OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN

Honorable Cleveland Davla **County Attorney**  **3razoris county**  Angleton, Texes Cear Sir:

Your letter of Dee the opinion of thla Dspertme reada in part as followzir

therarore, I ntion to the

**or** thet the

Attorneys Di8triot Clerk, unty Treasumr of this it. under the ~rovlsiens oi 6 3Bl2 (o), Il. c. 8, 1985. *The lo40 Federal Cemucrahewed that Brarmia Couaty hsd Ed

population af~27, 069, and I hove been advf8ed by the TaxAaesraor-Collsotor,that the 1942 valuation for this County la tts au.. of $&6,532,84S.C0. *It is myopinion that under the law existing on dugust 24th‘ 193%the artrlm~~whichffoncrablo Cleveland Davia;Page 2

could be paid to the County Attorney, !‘ouhty Tax collector-W#~e~sor,Ce~ty Judge, County Clerk,Dlstrict Clerk, ahd Sheriff,was the, **mm of**  **#3,000.00** par year; ~8~that this ~aziiouht is the mlnlmumamountwbloh would be urea In oomputlng the salsrlee allowed to raid officers **under the**  **provislona of**  said Section IS.* Your letter of January 9, 1948 aupplezentihg the above quoted letter is as rolloars:

.“I appreciate very muchyour I?epartnant’r replying tomyletter of 11th **Deaembar, 1942**  **in** rrfer%me lx **aalarlea** which maybe paid the several connty Offlolals 

## or23rszorlacounty, **Teras.** *Further in reterence to this matter, Baa. 13 OSArt. 390&(e), appearing on page 12Cof the 1942 @mnulatlre Annual Pocket :Fart, prbvides that In aountia8 having a populstioa of **2+0,000**and, less than 31500, aocardiag to the last prooading pederal Census, and hevlng an atrsesasdveLuAti8n fn axemcl 0?~#15,000 ooQ.00, acccraiRg-tg%tths last apprcved prwwding tax roll Of **mt8h** aounty, the aaximua miount allowed such **OffiOerf3** as salaries maybe 

### inorsaseb1%Sor eaoh $l,SOcJ,OOct.~Q ~luation, OCR

rraafiohal part thereof, ln efoess of said ‘$15,000,000.00 vSluatfoa, **Over** and above thenms&eum amountallowed such ofsicers under laws sristihg on 24th **August,** 1936.

**‘ It**  **#emno %I&**  **thir** Aet became effective 18th May, lSSS, and that the Act epeolficrlly repeals all laws in conflie~t therewlth. vfieretofora Braeoria County has been payin& its officera under tha~p~visioas of the last paragraph uadrr MO. 13 61 aal6 **Art. 3902(e1),**  appearing on **pages**122 of the 1942 Cum‘ulativa Annu.111

pockat Pnrt, whiah provide8 thet tn all couhtfas having a population or not leea than 20,001 and not more than 23,000, according to the last prooeding Federal Census, andwhichHonorable Cleveland Davis, Page S

.,,.. hm.rn aosessed valuation in 

### exot3t3 **.of** fe~,ooo,oOO.oo, eoofwd~~g to the last prsoeding approved tax:roll of suclhoountfee, the mexlmm salaries af 

### moboffiosrs is fired 

### etsjS750.00. It is myopinion that this **Aot was**  passed **duririg** the year 1935.

***A8** edrlsrd fin myletter of llth.Daomber, the 1040 Boderal Canme showed that Braroria Count7 had a populetlon of 27069, and the selarles whioh could bo paid the county offlonra on 24th **.Auguet,** 1935was $3,000.00 par year. -It would seamto m that that portion of 800. 18passod in 1935 fixing t&e sal.arles at aneximumOS$3750.00 ia in aonfliat with the amsndasnt of Sec. 18whfoh was passed In 1959, and that auoh kot of 1999 repeals that portion 01 sea. 115above mentioned. The lOSOFedora& Constu, **balng the**  la& preossdlng Foderel Ceneur a6 the t&meof the afhotive,date oi the kot of 1939, showed Brazoria County to have a population o? a little fin **exoeaa** or 225,000gorsona, end our velufition in 1939we8 around #45,00o,000.00.~ The popalation oi Bra~orfa County, aaoordingto ~. t&s 1930 Federal Can8u8wa8 23,084 inhabitants. The population of BeId Countyaeaording to fho‘1940Consus iu 37,069 inhabitants.

