**OFFICE OF**  **THE AlTORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  **TEXAS AUSTIN** 

Iionorabl6

uill1.u 0. xopom~ld County **Attorney** A -_, Coke 

## county Robert x.40,

Texas
Dear Slrr

nion of thle department upon the 4b

**2 ‘**  provldert **!,~ I**  has born reoeivsa. ed Civil **Statutes,**

6OhoO1 superinbe ox offiG

cepeotltecounties and oondlttbiui p~rf0~m0~ or his
PY 0f the OX 0friOi0 f~pOrin0 lnatructionin all countlea e, irom and aSlier September 3, the etats and oounty available

The population of Coke County aocordlng to **the** 1940 $ederal Ceneus is four thoueand rive hundred ninety (4690)Inhabitants.

Artiola **3883,** Vernon’eAnnotated Qloi1 Statutes, reads In part as folloire:Honorable William C. #ODot¶alQ, Page 2

'Exceptaa otherwire provldsd in thla hot, the ~+nrut7ii

feea that may be retainedby praolnot, aounty and dlatrlot offlosramcntloned la thla article ehkll be as follorra:
(25,O~~jthouaand or leea inhabitante; aount? In oountlee ooatainlngtwenty-fire Judge,

. . . Dollaro' Tynty-four **Hundred ($2400.00)** 

, . l . Article '3891,

Vernon'eAnnotated ClVll Btatutre, reads in part ae followe:

Wioh orricer naaied in thie Chapter shall first out of the current Is88 of hla offior pay or be paid the emount allowed him under the provlalone of Artiole 3883, togethervlth the ealarlee of hi8 aeslstanteand deputies, and author1zeQ expeneeounder Artiole 3899, and the amount neoesaaryto oover coet of prfmlum on vhatevor suretybond may be requiredby law. If the current feeo of suoh oifloe oolleatgdfn any year be more than the a@ount needed to pay the amounts above apeolflad,earn8 ahall be deemed 8X08SeP e.nd ohall be dlapoaed of in the manner herelnafter provided.
*In oountlee containingtwenty-flvethousand (25,000)or leas Inhabitants, dietriot and county orflceranamed herein shall retain one2~ third **of** such **exoeai3 ieea**  until auoh one-third, c togetherwith the amounts ape&fled In Artlola 1. 3283, Fount3 to Three Thousand Dollara ($5000.00). i . . . p Art1018 3888, Vernon’eAnnotated Civil **Btatuteo,** Provldea

:
aIn a oounty where the oounty Judge aote as superintendent

of public lnatruotlon, he shall receive for euch aerviaaa Buoh ealary not to exceed Nine **Hundred** Dollara ($900.00)a year aa the county board of echo01 trueteee 0r the r86peotlve oountleamay provide. The amount ehall be paid In the **manner** apeclrled in Chapter 49, **Aote** 0r the Forty-firetLeglolature,Fourth.z?alled SeselOn, (Article2?OOd-1) and in Chapter 175, hota OS theHtnorable ‘nillllam C. HoDonald,Page 3

Forty-aeoond

Leglslaturs,

Regular DessIOn, (Art1010 2827a).

" Article 3895, **Vernon ’**  **s** Annotated **Btatutrr, raada**  a0 follow; .I ;

*The coawlee~onera' court III

hereby **debarred** from allowing oompenaatlonfor 8x-offloI08ervlcee **to** OOUnty offlolalevhen the compeneatlon and exoeaa Sees vhlch they are allowed to retain ahall reach-theaaxlmum provided for In tlale chapter. In oaeea uhere th8 ooapenaatlon

and exoeee Seer~whlchthe oSSloce are allowed to retain &all not reach the nrorlrpunprovid**ed** for In thIa chapter, the coaunloalonerr~ court shall allow ooapeosatlon for 8x o?flOIo aercpIcOe when, in thslr jUd@B8nt,0UCh OoPlpanaatlOn

