**.**

OFFlCEOF+HEATTORNEYGENERALOFTEXAS
, **AUSTIN**
lrobruury 24!, 1938

crtslnlnr, to ti-io county troeeurer,

12-3above **queotioa** sub3ltted,

tke e-owes whiah aro

**your ~mstion:** TTaya county trewmrer in a oouuty having a po~ulaticn of 10,4GQ andwith a &iluetian of less time ~G,OOO,OOO.OO retoln &insfwiker oomis.;ione fcr his o:m ocnponsation in exooss of $2,00i).OO annually?R.

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Hon. JamesX. Strawn, February 24, 1939, Page 2

Thooffice of county treasurer ia provided **ior** by tha **hl8t~tUt:On,** Article 16, Aotion 44, which reeds 88 follows:

‘@TheLeSioleture shall presoribe the duties and provide for the election by the qualified **rote;:8 cf**  oath oouuty in this Stete, of a county treasurer and a oounty surveyor, whoshall hnvs en office et the oounty seut, andholE tboir offloc ror tu;o -yeurs, and until thcIr’sticocssors are quolificd; end shall have such compensation as may **be** provided by law.” The follow!ng statutes control end provido for the maxiuer

, rate end maximumupon which the fees or oommissions allossd to the county treasurer are based:

.."Art. 3941. The county traasurcr shall receire coxnissiofi5 on the moneys reoeivcd and.peid out by him, mid oom.da.sions to be tired by C?rderof the oorrcnissioners oonrt as tOllOiVS: %cr reoeivlng nll moneys, other than school funds, for the oonnty, not ex**CW&ir.,;** tt.0 end ens-hall’ por cent, andnot **OXCeedin~** two end ems-hsZf per cant for peyinl;. out the seme; prodGod,, that ha shall receive no commls.sion r(ir receiving money trcm his prodecossor nor ror paying ovsr moneyto tie suooeesor in offloe.

“Art. 3942. Thetreasurers of the sevsral counties shsll be treasurers or the avoilabls puklia troo sahool fund and also of ’ tile periuanont county school fund for their rskpectivo counties. The treasurers of the soveral counties shall be nllo:*:sd for rsceivin;s end disbursing ths school funds one-half of one per cent for rcoeiviQg, and one-half Of on0 PSr oent for diSburslng, said co~izi33lrnt to be paid out -Y of the evollablo so5001 fund CPtho county;. provided, no cor%%isnions ahnll be paid for rccel.vlnS the bnlsnos trsnsmittod to him by his predoceasar, or for turning over the balance in his hsnds to his suoosssor; and provided, that ho shall rooeivo no oozemissions on moneytransferrod.”.

Eon. JamesVT:StraaP,.February 24, 1839, Page 3

r0110e3: AHAke 3943, RS amended, reads in part as

bThe’COmrd6SiOnS allked ‘to any county trsaturcr shall not exceed $2,000.00 annually;

.... At the out-set, weare constreined to aonaur w2th tt;e ?ropx?itions OSlaid down3.nyour brlaf. Under the.faats aitsd a?pliqoble to your aounty such maximum awqensation, IncludinS also the disburaine end receivinc of tho sahool funds; would be confi’ned to the limits oxpressod in tha above quotwi portion of Article 3943, Revised Civil Stat*dos, 1925, as amended. This ReRartment ha3 cozsist?ntly held that tha aounty treesurer is not such an officer es dssIgneted OX would some nit!+ in the prcvlsIons of ‘.he ~arinun Sr;obill 8s orizlnally enacted by the Acts of 1930, 41at Xegisluturc, 4th Celled Session, pago 30, ohugtor 22 and a?endr,anQ ~5 ssme inaluded the provisions of &tialle 32-53end 3891, Revised Civil Statutes, 1925, es omendad.

In iixini: the amountOSOOqXnSetiGu which a county treasurer ibcll rcaeive, es sp~lfashle to your county,’ the cozzaissioner, ** court ie confS.!?edto the provisions of the above artlclaset forth. ‘Such courts mayreduce the rote or peracntsge as provided in krtiale 3341 or reduce the nexisus coml~sion~ ellowed , under t:lc statutory rnte cr.?cch as fixed by the oourt, udder no csse, herever, my tt exceed the, %~rimm of $2,000.00 nnnuelly. CJinller que6tiOns, as, no doubt, the sltuatlon in your county nlll raise, have been passed tn by numerous euthorltles endweresgecttully call your attenticn to tile fcllonlnq cases:

Crser vs. Hunt County [Corn.of App.) 249 SW63%. . Csvcnport vs. Zastland, 94 ‘tax. 277, 60 SW244. Stophens vs. Kills,County, 113 LX(2nd) 944. Shawvs. Smith County, 29..5X (2nd) 1000. Ihroa%morton County vs. Thompson (Sup. Ct;) 115 ST!(2nd) 1102. i v

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. . Eon. iTme F. Strawn, February 24, 1939, Pa&e4

It is, therefore, be o?lnion of tMs Dooartmetent that t!x county trocsur,er in Rcounty vith a popu- .- lation of 10,469, according/t% precadinz ‘,r. 3. oensus, andrs1th.e yellration of lcsz tkm ~,5,000,000.00, wder krtiolcs 3941, 3942 acd 3943, as amnded, Revised Civil Etatutus, 1925, oaxsocly be allowed andmaynot retain 88 his coxll5oi.on or fmlery ally SIxaIn cJxocsROSQ2,030.00 annually. Very truly yours

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