663 

OFFICE OF THE ATT’ORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

urn ham pl.? lottmr 

the opiaioa of thl8 depart 

mm loftor reaar, ti part, 

t hulla oount~ 

ttleorr Salary 

t7 Clark, Countf Sheriff, Qountr 

, and Dlatriot Clerk’e Offioea 

rupport the hi&h oalarle8 paid the heada of thr 

Ia@ Oiilorr, dorr thir ooanty pessosr the authority 

to put thr ootmtf baok on thr ha Barfr? 

‘3. Doer the raunin County Qonrdraion~r~ 

Court harm the lq$al authority to lower the ralarlea of thr above aaaed otfiorr l ffeotirr tan, 1, 

1945 tbur informlag all prorpeotirr Oandldater 

&ut what eaah ofSf0r will gay beginning Jan. 1, j 

o* + *(I 
Honorable Parria Pirtle, pig0 a 

rwin County had a gopulation o? 41,lbS inhabltMt0 

aooordlng to tha 1930 Irodoral Census. The population oi said 

oouatr aooordlag to tho 1940 rodoral Conaua 18 41 064 lnhabltenta, 

TherOforO, Art1010 39130, Vornon’a Annotated Civil Statutes, oomronlf brown as the mOf?ioor8* Salary Law* la applioablo to aald 

aouaty. 

Sootloa 61, Artlola lb o? tho State Coaatltutlon, 

prorider a 

"AU dlatrlot orrloorr at the State of Texas 

a nd l u l OM tr OffiOob ~8 OOUUtiharin6 O8 a pOpdlatiOn 

of twenty thousand or mom.+ l ooordlng to the thoa last 

prooodlng Federal Conaua, ahaU horn th9 flra~ day of 

January u&d thorooftos, aad rubuqaont to tb rlrat 

TO@W or .poOiid .O.don Of tho k&Slat pto after 

the rdoptlckof this rwolutlon ba oaaponaatrd on a 

l oluy basis. In all ooantloa & this Stat., the oomrlaaion~ra~ oourt shall bo l uth o r iato o d dotrrmiw rhothrr 

pnolnot oiiloora shall be oomponaatrd on a fro basis or 

on a salary basisi and la oouatioa hating l popalatlon 

of loaa than twrntl. thousand, l ooordln6 tb. tb thoa laat 

prooodlng Fodorhl Conauu the oommlaaloner~~ oourt rhall 

alao hare the aathorlty & dotoreino rhothor tho oounty 

orrloora ahall bo domponaated on a for basis or on a 

salart basis. 

-All fees oarnod by diatrlot, oounty an6 preoinot 

offlooro ahall 80 paid Into the County Troaaury whore 

oarnod for tha amouat of the propar fund, proridod the 

Wr lnourrod br the Stat*,, l oantt and any munloipallt~, 

mrei8 oaao whore a paupor*a oath la filed, ahall bo paid 

&to the Oounty Troauur~ when oollootod and protidod 

that whore eny oitloox is oomponaatod rkoolly on a rso 

baa18 l uoh fooa may bo rotainod bl auoh orflorr or paid 

inw t?lc, Trearury of tho oounty as tho oommlaaionrra~ 

oourt mar dlrrot. AU notaries publio oopntr l umoyora 

au6 publie wol@mra shall oontinuo to b ooPprnaato4 on 

a foe Paris.’ 

Bootion 15 o? Artlolq 39180, Vernon*a Annotatrb Olvll 

Statutes, prorldo8, IlI part: 
665 

Honorable Parria Pirtle, page 3 

vh0 0oamiarlonera~ court in oountloa having 

a population of twenty thousand (%O,OOO) 

or pore and loam than one hundrrd and 

(~g0,~0~).inhabitanta aooordlly to the 

Fedora1 Ginaua, is horobf authorlead and 

Its dutr to tit the l alarIoa or iL1 the r0u0wing 

im,taod oriIoor8 

or.taroa,~ 00011 ty Jodgr, oouaty attorney, iaoladlng 

to-wltr i~orlft, l aaoaaor-oollootor 

orImIa~1 dlatrlot attorno~a and oounty l ttoraoya 

who prrfoa the titles of dhtrlot attorno~a, dirtriot 

olerk, oouaty olofk, troaauror, hido aad l a lmaInapao- l 

aor. &oh of said offloor shall be pald in nonor a8 

annual l al4ry la twolvo (18) aqua1 laatallmenta of not 

l~aa than the total am l araod as oomponaatloa by him 

In his 0rri0ial. oapaolty for the fiaoal par 193s and 

not sure than the m.sxfmum aamuat allowad auoh orffoora 

uador la * l xtatlng on hq$uat 84, 1935; ~rorfdod t+t 

in oount&ia hayi* a populstlon 0r twenty thouoand 

(ao,ooo) wxd look than thlrtprrovrn thousand fire 

hundred (a7.090). l ooor dlnto g tho last preoodlna ?odeml 

Condor aad ha*1 

fiitqn mIlllon( 7 

an aaaoaaod ralu.atloa~In oxoeaa of 

16,000 QOO.00) 

