OFFICE OF THE Al-t’ORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Honorablr J. 8. Be~uld~ln 

CountT Attomw 

Johnson Cotmtr 

Cleburw, Tasar 

Dear Sir: Opinion No. Q- 

~68 orfi06r6* 

Your nqu68t ror 0 

oarofully aonsldered by this 

requsrt a8 tollaerr 

oatltlrs him 

e quote froa your 

t6an or orrio* 

sented thr comill for Buns 

Retlaod Clril Btatubioh he olaime 

sums for tlmrs yeE38, 

the last prroedlng 

vlng an asaes86d nlufirteen Hilllbn 015,wo,- 

traotiond part thereor, ln excess of said 

Pifteen !.!llllon ($15,000,000.00) Dollars valuatiw over and l boqr tha maximauramount allowed 

m8h 0rrioerr undrr laws l x ir tinon g ktwst 2b, 

19351' 
3910 ad810-r8* court ha8 l mnwiy rix84 

the 8OkdO8 Ot thh, TU~OW C&OOtiT@ OrriOU8 Or 

the Qoanty, at thr brglanlng of th8 yoar1 bwoT8r, 

OOW Of th. 8dUi88 UUO i5OrMl88d th. POlrOCItOgO 

authorIs by the above m8ntioard law. 

'I vlaw OS th8 holding In 'Coi4~slonera; 

Court 0 t Rae0 doOh. Clo untVy S. F 3a drr l t a l 

11) 3. %'. (d 277 it 18 y OpiaiOn that th;' 

aOSXd8siO5U8' COIA would not be l lthorlamd at 

t&i8 tint8 to l ntu a5 ordu that would oha 

the aotlon ot the Coti in ii* the 

Or th0 OmOO?8 for WY Of th8 PTW&OW pa289 

Y&at tha portion of tha Statutr uotbd above, 

i8 not Mn&atOTy On the Coeai88iOnWB 8 OUrt to inoraaaa tha salaries 0r the offloars la q;;;e;tparwt rm. a reaafn~ or the provlsfon. 

Court hariw railed eaoh year to m&o atah an laoraan, and hari~y 86t tk 8alarg of the offloor 

r0r 8aoh yau in 8OOOTdBIM8 with othrr pm~8lne 

or the law, ruoh l ation would be blade 

Comi8810n8rr' OoUI't at thi8 th8, a8 2 80 Oil the 

6iti8tOJit Oirb~8 Of t&i8 8oUnw holding OrrhO at 

the ttu the 8OhdO8 WOT8 8.t. 

TOUT O~i~hWl 18 dO8iTOd With ~OfOFOIlO8 60 

whathar or not suoh oiTi8ar ha8 a mild @lain 

againrt the bounty ror any 8am or am bl rea8on 

of thD 0&dOSWr8' OOlUt hibIT t0 i5OrM8. 

t& 8alUiO8 Woh ma? th0 &‘UO8nt~O allonbh 

unau the a-0 prod8ioaa. 

"Ii SO, would the payment or mm, at thir 

tlma, by the JI?88Oat ha=i88ion*ra* Court, br in 

erreot ohmglag the pretioua aotlon or the aourt 

ia ii&g thr 8elarles for the rsspeotive p?an, 

in sash a gm.nor that would oonfllot wlth the holC' 

ipr or th0 a0m in the Naoog&eh@8 County oaar? 

W . . l . l 
‘, , 

. - 

5l2 

Nonorabh J. II. Baaldwin, Wo 3 

The oomi88lorU8’ Ooat la wwtL.8 ~~l:*~~UhtiOfi Of tW.litr th6ur@lbd (?o ooo) 

inhabitant8 or more clod 1088 than 0~ huad.reQ &a 

nlnaty thouaaod (196,000) Inkabltantr 8OwrdiIIg to 

tha lart preoeding Fodoral Camn I8 hmoby aothorire4 and it e&all be it8 dut 

0i ai th0 r0118dng nana 0 I tlo8rr, 

to hx the Baler188 

t84tc aulff, aaae8aor end oolleotor or tax.8 oouaty @duo, 

wunty l ttornolr, lnoluQlng crI8lnal AIitrIot atbrnor8 and Omnty attOrMy8 who JWfOT8 t&O dutie8 

or Qlstrlot attornqr, dlrtrlot oh*, aoantr olork, 

tnamrer, hide and anIma1 lnrpeotor. Eaoh oi raid 

ofiloers 8hall be pal4 in money an aIUNIa1 l aleq ln 

twrlrs (12) equal lnetallntmts oi not less than the 

*atal au0 earned at oogpemnatlon br his ln hl8 orriolal oapa0IO~ for tha rhoal par 1935, an6 not more 

