OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAii’OF TEXAS

Honorable II. L. county atorney Nlnkler county Kenit, %zae Dear Sirr .Xobe&oii

of a Conatabls, able*8 salary ha6 the Con~lealo5ats’

'icls~?i912e, Sac. 17 (a), Vernon's

I5 countiee where it shall heva bsen

Court of suoh county to fix the sa.lary allowed to such offioers. Eaoh of said ofricers ahal& be paid l.n money an annual salary in twelve (12) equal ihstallments of not leas than the total cmn earned 88 cc..pensation~earnsd by him in his officialHonorable 8. L. Roberaon, Page 2

eapbotty for the fiscal year 1935 ‘

.. andaot more than ths maximummount allowed **auoh** offioer under laws exiatIn6 August 24, 1935, *In view of tha foregoing iiuthorlty tha Co~iealoaerar Court unquaatl6nably has tha authorlty to set the oonstabla'a salary in January, but it is doubtful as to whether or not the Court haa the authority to'eaise or lower the salary Wring the remainder of the **year.** "Ln your opinion, is it possible In any way to miss the salary of a conetable after the salary has been set Sor tha year. Ths salary nnxatbe paid in twalve (12) equal installments as set out In the statutes.” Xlnkler County has a .populstion of 6,178 ‘lnhabitaats accordin to the 1940 Federal Census.

Seotion 18 of Qtiale JBlEe, Vsmon*a kxnotated Civil 3tatute8, provides .ln part:

“The Commlsaloneral Court In oountles havin sand 'f a population OSlssa than twenty,thou20,000) lnhabltanta, aocordlng to the last praosding Psdeml Cansus at the first regular meeting in January of eaah calendar year, may pass an order provldfag for aompensatlon of all oounty and precinat offiosra on a salary basis.

. . ." Se&ion 17 (a)j'Artlole 39120, aupm, reads in 

### party as followa: *The term *Preolnot OS?iceral aa'uaed la this Aot means justloea of the pea00 an4 eonaDables. *

. . . *(b) In oouatiea whare it ahall,havs'been determined that preoinot oliiosra rhall be .oompensatad on aa annkal salary basis It sha&;,be the duty of

’ the Cawulsslon~re~ Court of euoh' couaty'to tlx the salary allowed to suoh otTi.- cers. fiaoh df eal4 officers shall be ,pal4 inHonorable Ii. L. Roberaon, Page 3

money an annual salary in twelve (12) equal inatallmenti~ of **not** lea8 than the total 8um sew504 as coapenaatioa earned by him in hi8 offioial capacity for the flaaal year 1935 an4 not more than the maximumalpount.allowed suah oifioer under laws existing August 24, 1935.

. . .* 

### In our opinioa Ho. o-1595, itiis stated: * that the caamisaionera* oourt has the rlihi ;nd authority to fix the salarlea of the orflcsra name4 in Ssotioa 13, Article 39120, aupra, at any mount not leas than the total sumearned as ooapensatlon by the officer in hi8 offloial capacity for the flaoal year 1935, an4 not mor4.than the maximumamohnt allowed such officor under laws 'existing 05 August 24, 1935, a54 when suoh salaries have once been fixed by tha aommisaloneral court ror 5814 otrlcera, they cannot be changed during that year; however, thenoomialssloneraf oourt may ahange the salaries of said offloers for the Soll0wl5g year, provided suoh salaries are not leaa than the total 8um ear544 as oompsnaatlon by the orflcer in his

‘olfiolal capaaity for the fiaoal year 1935, and not more than the aaxinuan~ amount allowed auoh ofiioer un4sr laws existing on August 24, 193s.”It will be noted that Seotlon 1.3, Artlole 39124, whlah is referred to in th8 above mentioned opinioa ia applicable to oouatlea having a population of 20,000 inhabitants or more, an4 leas thag 190,000 lnhabktante acoordlng to the last precedlhg Federal Census. However, we think that the ooaverae of what wa8 sai4 there with refersnos to a dearease la salary is equally applioabls to paragraph (b) Seotlon 17, Art&la 39124, **regardi% an**  iaarease ln the salary of a oonstable, Therefore, it la our opinion that when the salary of the oonstable haq~onoe been fixed by tbs Cominiaaioners~ Court for the year in oompltaaoa with Seation 17, aupra, the salary cannot be ahanged during that year; however, the Cofmi55lOnsrS ) Court may change the aalary of the constable ror the following year, provide4 auoh salary la not lass than the total sumearned a8 oo~~ens4- tlon by the constable in his official oapaclty fox the fiscal year 1935, and not more than the maximumamount allowed auoh

### HonorableH. b. Roberoon; 

### I?¶&3 4

officerunder iawe existinganAugust 54, 1935. Spealflaally answeringyour queetlon,there 

### ia no w8p that the COD&Ssioners*Court aan raise the salaryof a aonstablswho is coapeneatedon an annual salarybasis. after such salaryhas been set. Iu otherworda,the salaryof the aonstablecannot be increasedor Uecramed after it haa beenfixed 

### by the Commisslonere~Court for 

### thatyear, but may 

### be lncreaaed or deareased for 

### the followingyear @thin the limitation@ set forth In Seotlon17, 8uprar *

It is stated in 09inioaNo. C-1595,supra; 0 it is the opinion 

### of this Department that t~e'o&alssloner~t courthae no 

### authority to fix or change the salariesor the county 

### cOmmlsaloners,

. . ." Articles 2360 - 2350-1,inolueive,Vernon'8Annotatedcivil Statutes,grovldefor the salariesof the County Comiseloners In the rariouaoounties. Article 2350(2)provides: "TheCoamlsaicnera' Court at it6 

### first regularmeetlnS eachyear shall,by orderduly made and enteredupon the@lnutes of same oourt, rix 

### the salarler of 

### the oountyoommls- ,slonera

for suchyearwithin the limitsas provided for In this sot.* Therefore,the Commissionsret Courthaa the authority to rir the ealarlea~ofthe County Comihsioners at 

### Its rlrstregularmeeting each~ year, for suoh year,within the' limitsa8 providedfor 

### in the sot. Our opinionNo. 

### O-1595, supra,, ismodiSle aaoordiaglyto this extent. iVeare enoloelnga 009~ of said opinionfor pour 

### lnfonnatlon.

Trustlogthat the foregoingfully answersyour inquiry,we are $.kre .very'truly ~.