to -the office, and the offloer, by his accept&co thereof, 18 daamad to have bean 6 aged.to p6rfOrm themwlthout oompansatlon. Texas7urisprudence, vol. 3 5. W.2, p. 531; XoCaile vs. City of Rookdale 246

54; Terra11 Ye. gins, 14 8. a. (2d) 76b; Statutes preeeriblng fees for pub110 offloara are etrlotl~ oonetrued, andhence ar&?,htto fr6e IMJ fiat raet in ,j.mplloation. Where thle right 18 itft to ‘oonetruoflon, thq language of the law must ba’oonetruad lo favor of the gorernm6nt. Where a .etatuta is capable 

### ortwo~onetructlone, oneof whioh would 

### givean orrlcar eomp&neetion’ for his ecnloos .ln addition to his salarT, and the other not, the latter oonetruotlon should be adopted. See Texas Jurleprudmde, Vol. 34, p. 508; Kedaen vs. Hardy, 50 S. PD.926; Eastland County vs. Hecel, 288 6. F!. 518.

The samereasoning as lndloatrd ln the lest two praoadlng paragraphs, where an offloar may be raqulrea to perform ep6olfla~aanlaee or dleoharga additional duties for tiloh no ooqlpaneatlon .I8 provided or allowed, would apply to eanente and emplop6ee who

### 668

Honoreble John 8. Shook, page 4

are required **to** perform epaolflo l anloee or dleoharga addltlonel duties without eompaneatlon~ Tharefore, lneprotore and amplo~aae **of** the oountf engaged in pub110 health **work**ooeld be retplred by the ragulatlone of the State Health Offloar to take spoolal tralnlng whloh 18deelgned to **make**thm. batter qualifisd to render eerrloo in health work;,where such training 1s required by raguletlone ofthe State Officer, without oomganeatlon.

Wedo not think that the terns of Article Ulttf, eupra, arc)broed'enough to authorize the WU- ~leelonere* Court to pay the ealar16.e of inspectors and e?&plo~eeeof the oounty engaged lo public health **work**while euoh lnspcOtor8 or~employ6ee aka absent from the countf.and perform no dotlae~ae euoh lnepeotore andamplo~aae while taking the special tralnlw es above mentlon+d.

In this oonneotlon wefind no other authority that would authorize the comaleeloners* coart to pay the ealarlae to such lnepaoton an4 ~ploysae while taking the special training lndiaatad above.

hyetlng that the foregoing fullr anawere your lnqali7, we rdmaln, fours very ~truly

Ardell )cllllaem Aeeletent