than th0 ISUIJWI wow rllmea suoh OrriO8r on&u 

hW8 Ui8tily 011, h@l8t 44, 19551 mOrid*d bhat in 

oountle8 havlag a population or tweatr thtxtaand 

(20,000) and 1888 than thirty-aoren thousand fiV@ 

hundred (37,500) aooordlng to the la& preoeding 

Federal Census, und having an assessed YalUation in 

l OWS Or FirtIBW mliOn ($i5,000,000ao@ D0iiU8, 

l ooorbing to the lsrt approved preoedliq tar roll 

oi 8-h 80&r th8 16tiillO~~t til8UOd 8U8h Orri088-8 a8 8alulos 

"9 

be lnona884 8~0 1s) pu 

oant for eaoh On0 XI1 ion ($1 000,000~00 Dollar8 

~luatloa or fre*Uoml rt hereof La l om8 oi 

uld lUtea Yillion ($1 ,008,%w! &lb?8 -Sation over 8nQ abwr tk8 Mama arOW& 83.hW8Q rOOh 

8fflOU~ MQU l&W8 l Xi8thg 8n Awut % 19351 

. . . . 

~8 qu0ts ire8 the 8ourt’r oplnlon ln the oan 0i 

aOlsiS8iOIy)T#' cOtITs Of Be 

113 S. W. (2) Pe 279, l 8 to1 -f

408h88 OOMty 1. wi!kb? 8t il., 

W8: 

“All lesus8 InvolvaQ in this a 

moot. speed T. Keyr, 109 8. a. 24 

Suprcms Court. The order In lmm, br it8 hm 

and by r0rce or the statute, rxplred at 
fxerg ~~l&at# Oen8.t b8 r8qair.4 EM rtu Y 

order lo 1938, YIxlmg mlarler fbr 1937 *iti 

On it8 fO0e rOti& be Wi& ti - d88iOWO~ 

a0mt l 3-r .fn a l nt8rLy tke l rdu b i8u0 

pellee8 are net wlfhout ramQr 

up 

Raak fJou& t. 

RI&tower, Tot. 011. APR., 202 8. II. 802. 

-A~JwI dbU4I8806." (%68XWaOTh Om8) 

The olalms ot WI&r, Oouaty ClerL,lad tialttn8, 

M8trlot alert, agalnet NaO0&SOOh88 COUaty, lnV0lvoQ In the 

above l tri04 suit were lbtbr tri04 out on their merlt8. 

We quote from the ooPCtp8 OPiaiOn in the 8aw of 

Naoogbooher busty v* VinbOT, A&fJ EL w. (2) 972, 88 fOiiOW8: 

"The r0uorlng facts a** without di8putrl 

Appbii~, xinder, wa8 thb 4u.y 0leoted, q~ifl04 

a nd l otlog Oouety Clerk Or Naoogdoohee Oeuaty 

&wing thb year8 1937 and 19% Na8ogaoohu Cotanty ua8 under tb 8alary set law, ArtIrla 3912e, 

8eOtiOn 13, 'lblVlOB'0 hill, CiVil 8tidQtb8, bll4t 

Artlole 3891 

art. 3891. 

