# 9‘aE Avro~N~y GENERAL OF TEXAS

Fcnorablo I-Inrvey (1. Hoossr CountyAttorney

. 0. Fox 722 '3ig Spring, 'Foxas
+mr Sir: Opinion \io. o-7535 RR: Whether justices of ,thpl poaas H!id nonS~sblo8 of nol~:it:~s having mcr~ than 20,000 popu:lation may be pnid either by fees or salary and thrt maximum salary for suoh offioials, This departmenthas rocoivedyour request dated December 6, :].94c,. ycur lettier states in part: "'Article

No. 391?0 in Section I~ics, 1 and 2 are nn,tnxnct,ly clew. I want to know if in Counties of nvxw than 70,000 pnpu?pkticn nan they either Ix paid by fees or by srxilary,I !i:r;o ,itsnys ,tha~t

20,000 or less it can 1:o.

'%I11 district officers in Me “tntn oT Texas md all county officars in counties hnvi:ig a popri'iutirrui

of ::O,OOO

or more, scow-ding to the then last. prenoding ?odornl :~:onsil:; ~ shnI.1 fram .thafirst day of January and ttweuftor, wd subsequr~~~t~ to t,hnfirst Rogtilaror Special Session of the !;egislature ~ft:er the adoption of thj~s Resolutior,,

be compensated on a salary basis. In al,1counties in this State, the Ccnmissicnsrs

1 Court shall be a~h?&sd to determinewhether preoinut officera shall he oompensated on 8 fee basis or on a salary lmsis; and in courrties having 8 populat?cn of 108~ than 20,000, according to the then last prnceding i'edornl Census. the Commissioners' Court shall alsc have the authorj,ty to determinewhether county officers shall ba ccmpe:nsated

on a fee I:n:;is

or on a salary basis,'"(Underscoringours) Seotions 1 and 2 of Arti.clf 3'3120, V. A. C. Se, follow the intewtionof the oonstitutionalprovisior.. .

Hon. Harvey C. Homer - Page 2 O-7536 

# a You will note that all.cc-w~iirs may determinewhether preoinct oftj.cors sh:*ll ?M oompensatedon afeo --,-,_.- or salary basis. Seotion 17 of Article 391% prov:.dass q(a). The term 'i‘recinot Offierst as used in this Act means $wtioes of the peace and constablns a 0 . j)" ""(b). In countiesvineroit shallhave been deter&nod that crooj?ct officers shall be compensatedon an aanual salary basis it shall Fe the duty of the Conunissio?.ars' Court of sucYh

oowty to fix the salary al>.ov;ed to such of'fiers.Xach of said officers shall be paid inmozay w: ann.xl salary in twelve (12) equal instnllmentsof not less than the total.sum earned as compensatioxl earned by him in his official capaoity for the fiscalyear 1935 and not more than themaximum amount alloved s!ich officer under laws existirig ~:ugust24, 1935," These laws are quo-led for your guidance: Article 3883,V. .;,. C, So,: "Except as otherwise provided in this Aat, the annuals fees that may 'Y? retained by precinct, oounty and d:i,si;rict offioersmerrtior:ed 2:~ thq.8 ~'rticle shall be as follows:

Article 3891,V, .F.:', S.,s "Eaah offioer named in this Chapter shall first;onk of tha ~irrw-~i;

foes of ~SS offioe pay or be paid the amowt al:lowed hi-n under ~ti~n

provisions of t:rticle 3883, together with the salaries of his assistants aad deputies, and authorized expenses under Article 3899, and the amount neaessary to cover costs of premium on whatever surety bondmay M required by law. If the current fess of siich office collected in any year be more than the amount needed to pay the amounts above specified, same shall be demed excess fess, and shall be disposed of in the manner hereinafterprovided. "in oounties containingtwenty-five thousand (25,000) or less inhabitants, Di&ri& and County officersnamed hsr~jnshallretain one-,third of such ~xobss fees until suoh one-third, togetherwith the amounts specified inArticle 3883, amounts to Three Thousand Dollars ($3,000).Precinct officers shall retain one-third until such one-third, togetherwith the amount specified in &tiale 3883, amountsto FourteenHundred Dollars (?1400.00)." *+ * * *. .

Hon. Harvey C. Hooser - Page 3

“(a) I’heI:ommissioners Court is h,erol:!y

authorized,when in their judgment the finac,cial

condition of the countywd the needs of the officers justify the increase, to enter an ardor incraasi.og the compensationof the precinct, oounty and district officers in an additional. amount not to exoeed twentyf,ive(25%) per oent of the sum alLowed under the law for the fiscnl year of lS44, provided the total oomponsationauthorizedunder the law for ‘thefiscal year of 1944 did not exoeed the sum af Thirty-sixHundred (%5600,00) Dollars.” %‘ebelisve that the foregoing provisions of the Constitutionand Statutes of the State of Texas set forthwith suffi~ci.ont olari.ty

the enswsrs to your request.



# Tsr C’illiamI?.

Ibsnloy,

Jr. Assistant