OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 
Wr. C. J, W&lo, Pags a 

ethsrwise in aaoordanoe with the prodslons at oeotlan I? aZ this Ast. 

Ttb ootmtle8 wherein the Caronisnioners* 

Courti ahall Pave detersnine& that preoinot 

eSf$oehe shsll be campmsated on an manual 

ralary basis, but wherein they here determined that oauntp ai’fiaan shsll not be 80 

aempennated, hhe Offlosrs*~8alary Fund oh 

said aounty shall W aemposed and !mla up 

af fees, aonmiarsl~ns and other ocnqenmitlon 

solloted by the preoinot Ofri06ra or aueh 

oountp md Qepoalte6 in reiil fund, and suoh 

hmds ae may be trenerarrsd to said fuad 

bp the Cemwieeionarr* Court or the aounty. 

“(b) fn oaunties where it ‘ehall haye 

be& determined that praolnot of’flaere shall 

be ompe~~atetl an an mnnawl salary basis 

it 8hell btt the dutp. o? the Coxndseionere* 

thurt ef rush oounty to fir the salary 

~~~wwI to swh oiilssrs. Eeah of said 

offioere ohali be 

mdarg in tnelva t E 

aid 

8) 

in anandy an ~nnwl 

equal instellrzente of 

~48 lesn t&an tilts tote3 mm sarneb an oem~nsatien 

earned by him ih his oifioisl oapeeity for 

the fiaoel year 1988. and nat n!ozv than the 

nmximum maeunt aIlswed suoh offdoer under 

the lmm exietin#g Autguat BC, l$HL 

*fa oou~tles in whloh praolnat ol’fioern 

en 

P 

uld e salary as ompensetlon rer their 

eerv oen, nuoh aiiioere desiring 00 appoint 

one or mre dapufira or eQaistentn shall aaka 

appli#IiItlan to the C~iselanars~ Court ror 

authority 80 appoint auoh deputy er aOput500, 

in the aanaer and form presarlbetl Per appliaaticaas rer deputy oeunty orrlcaerrs by Artme 

3908 3evis4d cfvil 3tetutee, 19eQ, 813 ammtled 

wlth;in the provisions of thfr Aat1 the CWmissioners* Court shell not eutharize the 

appelntzwnt or any deputy oanstable at a 

snlrrp axaeedinng Firtaan Hunal~ed (W3OO.CCl 
Doll6rs pox yeac. Tb salaries of aeputlsa 

authorized to be appointed undr~ the provlslona of thLa Session shell be paid out or 

the Offioeos' Solfirg Fund. 

%I oountier wherein tha oounty orrioera named in this Sot are oompenaated on 

the basin or an annual salary the Gtnte or 

Texae shall not be oharged w&h and shall nat 

pay any fee or ouamleelon to any preolnot 

017i0er far MY EOTY~O~EI by hSla performad, 

but aald offloer shall be paid by the County 

out or the Olfioer6' OIalary lknd auoh roes 

and aanmiaalone ,6a would atheml66 be p&l him 

by the State for auoh mrvine+w 

This department held on tanuary 16, ;1956, 

in an opinion arlttea by Hon. %oe 3. Almap, Aesistmnt 

ht+&rnay Gane??al addreerred tn Ntm. John R. Gnae, County 

Attarnt%y, S%%nkl!.n, TImas, that it was tha duty of tha 

omm~aeioa~~a’ 6ouxt in a aalarp aounty to 6et the aalury 

0r the 0rri0i8.l at un emount not 1eaa than the amount 

earned d~rin&g the year 19W3 and not mere than the maximum allowed uader lows btistbng August 84, 1938. 

Thla 6dminiatration I366 repeatebly ruled bo 

the MIIW effedt’. See oanfennce opinion No. 3698, dated 

April. %, 1989, add~aaad to Ifon. 8~6, K. Evetts, wrktten 

by FM& Benj6d.n Ww$$a!.l, AseS.etant Attorney Qensral, 

and other apihlons eii this depertment. 

The laws in la04 ln 19aEl attooting the, oamc 