R. C. S,, ~@mon@8 Ann. Clr. St. 

kdsr the80 statutes the ralary 0r 

the County Clerk of Naoogdoohes donaty wae poterned 

by the &&mum or ealary earne4 So 1935 an;i a 

maximum ealary of $3,300. The Oounty Cierk oi 

Ha00 dOOhO8 Oouaty In 193 

P 

eamd u 

T 

nation 

or h o ortloe the 8IIa of 28b.16. Oa uuary 

13, 1936, at a n(tdar 8088Lbn oi the eOId88iO~ 

er8' wurt, 80 order wa8 en8er8d by 8aU ooart 

ririag app01100*8 8alaxy at #9,W,l4 th8 moua 

barnad at 8a&X'y by th8 WNEty lti 0 .t Uia ..oD, 

ty in 193s. Later in raid month, f rnuav 3lrt, 

at 8 oalled t3eseion 0r 6aia aourt, hi8 nlary ma8 

iisea at $3 350 per year. Qn Juuary U 193 

t&o ~d8don.T~~ OOUrt in H&U “8dOP R 406 

hi0 rala 

‘p 

at $3,000, for S&t par, md on Jar+ 

uary 10, 938, da court ria hla ralam at 

~3,000 ror da yeem Thlr war 9286.l6 1808 than 

the minimum 8a&ary ror 1933, and S3SO lsrs than 

;;&e:slary a5 rlxea by the order or January 31, 

Apgellee prayed odgabnt for $572.32, the 

bl&woe between the .3,OOO per ye%s rOr 1937 3 

and 1938, and the alniaum OS #3r286r16 as fixed 

.513 
-.- 514 

-Ho think thhr 0rd.r rizirrg qqollro'r ml4ry 

aa* at tlw ro&llAr tom on Jam&~ l), 1936, war 

in aooordwoe rlth tha law, aa4 that t&a womt 

then iixed w t&a enma nlarr or l ppmll.0, 

$3 286.16, andor the fmotr ud t&a law U(LI propor, 

.afki la oontroll.ling hem. Artlole 391k, motion 

13, V@7lon's Ann. Cilc Bt., flxw the salary of 

Couatr Olorkr in the tiara of oouatlor in WI&& 

$j,OOO uw dthoat ruthori~, and 10 void.* 

uro to the sa w l lYo o t l w th r WH o f Hwo gdo o hu 

COIM L~ 1. finklaa, uo 8. w. (2;) 901. 

The LM&UD a mint l oountr oftlaor of Johnson 

Oow~, Tesw, (raid oowt7 hali a popuktiw of 53 317 

inhabitanta l .oorbin( to the 1930 hderti a.--) @odd r@- 

tainumlmr Lam l lstlnglrywt24, 1935, bdor~raarrgh 

3 or Artlolo 3891, V, A. C. 8.) war #3,YJO.O0 Jwr mnn~a 

In t&la ooxlneotian 180 opinion Ho. o-2582 of thL dwlutmerit, a oopy of uhioh 18 moloead hrrowitb. 

The population of Johnson CoUnt7, Texas, aooording 

to the 1.9i+O Federal Conella ie 30,384 inhablt?mt8. 
ve m wi*h to a th 88b h a )wuu l f wa ua m u a t 

Artiole 3912@, t. A. 0. SC, quetr4 in mm lotk?, 8lhdy 

th a ldea lo a er 00a ~ uI te la a r o w8 ea brkoe f l lYlo a rw- a 

da r the Or fla utia a urAd y In th a wthed otill#e4 b y thm 

etetutr, le rloulv pmlulm ad Uewetiiat3a~~ it 18 l ertalaly aot mzdrbw. 

lt 18 ear oplnlon that t&a umnt7 et#oor uelor the 

h o ts sta t.4 wo uld mo t b a lm l nlrr r la la a g 8uet us wa n*. 

Tha wmleelonora~ wurt of Johwoa Oowty roula not be omp8ii0e to eet the eelary 0r 5i7 oouat7 offl80r uulu the Offloere’ 8nluy Law at more than the efflolel e-1 

Y@ 

of 881~ 

orrlocrr ror thr ?lsoai peer 1935 mad stun tkat mm1 be wbd 

l ot to the l!mr lwset a in p a 

. 8. (rrletlag Awwt 24 1935 T 

ph 3 of Artlele 3691, V. A. 

The oourt In its 4laontlcm et tka prepr Urns 

* MA wuld not *row!4 $1,joo,co 

fizF?x; 8llarrd efxlltlonaL eumti (in L!ltlon to Chr $3 506 00 

mxlmm) as sot oat io the portion ot ArMale 39120, f&o&n i3, 

qaotd in par httrr, 

R 

rotldsd tha rnlratlonr aathorlcad mm, 

but lt 18 cur oplnloa t at 01etiIy lib wmt woal(L sot at thin 

tlm allow seam retro*otir*l7 for tL, past four 

ll8.P 

us aa roquaat& bf thr oiiioer. To 8Un mah additio owe rrtroaotlvely would al80 br lahiblted b7 seotion 53 of A?t101. 3 0r 

our Stats Constitution, whioh provides as ?ollawer 

l See, 33. The L&eleturs shall hat. no 

parr to grant, Or b authOris aa7oount7 0T 

mklnlolpal l athopit7tograat,an7oxtn oompmatlen, toe or allowmoe to a pablle efflwr, 

agent, eonant er rontra*tor, after nr+l9r bre 

bean rfhnaua, or a mntraat &a koh uOer*i 

inb, end ~rfOmled ill wkolo OQ in #UC; no% 

pey, ear a8thorlzr tha pwmant or amy olala 

onat8d l galnet an7 oounty or miuJol#6llt7 of 

the State, andor a.117 l groaImnt or OoBtraot, made 

*i&hoot authority of law.* 

Aim 800 the follalmg oano~l 

Pierson 1. Oalvorton Count7, 131 S. y. (21 27; 

Jones v. V~ltmenn, 171 S. 'X. i?87. 

Very truly your0 

ATTOR8ET GBJXRAL O? FUA3