. 

OFFlCEOF+HEATTORNEYGENERALOFTEXAS , 

AUSTIN 

lrobruury 24!, 1938 

crtslnlnr, to ti-io 

county troeeurer, 

12-3 above queotioa sub3ltted, 

tke e-owes whiah aro 

your ~mstion: 

TTay a county trewmrer in a oouuty having a po~ulaticn of 10,4GQ and with a &iluetian 

of less time ~G,OOO,OOO.OO retoln &ins fwiker 

oomis.;ione fcr his o:m ocnponsation in exooss 

of $2,00i).OO annually?R 
. 

. 

Hon. James X. Strawn, February 24, 1939, Page 2 

Tho office of county treasurer ia provided 

ior by tha hl8t~tUt:On, Article 16, Aotion 44, which 

reeds 88 follows: 

‘@The LeSioleture 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, who shall hnvs en office et the 

oounty seut, and holE 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?rder of the oorrcnissioners oonrt 

as tOllOiVS: %cr reoeivlng nll moneys, other 

than school funds, for the oonnty, not exCW&ir.,; tt.0 end ens-hall’ por cent, and not 

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 

money to tie suooeesor in offloe. 

“Art. 3942. The treasurers 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 CP tho 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 money transferrod.” 
. 

Eon. James VT: 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, we are constreined to aonaur 

w2th tt;e ?ropx?itions OS laid down 3.n your 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;o bill 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 32-53 end 3891, 

Revised Civil Statutes, 1925, es omendad. 

In iixini: the amount OS OOqXnSetiGu which a 

county treasurer ibcll rcaeive, es sp~lfashle to your 

county,’ the cozzaissioner, ** court ie confS.!?ed to the 

provisions of the above artlclaset forth. ‘Such courts 

may reduce 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 end we resgecttully 

call your attenticn to tile fcllonlnq cases: 

Crser vs. Hunt County [Corn. of App.) 249 

SW 63%. 

. 

Csvcnport vs. Zastland, 94 ‘tax. 277, 60 

SW 244. 

Stophens vs. Kills,County, 113 LX (2nd) 

944. 

Shaw vs. Smith County, 29..5X (2nd) 1000. 

Ihroa%morton County vs. Thompson (Sup. 

Ct;) 115 ST! (2nd) 1102. 

i 

v 

. 
. 

. . 

Eon. iTme F. Strawn, February 24, 1939, Pa&e 4 

It is, therefore, be o?lnion of tMs Dooartmetent that t!x county trocsur,er in R county vith a popu- 

.- lation of 10,469, according/t% precadinz ‘,r. 3. oensus, 

and rs1th.e yellration of lcsz tkm ~,5,000,000.00, wder 

krtiolcs 3941, 3942 acd 3943, as amnded, Revised Civil 

Etatutus, 1925, oaxs ocly be allowed and may not retain 

88 his coxll5oi.on or fmlery ally SIxa In cJxocsR OS Q2,030.00 

annually. 

Very truly yours 

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