Artlole 5883, ?eraon*s Annotated, Civil Statutes, proridds In part:

WExceptas otherwise prorldad in this Act, the annual fees that maybr retained by a preoinat, **aounty and**  **distriot** offiarrs nontionad in thfe Article #hall be ae tollowot "1. In f3our.itiss oontalnlng twsnfpflvo (28,000) thousand or lsss inhabitants: **oounty judge,**  distrlot or eriniml dbtriot attorney, sh~orlti, OOUntyHosorablo Cleveland Datis,Pago 4

clerk, oounty 

### l

ttorasy, distriot olsrk, taxoollsotor; tax-asssssor, or the eosossor sod oolleotor or taxes Twenty-Four Hundred ($:2400) Dollexs eaohi Jqsbios of the Peace and Constabls; lWelve **Hundred** (~12OO).D6llars eeoh:

Artiols 9891, Vsraon*s Annotated Civil StetiCls, 

### reedsla peeirt

### as rollma:



### T&oh offleernaaed in this okapter shall **ffret eut**  **of the**  

### ourrsnt**fees of**  **hi8 ofiice,**  pay or be paid ths amount allowed himunder the pro- .tislons of.Artlols 5885, togsthor with ths salariss I# his assistants end deputies, and **ttuttcrized** expnnses’underArtisls I&%8)99, and the amoust neoessary to oovsr~~oo4t~oS pruelum 8n **shatever surety**  bondray bs requlrsd bj law. If the ourrsnt fess of suoh **offibs** ool@otOd ln anyyear bs moxathan the smoaat nssdsd to pay the amou&ts**above speoifled,**  sameihell 'bs **d4muod**~oxbessfess, and shall **be** dlsposs$ of in th6mennor hsrrineSt6r **provided.** b *In, counti 0o*taiairy;~~'fn~nty-iiv. ('t35.000) Thousirid ar less inhabitants, di?tribt and oounty offleers nembdherais shall 

### retainone-third of suoh exoess fess until such om~third to@tihiEwith the amountspeolfied ia Article 6803, amou+s. to three thousand dollars ($3000.00). Preolnot officer shell 

### retainona-third until suoh onathird; to&her with the usoant **speoified $5**  Artiols S&W&amounts,to fourteen hundred $oliars ($1400.@!$),.

a6otloB 13 of ~&la~e.S912(s), VeSao~:s **AMotet&** Civil Citatutss, provides in pert;

T36otion 18.

. . _ TheConmlssionsrs* court %a aountles herleg a population of 

### twontg thousand **(20,000) inhabitants**  **or POW,**  end 1688 than on8hundrsd and ninety thousand (190,000) inhabitants acoording to ths last pz+sosdlng FederalEoaomIalo Clovelend Davis, hzgs B

-~ .~~ .eT..s

~Cenm@, **14** herob 

### rut&orbed end It ah411 be ito duty to fix ths salaries of all the fcllo~~ing nemd qffiosrs, towlt: Ghsriff, Assessor and Collsotor of taxm, oonnt.y judge, county attorney, including criminal district attornsys end county attorney4 who **psrrom** the dut$ss **0r** dhtrict attorneys, dlstriat clerk, coest~ clerk, 