ia neCeeBBI?J,

prOvlded, euch compensationfor 8x oSSIolo rervloee allowed ohall not.lncreaeethe compensationof the oifloial beyond the maximuni of compeneatlon and exoeaa See6 allowed to be retaInadby him under thlo chapter. Provided,however, the ex offlaiohareln authorized ahall be allowed only after an OpportunltJ**for pubUo**  hearing and only upon the aSfLrmatIv8vote of **at least**  three siembera of the Uommireloners' oourt.a By tIrtue oftie ibove mentioned etatuteo,6 OOUnty Judge In a county aontainlnglees than twenty thousand lnhabitante,

who Is compensatedon a See basis, retain the maximum of Twenty-fourHundred Dollara , and onethird OS the exoeee f8es,th0maxImum compensationand excess See6 **not** to exceed Three Thousand Dollare (gsOOO.OO), making It posalble for the county **udge** to **earn** and retain a total Of **Three** Thouaand Dollarc ( 3000.00)per year aa hie maxImum **Qomppenaation.** In this oonneotlon,It le to be noted that county offlclale ln countire oontalnlnga population of twenty thoueand (20,OOO)lnhabltanteor more **wet** be~aompeneated on UI annual salarybaaia a@ preaorlbadby the ~Offlosrm**SalarY** Law". In counties oontalnlnga population of less than twenty thousandinijabltante, It 1s optionalwith the commIeslonere' Oourtwhether said officers are to be compensatedon an **antIUti** salary or fee baala, we are informed **by** the State Comptroller, the county offlclalaof Coke County are compensatedon a See baeis. Vlth referenae to Article 3888, supra, ne dlreot Your attention to ~thefact that this article hae been long Construed

by this departmentaa bulng aocountableaa pet Of the maximum the officer could retain under the provl.rdone Of Article 3891,aupra, and the oounty **judge** la not entitled to the oompaneation providedby hrtlcle 3888 over and above hia maxlmum oompensatlon arrived at by reason **of** said Article 3891.

tHonorableWllllam C. hoDonald,Page 4

It has been oonsletentlp held by former admitistratlons OS thle oiiloe that the oonunlselon8rr~ oourt may allow a oounty judge ex offlollo oompeneatlon

under AHlo 3896, in any amount within the dieoretloaof that body tao long aa the total oS Sees earned plucl 8x oSSle10 may equal, but not exoeed, the maximum allowedby law, In thlr in

## etance, &axo,oo.

.

In Oplnlon lo. 2Sl0, renderedby thlr department on March 9, 1921, and printed In the Attorney Qentral'e Report6 and Oplnlonr for 1920-22,page 297, It wa8 held that the oounty judge, aotlng as 8x oiiloio county tohool auperlntendtnt uaa alaply periorslngaddltlonaldutitr and ' the compensatloa

for his .strvlore

ae ex oftlclo county eohool euperlnttndent oonstltute a its a8 oounty **JUdgt.**
In view OS the Soregoingauthorltlesyou are rtepeotSullyadtrioed that lt 1s the opinion OS thlr departmtnt that the maximum legal ealary of the county judge of Coke County, who la 8x offI. county eohool euperlntendent, 1s Three Thoueand poliara ($2OCO.O0) **per** amum.
Your queetlonwlth referenos to txpenets whloh uay bt dsduoted in arriving at tht maxkmum salary ie very geuerol ana epeoifieeno partloulardtdudtion that you may have in mind, therefore,it neoessarllyfollow that we must aatvtr the aime in a general manner. The legal deduotlona that oan be mad8 are those whloh are ep8olSleU1.n Artiole 3291 aud Article 3899, said deduction8 **to** be mad8 in oomplianoewith said statutea.

Trusting that the Sortgolngruiiy an~uers your inquiry,we art
Yours very truly ATTORXEX

CHCtWbU OF TEXAS

nlr:Li4 AP~ROVEDJA~16, lg41 Ardell Wllllame Aesletant