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OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 
H~QOPP~~.O uiifr0rd 5. 600, ~a60 2 

e~~otagh nbn0f to w the 0rrirOrr 8alary; thsn he 

in turn tokoa a wurant *bioh ir not worth the 

money and about the c&y way ha oan get ths money 

is to borrow on it and pay interest until eooh 

time es there lgi mtf~i,olent mosmy to pay aaid 

WerPaQts. AS B mat, SOID 0r th0 0rri0m me 

deputies are grttiag one hu.eUrod par a00 or Weir 

mlary whsrears other8 are havlpg to disoount their 

warrant8 atid are ~0% getttae, the hoe m&us for 

us weTrant* 

opinion that (L 

This Itlea 1s ruoU.y bawd open t&r 

Offfoon Selary itrnd oan 

be eat up r'ar doll oirioor, arzd in mmm 

plaooo in the &8tuto, .thePe @oem to bo S&Q#J authority supportlrr(l that olrfn. i3m1we~, am ym 

knou, SOISIS or t&e oliioo~r hate offiboa rhL?h we 

w(t rortonat~ than eara r0r 0mpb tb Ihr 

&uweor end Oolloetor end the Ooaaty 01.~8~. Ssru 

af the other orflooaw auoh as tkm Dfatrlot OXor& 

ad awe7 rtkrrr07 rail t0 got q or tha $80~ 

due to C&s rO0t t&at stat0 vuzk rOoOlTe8 a0 OOSpenmatloa o#op’tbM thet Motrsa 8et up Sn the 

8tatuts to ba, ouppllod by the mtatoq Cob tarther with the oltuation bore, other olaiu thm 

tit089 or orrie0p1 oahry, 8up li6e and e~p0n808 

hate beau paid out of the Of d oars and scllrrg fuml, 

2’hl.e ia the @zwral altoalien io this aoaaty newa 

“l* Ihdtw ma or 445 eetting ap t&e Ofi%- 

oira Valery Law, ($ pt under Sootion 29 seams to my 

that all individual orfi00m md sd.twy Fund 0813 be 

eat up ror eaoh in4irlduril ot~loar; Wheroes, other 

oerts of the statuta aeom to a&r that thoko must 

ibe oroate 

+%%P s 0rri00 aaa turn %n the aamu ant in lika 

thereor reoolvo a naTrant which e&all .be drawn en 

eaid rllnd. Ae I underataml our rltuatim in thim 

8 In ~0aBLng the statute set up 

seems to me that only the du4 
Bcmorable aufr0ti s. -4, 55~ 3 

eleoted otileexs, deputies, Oar MIleage, and genera1 office expense aab suppliee MA be paid O@t 

or this Cfficers f3tia -Salmy Funa. Hore+ar, the 

Comissionern csurt have been paying rent on bulldirag3n Par rellet offios anti other such olaime out 

of this futi which I think eooorafag to the atatute 

the Coaalrslonerr Court WY & paid out of the 

County General ~UACI tina out or the 2oad aal Brldg~ 

?UAa iA thS edhid~ pF0potti0A81 oOUAtYfa&p 

not to exoeed 75$ or oalary out or l3owl aa8 5ria(lo 

lUQ and the remalmler out of the t3enereI l!%Ai 

end the Cor;sioaionere raay get wll ai their salary 

out of RtaC and rridge Fund. 

. 

?Axi opinion coveting these questi;ms ttioroughlp will he oi great aasistanoe to ua, and f am 8ure 

will go n lbng way towerd olsrring up our birfi0ub 

tp in this couAtp. 

** . . .n 
Honorable Clifford S. Roe, Pegs b 

&mole County has a population of 22,339 inhabltaut8 aoaordlng to tho last preoadl* federal 0onau8. Seetlon 19 or Artlole 3912e, Ver~~on*s Annotated Qitir Statutes, 

,wntlonsd in aonneotlan with ysur first question only ep 

plies to tho6e oowitlee, having a popilatlon in exoess of 

l$?O,OOO inhabitants aooordlng to t&e last pr8oeQlng fe&*ral 

00naua. Therefore, Seotlon 19 does not apply to Panola 

County. 