the &at approved prooe d 

dollars, aooordlng to 

in& tax roll of Bald oouatr 

the; lLIzieup omoUnt allowed auoh offloor aa salary 

my bo inoroaood 088 par (l$j oent for each one allllon 

($~.rOOO,OOO.OO) dollars Valuation or rraotlonal part 

thoroof and In oao~aa of raid rittoon nillion 

(#15,006,000&0) dolXara valuation o*or and above the 

maximum amount allowed aaoh ofr.iscra under laws oxiatlng oa August 84, %W5$&kid provided that oountiea having 

a population of thirty-reran thsuaand rim hunbrod (37,SOc 

and 1088 than sixty thouaa.nd (60,000) aooordlng to the 

last preoodin& Federal Census and, hatfn an aaaerrerd 

valuation I~~oxooaa 22 Law&y mlllloa ( # .80,000,000.CU), 

dollars, a~~ardiag to the last prooedlng approved tax 

roll of raid oounty, tho maximum amount ollorod auoh 

or? loora as aalarlea, may be Inorraaod one (1%) per omt 

for l aoh tmo aillion ((1,000 000.00) dollars ralaatloa 

or fraotional part thereof, L l xo o aa or r a id twenty 

nilllm ($~O,aoO,~OO~OO) dollars valuation eves and above 

the m8W!a amount tiloued aaoh ortloerr under tha laws 

l rlstlng on August 84, 10311r +*** 

Sootlon lb, Artlolo 3!318o, l upta, rpaoifioally protldoa 

that tho aalarloa of the offloors nawd therein shall bo paid In 
Honorable Parr16 ‘Pirtlo, p~go 4 

666 

twoit equal installmanta or not loam than the total l - earned 

in oompjnration by him in hfa orfiold oapaolty for the timal 

yeal: or 1935, er,d not more than the AWAX~~UOI amount a1lo~3d mmh 

offioor under the laws oxl6tfng on August 84, 1935~Byannl.n 

County haa an as808806 valuation in 0x0088 0r twenty nillion 

do lla rl ooordlng s to the last prooodlng .S$protod tax roll Of 

auoh ooanty, the uuimua amount allowod~‘auoh otflort8 as ralary 

nay ba lnoroaard one per aont for oaah one mlllloa dollars or 

fraotional part thereof, in l xooaa of the aald twenty million 

dollar valuation otor and above the maxigp amount allowed auoh 

offloor under laws oxlatln( oa huguet l%; 1938. 

It is noted that ~00 rorar to Yi6ada 0r th County 

Judge, Coantf Clork,*oto. For the purpoaoa 0r this opinion, wo 

l a a uu that you aean the oounty otilolal~ named in tbo firat 

question aubmIttod in your lnquirr. 

In anuwor to your first ~uoatlon pu are crdtleed that 

the ml&au and nsrfmum aalerloa at auoh oounty ofrloiala are 

fixed bJ statute and that the ooaaiaslono.ra, oourt la d~otoraining 

the anount of aalarior to be roooltod by auoh oounty offloisla 

ha8 th6 A&t and authority under Sootlon 15, Art1016 391e0, 

aupra, to fix the salaries of auoh orrlolala In any amount 

not loam than the total sun earned as oomponaatlon bf the otfioor in his offioial oapaolty for the rimoil year of 1956, and 

not more than the maximum amount allowed auoh offloor under laws 

l xLatlng on August 84, WM. (Ill support 0r thlr statonant 846 

the oa868 of laoo@dooher Count, t. Jlnklno, 140 5. 1. (Ed) 901; 

and Wacogdoohos County t. Winder, 140 SW (2d) 97fi) 

In anawer to your aroond question,, you are roepottully 

advieod that the oomlaslonora ' oourt 0r Fannln County has no authority whataootor to put the oounty baok oa a fee baria in tiow 

of the foregoing prorlafoaa of the Uonatitutlon and statutes oltod 

above. 

With roforonos to 

that It la our opinion that t h 

our third question, you are advised 

a oommi8alonora~ oourt ot Tannin 

County has no legal authority to lower tbr aalarloa oi the oounty 

OfflOlal8 oi raid oounty l ffootlto January 1, 194% ffoworor, when 

the ooaml881oner8, oourt of as14 oountp aerta at Its rlrrt regular 

Boasion In January 1945 to fix the ealarlea of raid ofilolalr the 

Dourt must la view of the forogola# rtatutory pro?l8lona, fix the 

lalarics oi auoh oounty offlo~ala as required by Sootlon 13, Artiolo 

59180, 8upra. Stated another way, the oomnlilelonorr, oourt of said 
Ibnorable -Perrle Pirtle, pagO 5 

oouaty at it8 fir88 regular meting In January 1945 ha8 the right 

and it 18 its duty to tit the salari88 of raid oounty oftioialr, 

a8 herstofora 8tated, at not 1058 than th4 total 8uIo l arn8d in 

oomp4n8atloa by l aoh 0fri04r in hi8 orrioial oapaolty r0r the tironl rmar 19S5, and aot mr. than the rarirum urartnt allowed ruoh 

OrriO8r undrr the law8 4Xi8tiZig OLL August 24, 1935. The 8al.ari.08 

Or ruoh OmO8r8 anned in lkotioa 15, Aftiole 59180 rhall be paid 

la twelve rqual fII8talkUOIAt8 a8 provided ia raid 8tatute. (Seotioa 

lb, Artiolr Solsle); 

Yours very truly 

8T (J2uf!adh 

Ard811 William8 

ii88i8tant 

AWrlC? 

.?".,."...