**OFFICE OF**  **THE ATTORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  **TEXAS**
**AUSTIN**



### uonorable roprSomy **county AttorAay**  **?ottw county**  

### marlllo, Tsxar

mar 

### sir:

otoa r0r 

### 8 porlod



### edlnyourlottrrof 8n OpiAiOA 

### tr'on

thf8

0 r01108in~ 

### paragraph:

**2,** a0ri80a **civil 8tOtut0r,**  **lees, 88**  **YOU rd@r**  

### iA **fOUr lOttOre**  **rO8d8 i~**  **p8~%**



### er 8ny **aimm,** 

### oounty or 

### preolnot 1 require 

### tbo sorvlooe OSa0puti08, 8aahtOAte Or Oh&@ iA the pSl'iO~AO0 Or hi8 dUtiOa he mill Apply t0 the COUAtY COAA~C~~OAOTIS' 

### CoUrtOf hi8 **OOUAt~ for**  

### suthorlty**t0 ‘** **~~$At~~Il~b** aaputler 

### arrlatants or olorks, 8ppiit38thA th8 AOAbOr **AOdd,** th8 t%OA tO b0

**‘ tilled**  **8Ad the**  

### amountto bo paid. 

### Said **8~$liOOtiOA** 

### rtmll be **rooompaAird** 

### by a statement rhowlng thr, 

## 146

BOA. Tom s0.y. i’aee2.

probable reoeIpt8 frownfeel, 00m18@1oa~ and OOA

### peaaetlo~to be oolleoted by 

### said offloe during the tisoal Jeer and 

### the probablodfsbursements vhloh shall lnolude ell l alarles and oxpenaes or said 0rri00; and e.aldoourt shall make It8 order authorIziA2 the appolntzent of suoh deputlee, Sa818taatS and olerks and flX the oomponsstloa to be 

### peld them within the 

### 1Imltatlonr: hsrsla preeorlbed and deter&n8 the number to be appointed
as in the diaorstlon of said court ASy be proper; provided that In no cake ehell the Coni~l~slooero~ Court or any member thereofattempt to lafluenoe the ap~olntneat 

### 0r any personas deputy, asclstant or olark laany orrloe. Upon the entry or suoh order the orrloert applylae for suoh 

### a6Si8t&ntS, deputies or olarke shallbe authorized to appoint then; provided that mid oonpea~.etloashell not exoeea the marlmum amourt hereinafter 

### Pet out. Tho OOAptiaSStiOavhlch say be allowed to t.hedeputies, erslctants or olerksabove named 

### ror their 

### servloesshall 

### be a rassonable one, not to eroeed the r0110Piinf.

ar;iounta:

...a ~'
3-eare unable to find any statute deallag with the Subj60t 

### of vacations fmow oounty 

### ofrlolalr. The P.~JZO 1s 

### true of 

### Ceputles, aseI6taatr 

### or other rocular employees authorized to perrorn 

### tsrvlce8 under the prlaclpal of any pub110 offloe, nlth the sxoeptlon ofArt1016 1583b, Penal 

### Code 0r 

### Texas, 1925, which provides 

### that every regularly Ssslened jellor,

### jail Euara, 

### or Jailmatron at eny oollnty $a11 la any 

### olty of aore thorntreaty-five thousand (25,000) inhabitants eh~ll be allwed fifteen (15) day8 vacation la each year tith pay, adtmore than two (2) tmmbera 

### to be on vaoatioa St the same tIzie.

COJUQ 

### .sdoaerb Courts ara oourtb 

### of geniral- jarlsdlotlon when a !tlw within the sphere of the povers and duties oonrerrIdu:oa them, hOwever, they Sre OoUrts of 1iElted jurled.otion

### in that theirauthority oxteade oaly to mttere per;alalw to the general welfare of their cmpeotlve oouatl :BSAd thiittheir pawors me only those exprossly or lmplledlrconferred upon theznby law -- that 

### is, by the Conetltuti#Aend Btatutes of the 2tSte. 11 Tex. Jur. para. **37, P.**  **5**H.

## 147

Boa. Taa Seey, Page 3.