Eeotlon 4 or Xrtlols 3912a, Vernon*~ Annotated 

~lri3. Statutes pr0rld6r: 

%.I all oountlea of thlo state containing 

a population of 1 

t 

98 

Thousand (19O.000 

thm.oo$,I3iWmM and Ninety 

Lnheblttitr aoaordiag to the 

last preoedlog Fadsral ostiue. wherein the County 

0~ P~eolno t ofriom4 are 04xap0nmted on e salmy 

beEi* wAaos the provlt3~ons of Q&lie hot, there 

shall be orsated a funU to be known a8 the Off%- 

oora* Salary AIIld 0T County, Texas. 

sueh runaehallbo kept~epan%eulaapart fro81 

all other oounty tutuIs, end bill be held and dlabureeQ for the purpose 0r paJring the wlariee ef 

oMoor8 ana the mlerlea or deputies, assistants 

ebd olerks of offlaers who are drtdng a salary 

fro10 said runa under the prrorialons of the Aat, 

and to pq the authorized er-eness of their off& 

Bea* Suoh fund ahall be dopositod in the Uouatr 

Depo~lt~z=y end shell be proteotetl to t&-m ww ertent a5 other oounty funds.m 

3action 4 of Artlole 39120, aupra appliess to all 

oountioa hating a population of less than 1~0,000 inhabitants 

eooordlag to the last prsaeding Federal 0anmu wherein tbs 

oountg or preolnot offlosra are oompenoated on a salary baslr 

under the pmvl5lon~ of the salary law, Therefore, this provlslon of the Statute applies to Ekmla County. 

In answer $0 rour first question, you are a&vised 

that it is our oplnlon t&at there osnnst be meata& a fmd 

for ea4h offloer afraotea by the provleionrl of the saler? law 

in a oounty having a population of lass than 190,WXJ lnhabitanta aoooraing to the last pre0ePlng Fedetil 8enaafh Panole 

County is authorlzcsd by the proViHona of Saetlon 4 of Arti010 39~0 to weate only one fuud lsnown OS the 0ffl00~~’ 
Honorable Clifford S. Roe, Page 5 

salary Funa of said county, ana it la the duty or a.11 officera to charge end oolleot in the manner authorized by, law 

all fee5 end 4ommla5lona which are permitted by law to be 

assessed ana oolleotea for all offiolal services performed 

by them end a5 end when suoh fee5 are 40118Oted they shall 

be depoeitea in the orrioera * *salary Fuzul as provided by the 

Aot. All offiaera of said oountg who are oampenaated on the 

salary basis nu5t be paid out of this fund. 

With referenoe to your aeooud question, you are 

advl5ed that no dlalma other then the aelarle5 of offioers 

and the aalerles of aeputiea, assistants and olerka or offioer5 who are drawing a salary from eald fund uuder the protieions of the Aot and the authorized expenditure or thalr 

offioe8 4en be paia from suoh orfleers* salary Fund. It la 

immaterial whether or not there ia.a aurplua in raid fund 

ne other expenditures are authorized. Seotlon 6 of Ar-tlolr 

39120, paragraph (4) apeoifio~lly providea: 

"Any money5 remaining in the Offloera( Selary 

Fuhcl or Funds of ahy county at 'the end of any 

flaael year ertsr all aaleriea and authorlasd 

expenses lnourred against eald fund for said ye~er 

alrall have been paid aray be, by order of the Oom- 

.mlaalonerat Oourt, trensferrea to the oredlt of 

the gm6mi tu~d or the 00unty.- 

.With refermoe to your third question you are eavlaed that the Offloors' Salary Law la not applioeble to 

