OFFICE OF THE AITORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

&aorable Art16 Stephens 

county Attorney 

Eepklw county 

Sulphur Sprinsa, Teraa 

Dear Slrt 

per anaum vhere the 

reoelved a ralary 

OOfnt3KbJearO~ 

a ralated queetion7 

roquemlng an ogdnhm 

r&m rtated bfu been 

part aa follwr : 

t have over to re- 

&i&3 0.00 vhere 

f the Couaty Trearurer refemed to abme 

facts I 

smlumy 1, 1933, the Couaty !rre~- 

tvo thouwmd dollam ($52,000) par 

atmum, whlah vaa 

i 

I bellewe, the i!axUtm amount 

of ieer he v&m a loved 

7 

atate 3.av to retain. 

During the year. 1933-19 0, lnelwl~e, he reoslvsd rrlxteen hundred dollam ($1600) per annum, but 

at the beginnfna of’ the aurrent p%r the mRlW$ 

vaa rsduoed f'rom thla $&600. figure to sLS hundped 

$12; ($600), a Peducrtion of JSD evsa tbctasasd 

l 
mncrable Artie 8tephen8, page 1 

'In Deoember, 1939, the Coml8eioner8 Court 

publialy Pnnotusaed their Intention of rsduufag 

the trearurer*8 mlarp f'rcm #lf&O to 600, beginning Jmiary 1, 19'41. . . .' 

Th4 questIan rubmitted to this dqwt.ment for an 

opinion are a8 follovrr 

'(1) Md the Ccmlrrlcners Court ban the 

Is@ authority to make l wh a redwtlont 

“r2) If aot, i8 the Caml8rlonerr Court legally obligated to pa)' the treasurer the diffemmeo 

between the 8alary the tr ea mr el r hauld be raeeivlng and the ralery t&at he La aotually reooiYlng? " 

Acoordl,ng to the 1930 Rsleral Ceruw, Hop&In8 Oounty 

bad a populatfca of @,a10 inhabttantr, and ae~ordiag to the 

lg 4 0 F eder aCel n8uul , ald oouatp had a population of 30,274. 

Ssotloa 13 OS Article 39l2e read8 in pbrt a8 follovrr 

'The ocmai8rloaer8 oourt ln aountler baapopulation 0rtwbntyth0ti88ia (n0,0OO)lrhbitantr ormore,andlerr th8~~onehundrednlaet~ 

thourend(19O,OOO)inbabltent8 ao-to the 

la8t prooedzng Federal Comw, im hereby autborlred mad it u&all bv it.8 duty to fir t&e 8alarier 

of all of the ?oZlowlng mamd offiofm, to-ritr 

aheriff, aeae8eor and oolleetor cf taxer, aounty 

judge, oountr attommy, InaWUng orlmbcbl dl8- 

trict attcrneym and oouat attom who perromn 

the dutier of dfwtriot at i o~llc))r, birtriat olmlr, 

couuty 01* treaeurer, bide and eni6nl ilmpeotcr. E,Oh9~ oPf%eerr shall be paid ta money 

aa eanual malary In twelve (U!) equal lmtallmeatr 

of not lesr thaa the total aim earned aa aonQMm8a- 

#don by hQa ia his oiiiolal capeoity for the firoal year 1935, and not mare thm the irie&mm 

amount ellowed suoh orfleer uad8r the law8 existlag on Augumt 24, 1935. . . .* 
383 

Honorable Artle Etepben8, we 3 

This departmeat has heretofore ruled on a amber of 

qU~Sti~# SitibU’ t0 ths ?iF#t qtl88tiW prSr+nted in yOU? inq-Y* we aXW eMlO#iXig eOpie# Of the fOlkming MIltbMd 

epiakms for 

o-nggs, O-13 J 

our la?ormation. The oplnhaa are Opinion Xc. 

, O-2973 and O-1628. 

Ia reply to your first question, under the above 

Stit~ffWtS and invlm?e? beetion 13,&tlale3gLIM, rupra, 

and the aMorLtie8 sited tithe above mentioned oplnlonr 

~~#~t~~adV%#~tthatit18 the Opill%OilOfthi, 

-t that the OOlWi88iOM~8' QOU't Of %pk%M COWAt 

must fix the ralary of the oounty treasurer at a sum not I 088 

thea the total Slrm e-d a8 aOmptMt8atiOla by the Oo\mty $l'Oa#- 

urer in b&8 affl6ial eapaaltj for the iiseal ymu W55, and 

sot more thau the mmlmum~untal.loved8whofiicnr8under 

lW# OXhting Oil AU@l#t 94, 1935. !thOl'O?OX'O, PUP first qUO#- 

tion as above stated is rerpeot?ulQ Msvared in the negative. 

In tU8 

Billso. 19, kIt# 

your attention to &aate 

8eetien 13 of Artiole 3g912e, &El& that %lt ~&i~tf.# 

ml, 

O~*ithfn~de#~t~~tiQn~tthr~adr#~~~#' 

Oourt 18 aUthOriSOd to ?ZX the #a&U7 Of t&D GOWty trru~8'W 

l tauyrtmaot less than $600psryea~,andnotm4mtbaa@700 

p"-• 

Xawver, t.h28 #tatUt@ d-8 IlOt brbtrclle eff.&it8 Untill 

amary 1, 1943, and the population bra&et de8~t@d In #aSA 

~st6i$ute doer not lmolude 00Ut1eS haping the popu%at&m Of 

xc@clM county. ?herefwe, the above meatloned armmheat to 

Seation u of Artiole 3gWe has no applliutlon to the question 

wder oomideratioa. 

Ulth referenoe to your #OWEId qUeStiOn, yvur attsntiOZI 18 direoted to the Quo Of ~~~gd~@b@# &UntJ V. win&r, 

972 cad the ease o 

9Ol(evmr rerucled f 

Xaoo&doehe# County v. JinUn#, 

the first mentioned ease 

hold In l ff& that the proririona of the 

SktUte authari~ the ~arai##l~~~S' OOWt t0 fix the SW 

e? a oounty clerk at anf mua not less then a eertaln mlnl.mm 

and not aare thaa a aertala 8iadbu are mandatory and 6anaot 

b ie;aoPed by WUbW.8~ O? the QOOCt at th&P dl#Ol'&io& %'hi# 

6ase further hold8 in eifeot tha$.#iePa the OoUAty O~88~one~8w 

6ourt rejected al&We,, prere~ted’to the oouuty mdlt~, for 

/’ 
b&&aer of salary due tka Ulstriot olerk of the mnmty, rush 

offloer ~38 authorized to institute ruit egainrt the mu&y 

for such b81W~~98, though the e1al.w Vere not audited and 

appro?ed by the auditor, as it (co8 fjhe OOUrt’S duty to audit 

and pa88 Upon thW. We thbk that the ebove mentioned sues 

#pei?fOally aMver your second qUe#tlOII and in VbV Of the 

hO1dl458 Of Said -808 it 18 OUP OpiniOIl thUt th8 Oaai881CUL- 

~8' Oourt IS legally obligated to 

the dlffemnoe between the SabW7 UC 

f the eoullty traarurer 

&A he i8 b3&$8~y Ontt.tbd 

to and the salary uhieh he Is aetULkllJ reoeiYln& 

Trwtlng that the ?orogol.ng fullyaa8verr pow inquiry, ve are