### The law Lop0808 up on l 

### eoh l 

### leotlvo OfiiOi810s 8 

### OouAtyoertaIa duties oonaeoted 

### with his orfloe rhloh ho 

### 18obligated to relthfull~ dlsolmrgoma perform. He is rospoaslblo 

### roroerteln cots 0rhisdeputlor~ l Aa 

### iA ths rutter of atteadl~ 

### to 6na performing 

### tho dot108 0r his Otfioe, tho l.r holds him rospoaslble. &f.ayduties ooaaeoted dth 6 pub110 offloo must 

### aeoosserlly**be perrorm**  od’ by olerieal workers **OAa** rsaistanta, who eoaseqaently p8rfOCPItheir duties solsl~ under the dlreotloa of the prlnolpsl in orrlae. Xs9eaIell~ 18 this true uhere their dutIo8 

### arenot reguleted by stetute.

The status of the 

### verIous daputles, assistants
or clerks, 

### 08 providedln the

### l bove-quoted statuto, era varied. 8herlfi deputies, ooastablo deputies and 011 oooaty olerk deputies ore oonslderea pub110 orrloers. In 6 true seass, they psrrorm ~ove~ramental runotioa8, 

### end where their duties ore not prescrlbod 

### or replated br statute, 

### theyperform a pub110 servios, 8hsrlng tho rosponsiblllty of 

### offloewith 

### tholr prlnolpal. Suoh orrloers stand on a rooting different rrom mere oouaty unployess-- tho semloes and sn?plo)mentof the tormsr being authorized **br** lsw, the latter being based upon oontrcrotwith ths OOCImlssloaer6 oourt.

An ezsmlnatloa oi the aotr Of the various legls1atur.s ror sevsral years pdst discloses that 

### the geaoral appropriation bill 

### prorlsloas, as 8rr00tiag State employees, 

### pomlt twelve (12)working day vaoatlons, when agreed to betveen 

### tho off18161 end hi8 eaPlo~ee8. It It can be 

### sold that 

### theStOt0ha8 OaOpt0a 6 $'01:0yOf .llOWiA& paid 

### V.O.- tioas, a lawwhleh requires a pub110 

### offioer to 6erve a year 

### before being alloued.saoh vao8tioa wotild,IA our oplaIo~, oontrsveae suoh deolared polley, 

### deprlvlne tho government 

### of hotter and 

### more erfloleat servloe,whloh 18 the only priasiplo upon vhloh saohvaeetIoa8 000 bo 8a8talned.

Suoh satters of general offlee rOUtlaO 

### or mode 

### in which 6 pub110 orrlaer, 

### with the help Of hla 6uthOris8d **de** puties, asslstanta aad olerks, perfornrsthe duties of hle oitloa, 

### wherenot reguletsa **by** 

### stetnte,8re not vestoa IA the oomIssloners 

### oourt. Xe 0aaAOt help but view the astter or regal.tioa or hours end vaaatloas of pub110 OfSlOsrS 

### In 011 governmental and 

### polltloal unlta OSthe goveramat OS being solely ono of ereoutIvo or

### ad5iAistrativo dlsoret:OA, 

### rubjeot to be wlthdram or eontrolled **by** 

### tbe LWISlO

### turo.- . 

## 1.48

son. Tan Seq. Peg8 4.



### Veoetlonsam olosely Idontlflod

### with geaerel ~~l;;stretlve powers vested la the bolder of a pub110

. The only prlnolple upon whloh vacetloas are permIttod, lasofer es 6 deolared polloy of the q,overnment would l

utborlzo semo ‘appesre grounded on a settled polioy of employees or pub110 ofrlcers eaterlag Into ea agreen0At with their dOpart8mntel 

### or Off108hoed, under the lrttor(s 

### supenlslon end dlreotlon.

As vaoatloas dlreotly effect the discharging or theduties of a pertloular offloe, the responslbllIty rorwhloh 

### roporesin the prlacIpal of such offloe, the comnIssloners Court, bclng-aowlsecharged with such responslblllty,would not be authorized, in the absence of lsglsletlvo authority, to 68same control and attempt to regulet8 the some.

It la, therefore, the oplnloa of this deportment that the oommlssloners oourt of a county does not hate the authority 

### to peas an order providing that no vacatloas with pay shell be ellowed 

### en7 employees of the county 

### or deputies or assistants or county orrloersuntil and unless suoh persons have been employed for a period of oar year. guoh order, belae beyond the 

### soopeof 

### powerand authority vested in the 

### Commls~loaerscourt, la 

### ultrawires and 

### void.

Trusting tbe above easwers your request, we ore



### Yoursverr truly


### ATTOFUIEYG~IJAf~~TXAS

J. f klag Aa latent