Oouuty Commlsslonera and that the County Conniila5lonera oen 

not be paid out of the Offloors' Salary Fund. couuty commlsslonera mu& be paid In the mknner and out of the funds 

as authorized by Artlole 2350 and Artiole 2350(i), Veruon*r 

Annotated Olvll Statutes. Artlals 2350(l) provldear 

*The salary of each County Commlaaloner end 

eeoh county Judge may be paia wholly out or the 

County General Fund, or at the optlon of the Oemmissioners' Court, may be paid out of the County 

General Fund and out of the Road and Bridge Fund 

in the following proportioner County Judea not 

to exoeed seventy-five peroent (75$) OP auoh 5elarlea may be paid out of the Road and Bridge Fund, 

end the reaalnder out of the General Fund of tha 

County, and each County GoUmlssionera* Salary mey, 
B;onorable CllfNrd 9. Roe, Pege 6 

at the dlroretlozi of tba Wmlasione,zs’ Court all 

be paid out of the Road ana Bridge Funal providea 

this Seotion shall not apply exoept in oouaties 

where the oonstltutional limit of twentr-fire aente 

(25g) on the one hundred dollar valuation is levied 

r0r gan0m purpot30a.~ 

ThIe Artlole waa snaotea in 1935 by the 44th Lsglslaturs, page 1036, ohapter 362, eeation 2, berore the orri00rO' 

Salary Law went into dr80t. 

tbrreotive Jit~ry 1, 1936. 

The Of’floera’ Salary Law beome 

Artlolee 2350 and 2350(l) hare no 

appli0ation to the payment or the salary or a County Judge or 

a oounty where the oountp oltflaerr, are compensated on a salmy basis. In all euoh o0untle8, the Oouuty Judgea are gotemed by the provirlons Of the OfYiO0rs’ Salary Law and tauat 

be paid ln the aam@ manor aa other oounty oirloere are pala, 

bp WammI# 4hMt 09 th0 OrflOM’ SalarJ hm4. 

We now 00naider your fourth question. Seotion 5 or 

Artlola 39120, ?ernon~a Anneteterl airI Statute6 propdaoo lo. 

partr 

“It shall be the duty or all offl0ers to 

oharge anb 00lleot In the manner authorized by 

law all raea and oonualssionm whioh are pormlttea 

by law t0 be l aaeamd aa 0m00tOa ror all 0friobz remleer perrozmea br than. A8 and when 

suoh rees are 00lboted they &a811 be deposited 

in the OttIwrs* Salary Fund, or Fur& pmvldad 

Wf 8 ht. * (Aloe see Seotion 3 or Artiola 

. 

The Orfloere’ Salary Law speoifioally requires the 

orrioera who ax-0 oompematsa on a salary basin to 0olleot all 

fees ana aommiaelons whloh are per@tted by law to be amomed 

ana oolleoted tar all eiiiolal sertioes perfOrmd by them and 

such rees and oDlnmiaaiona when oolleoted must be depoolted in 

the Ofiioers’ Salary Fund. 3eotion 7 or Artlole 39l2e provides: 

“All manlea drawn rrom said Oriioers’ Salary 

Funa or Puna ahall be paId out only on warrant0 

approved by the County AuQl.tor fn oouutlea hatlng 

a County Auditor; otherwise all olairaa against 

eaia Aind shall ifret have been audited and approved by the Codserionerts* Oourt or said Countg 

ana the money ohall be dl@bur#ed 00 8ulush approrsd 
Ronarable Ollfford 8. Bee, ws 7 

olalms by warrauta arciwn by the aoun$y Treasurer 

on sala iand, ~. i iw 

Your rourth ip&stlon as stetea above is in taot two 

questions or at least oontaimtro parts. In view or thq foregoing eta&ate*, we respeotfully answer the first part 0r your 

fourth question in the negative and the sosond part in the erfirnative. 

Trustfng that the forsgolng full;r answers your inquiry, we are 

Youri vary truly 

A!iTOMWY WWXRAL OF TEXAS 

h. 

AFPROVEEJm 29, 1942