penaatlon 0r ofrloera ara atated In Art10106 38813, 3891 

ml 5895, Rtwlaed Civil R&Mea af Texas, as amended. 

The mm Botal or earnings uMar all three or said artiaSee oonatltuted the oompenaation of said offleers. 

Hcraaver, the oaunBy did not pay any of the authoriascl 

exgenditurea. mla1e $891 provided othrrwlser 

Ttaoh affloer neuaecl in tsL6 ohapter 

aheli rest out 0r the ourrent roes ot hla 

arrioe pay cm be pm id tha amaunt allowad 

him under the prwlelona of &tlola 3#3!3b, 

tog&ha? wi$h the salaries or ,h,l? araintents and deputlsm, an& eutharime8. expenses 

under Arti SB09, and the arabtint neOt)S13- 

ary to aovar aoata of premium On HbstWaT 

surety bond may be required by 1ax.” 
Mr. C. 7. Wilde, Peg0 4 

0 inlon No. O-744 or this dspertmtJnt 

nl8ten by F fan. Bsnjanrla wO&aIl, A68letent Adcrnoy 

Otmoralt edt¶rseend to Hon. H. P. tWillan, and dated 

I&@ 31 1998, helda that tho sommifieionere* oourt 

In errhg at the proper minimum 6alary for ltr 

oaunty ettornay In a salttry oeunt should deduot tram 

the tot61 aiwqonaation earned, 00 I leotstl am3 unaolleotad duFin& the per 1933k the expen666 Of the Off106 

for the year 1935 whioh wove legally allawed by the 

oorae&3donorst awrt for that yoer. This opinion rurther hold6 that leamuch aa Arti 391&e prDmvit$ing 

tar 6alrry or the oauntp ettornoyc$dco6 the *total 6~10 

earned es oouwnsatlon for Ohe ttddal year 1935," the 

bOsf6 of the minimum salary tO be fixed by the 0ommi6~ 

sioners' oourt, tho raes~earned end delpoafted CO the 

Wfi4or6* Salary Fund and the expen6es of the oifioit 

sinoe 1933 would be lanuatsrisl and aauld not aperate 

ta fnororuro or dlm%nlah the minimum 66lary 66 r%xed 

by bha li3~iSbitiVO (tneot!Wnt. 

Tha 0fri00 0r oonstablo i6 a QO!lStitUtiOMl 

otiioor ..Ths ooneitable is naml in ArCiole Sass, the 

muxfrpum rb0 bill. 

It ~66 undaubtedly the intention or the X&slatur@ in parsiarq Sootion lib of Artiolo 3Qles mpre, 

to provide ~llniman RI% msxiama mlaries not or& ior 

the pnoinet oiiloars who were inoumb6nts 0r 8heir 

otijaes in 193% but llkwrlse for thslr euOoe66ors in 

orrioe in ruture y6arsr 

You ure, thererora, re+psotfully a&vi666 that 

18 1s tha opinion or tbS.6 aepartiasnt thrb in a oounty 

where 

r 

oainot orrioers era plnoed on e 66lary bnsie 

the8 t 0 ocmr4&8sf0nere* oourt in 8otting 8ho salary 0r 

a oonstabld who did not hold offioe in 1938, but who 18 

holddng offioe now mm% be (loverned by the fOllOWfn3 oonditlonts! 'Ebo tote1 oo4pn6etion eexned, 40ii80tea end 

unaolle0tdd, 0r the inoumbent of the 0frt0e or oonstable 

ig the year 1933 lam the exp6n606 02 the 0Cfice for 

the year 1635 whloh were leselly @UOW64 by the ootissionoret oourt for the year 1935, ehd?. be enb ia the 

~inimuro emount et whioh the eelary or the proeeat aanetable wh621 be eet by the o~mml~slnnere~ oourti %tmver, 
t&r. C, Y. Wilde, P6g* 5 

the oErmaiasionemt* oowt oannot 6et the non6tablor6 

6aZary at en ataunt in 6xoam 0r the mdmum mount 

~Uom~3th6~60n~teble under laws etieting huguat 

t . 

TlWSting that thti 66ti6ftNttCil?:l$' 6il6W6r6 

your laquiryb and wtth boat rqpuls, we ere 

WYFaAW 

=.‘9& 

ATTORNEY GBNERAL OF TmQ