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 Cemucr ahewed that Brarmia 

Couaty hsd Ed population af~27, 069, and I hove 

been advf8ed by the Tax Aaesraor-Collsotor,that 

the 1942 valuation for this County la tts au.. 

of $&6,532,84S.C0. 

*It is my opinion that under the law 

existing on dugust 24th‘ 193% the artrlm~~ which 
ffoncrablo 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 mlnlmum amount wbloh 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 much your I?epartnant’r 

replying to my letter of 11th Deaembar, 1942 in 

rrfer%me lx aalarlea which may be paid the 

several connty Offlolals or 23rszorla county, 

Teras. 

*Further in reterence to this matter, Baa. 13 

OS Art. 390&(e), appearing on page 12C of 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 atrsesasd veLuAti8n 

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 may be inorsaseb 1% Sor eaoh $l,SOcJ,OOct.~Q 

~luation, OCR rraafiohal part thereof, ln efoess 

of said ‘$15,000,000.00 vSluatfoa, Over and above 

then ms&eum amount allowed 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, and which 
Honorable 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 suclh oountfee, 

the mexlmm salaries af mob offiosrs is 

fired et sjS750.00. It is my opinion that 

this Aot was passed duririg the year 1935. 

*A8 edrlsrd fin my letter 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, 1935 was $3,000.00 par year. 

-It would seam to m that that portion of 

800. 18 passod in 1935 fixing t&e sal.arles at 

a neximum OS $3750.00 ia in aonfliat with the 

amsndasnt of Sec. 18 whfoh was passed In 1959, 

and that auoh kot of 1999 repeals that portion 

01 sea. 115 above mentioned. 

The lOSO Fedora& Constu, balng the la& 

preossdlng Foderel Ceneur a6 the t&me of the 

afhotive,date oi the kot of 1939, showed 

Brazoria County to have a population o? a 

little fin exoeaa or 225,000 gorsona, end our 

velufition in 1939 we8 around #45,00o,000.00.~ 

The popalation oi Bra~orfa County, aaoordingto ~. 

t&s 1930 Federal Can8u8 wa8 23,084 inhabitants. The population of BeId County aeaording to fho ‘1940 Consus iu 

37,069 inhabitants. 

Artlole 5883, ?eraon*s Annotated, Civil Statutes, 

proridds In part: 

WExcept as otherwise prorldad in this Act, 

the annual fees that may br 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, OOUnty 
Hosorablo 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, 

reeds la peeirt as rollma: 

T&oh offleer naaed in this okapter shall 

ffret eut of the ourrsnt fees of hi8 ofiice, pay 

or be paid ths amount allowed him under the pro- 

.tislons of.Artlols 5885, togsthor with ths salariss 

I# his assistants end deputies, and ttuttcrized 

expnnses’under Artisls I&%8)99, and the amoust neoessary to oovsr~~oo4t~oS pruelum 8n shatever surety 

bond ray bs requlrsd bj law. If the ourrsnt fess 

of suoh offibs ool@otOd ln any year bs moxa than 

the smoaat nssdsd to pay the amou&ts above speoifled, 

same ihell 'bs d4muod ~oxbess fess, 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 nembd herais shall retain one-third of 

suoh exoess fess until such om~third to@tihiEwith the amount speolfied ia Article 6803, amou+s. 

to three thousand dollars ($3000.00). Preolnot 

officer shell retain ona-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. 

. . _ 

The Conmlssionsrs* court %a 

aountles herleg a population of twontg thousand 

(20,000) inhabitants or POW, end 1688 than 

on8 hundrsd and ninety thousand (190,000) inhabitants acoording to ths last pz+sosdlng Federal 
EoaomIalo 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@h of said otflaers 

shell, be paid in money an aaeual aelsry of twelvs 

(12),epuel inetellmeats ~of not Lesa than the total 

sus earned es oompensatioa by him In hia offlaial 

oepaeity for the fiaaal peer 1939, and not more 

the4 the msrlmum are 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 may be inorsased oas (1) per- 

* 8ent .for each one tillion (~l,OOO;OOC.OO) dollars 

valustios or fraotional *rt thereof, in excess 

of 4aI.d flftsan~mflUea (~15,000,000.00) dollars 

mluetlon,ovar and above the maximum amount allowd 

suoh off$cyf under lays ,ox.isting on kupuet EC, 

1 9SJ; 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 &Wt 1044 thea 

twenty thausehd am on4 (2O,OOl) and not more 

t,hen twenty five thousand (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 Of suah 

oouiitles, the oouaty judge sheriff, couuty 

ettsrasr, assessor and oolieetor of tacos, 

oounty clerk ahd district olork, the mximum 

salaries hereby fired et thxeo tkoulend 4twea 
hundred and itSty ($3, 750.00) dollaan.* 

As Sxazoria County ha8 a population in exaam of 

twentf?flve thousand lnhabltants aaoordlng to the 1940 P‘edekal 

Census,~the forogolng provlrion of SoOtion~l5 of Al'tiQls 3913(0)~ 

aupw, is no longor applloabls to *aid oouat~. 

The aai.arlee oi the county oitioials or Bra%oria 

couqty mist bu dstormin~d and fixed 1~ aOoordanca with thd 

provlsiolu of krtlolo 3883,' 3891, and Seotion 13, Artiols 391S(e), 

supw . (see the oeee ot ijac?oSdoahslr County v. Windup, 140 S.W. 

(24) 972). 

Thie DqurtmenG ha* horototore renderud aevaral 

oplnlonm answer& queatlona al.euMi lndentioal to the question 

prfmented in p?;ur Inquiry. Two of these opihiosm are Opinion8 

Nos. O-2560 and Q-2748. Copiuo of t:aas opiniona are onoloaed 

herewith. 

ha the popalation~of3rasoria Cotinty was trrsntf-three 

thoiwand rifty four inhabitant8 aooording to the lS30 Bederal~ 

’ Cunaus, the mximum 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 Exaaorla Coaaty, gamed ia. 

Article %lS(e), Soot&m 13, SUpl'a I for the year 1943, oannot 

exceed the aura or 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 

BY Em CFLimwa 

Yours very txuly 

1943 ATTOFNW GENEVAL OF TEXAS 

;rY 14 

Ax4011 ;killlam 

&dlltant 

COMMITTEE 

AW:rr