### troamrer, hide and a&ma1 lnspeotor.~ Ee@hof **said otflaers**  shell, be paid in moneyan aaeual aelsry of twelvs (12),epuel inetellmeats ~ofnot Lesa than the total sus earned es oompensatioa by him In hia offlaial oepaeity for the fiaaal peer 1939, and not more the4 the msrlmumare ellowsd saah offlasr undar laws axlsting on **August** 84, 1936; provided that in counties heviag e popolet~on of twsnty thou&and (20,000) aad **1448** than thrlty-ssvea thousesd five hundrad ,(37,800) aooordlng, to ths lest preseding yedsral Osnsus aad having any**assessed** valuation .ia **4x4044** of f~ftesn **mnilllon** dollars ($15,OOO,OOO) eooording to the last epgroved ~rsaedi~ tax roll ,of 8goh oounty the mexfgua amount alluwsd suoh officers es salary maybe inorsased oas (1) per- * 8ent .for each one tillion (~l,OOO;OOC.OO) dollars valustios or fraotional *rt thereof, in excess of 4aI.dflftsan~mflUea (~15,000,000.00) dollars mluetlon,ovar andabove themaximum amountallowd **suoh** off$cyf **under** lays ,ox.isting on kupuet EC,

19SJ; l Sactloa is or Artiols 39Uis. **Vavon*s** Aanotatsd Civil **5tatute4,** provides la part:

R* * * and provldod **further** that Is all **aountiee** hfiV$Jlg **H QOQUl8tiOn**  of &Wt1044 thea twenty thausehd am on4 (2O,OOl) and not more t,hen twenty fivethousand (2&,000), aooordine; to the lest prsoediag yedewl C6nsu4, aad whloh **h44** en es4e4sed valuation in **t9me44 of**  **6Wenty** five million (&?.5,000~OOO.OO)dollars eooordiog to the lust precedizq approved tax rOl1 Ofsuah oouiitles, the oouaty judge sheriff, couuty ettsrasr, assessor **and oolieetor**  of tacos, oounty clerk ahd district olork, the mximum salaries hereby firedet thxeo tkoulend **4twea**hundred and itSty ($3, 750.00) dollaan.* As Sxazoria County ha8 a population in exaam of twentf?flve thousand lnhabltants aaoordlngto the 1940 P‘edekal Census,~the forogolng provlrion of SoOtion~l5 of Al'tiQls **3913(0)~** aupw, is no longor applloabls to *aid oouat~.

Theaai.arlee oi the county oitioials or Bra%oria **couqty mist**  bu dstormin~dand **fixed 1~** aOoordanca with thd provlsiolu of krtlolo 3883,' 3891, andSeotion 13, Artiols 391S(e), supw
. (see the oeee ot ijac?oSdoahslrCounty v. Windup, 140S.W. **(24) 972).**  Thie DqurtmenG ha* horototore **renderud** aevaral oplnlonm answer& queatlona al.euMi lndentioal to the question prfmented in p?;ur **Inquiry.** Twoof these opihiosm are Opinion8 Nos. O-2560 and **Q-2748.** Copiuo of t:aas opiniona are onoloaed herewith. ha the popalation~of3rasoria Cotintywas trrsntf-three **thoiwand**

### rifty **four inhabitant8**  aooording to the lS30 Bederal~ ’Cunaus, themximum alarise of 8814~ aounty of~iol~ls ior the year 1935 oould not exeeod the amour&of three thousand ($3000) dollare eaoh.,
.,

In view of the iongoing you are 

### ~8pi30tralip sdvi*ed that It is the opinion or this **Dq#artaleAt** that thu aaw **aalorioa OS** the county offiaiala af 

### ExaaorlaCoaaty, gamedia. Article %lS(e), Soot&m 13, SUpl'a I 

### forthe 

### year 1943, oannot exceed the auraor three thousand (+:$QOO)dollars plus one'perdent thereof for saoh million dolla&-valuation or traotional part t~.ereor in 0xees8 ot fifteen nillion (#15,000,000) dollars.

**Tbueting that**  **the forogalng**  **filly answenr** **your**

APPROVED

OPIHTOIY BYEm CFLimwa **Yours very**  **txuly**
**1943** ATTOFNW GENEVAL

OFTEXAS
;rY14 Ax4011 ;killlam

&dlltant

COMMITTEE AW:rr