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

**GmAW c.**  **MANN A-** **”** **.*I** nay ls, lOSO



### Trealncft

offlosn ln XaxTlron county a r e e o m p e n8 a t.d

o n l i e a

b a 8l8 *

l w8S **offloers** ti b a t he i r a nn u a l

**report8 for**  alo .par 1937 ant¶it roIlIdmean that 8OHm of tam mm to lliat say fee8 a8 havingEon. Charles B. Mcrtln,

May 15, 1959,Page 2

boonoarnedasdnoteollectodfortba year m. mlelr

reports

UNld indloats

that non0 of then marued lmd oousoteu¶ the smdmum for the year l937.

*In &eoklng overtblr asnualroporta for theyear1938, Ifind that so- ofthem oollected&ringe year1938 few that had been aotually

oarned'ln

1997, but, as **stated** above,**theywers** not listed inthoir asnual reportfor the year1937 as ha* bosnoarned and not oolleoted.**,G** of **these Ql.+qUttnt**  fsw .emmU in 1937 and oolloate6 in 1938. war0 esIsda& triizl ross,where llull~ts bad bosn returnetl

ona filea hlrlngem year &gg.

-wtxsm~~ tf0tilb th880 pb0in0t 0moers bo entitled

tc ccllectasdrotaln thoso Qsllnqusnt

f 808 whleh ha& not bsenroporteil ad dsllnquent

for the ~aar 1937, some **of** *hfch huvo already

beon paid to them Qurlse tho year 1928, and u)p11) of fho fees,aro

stl&l Quo and unao~eb, **or** do theuefoes bol6ngfo ths 'oouuty

**by** reasonof **t&o offher** * falluP **to roport**  fhom as ha- been oarnodand eoollocted ior the y&r &gg1*

n ls lutsrest~ to.notsthat the filwJ of this **department** have **disclosed au**  opinion **rendsroQ to**  Ron. **Moore** ,. Qnu,StakAubitor, on January2S,lQ32,writtonbfHonor**able Ev**  **’ emtt**  **P.** Johuson, Asslstaut Attorney **C!emral, contra**  to the riou held **by B.**  Alsup in the above oplulon roforred to, to the offeetthat the retontian of Qolinquont

foes uudor art10105892 ln additionto other roqulroments therein wntalued,ras oonditionedugonthoirbaing,rsparted.Artiala 3897, Bob 1925,Forty-fourth rSgtilat!tro,

8e8ad Called Session,

**Chaptsr** 467, roads as f+.msa~

'Raoh Qlstrlot,

countyand preduct offlosr,

at the close **of** eeoh fiscalyear (December Slst) shallmake tp.tho Qirtrlst

.Hon. Charlss R.&Wtln,May l$Ss,

1939,Page S

court of the uouuty in

. . . ..m whioh ht residesa

-_ . sworn statsment

m trlpuoate ton ronus Qesigned

anQ approved

ay the &ate Auditor)
a 00py of *Iah stataznont shall be forwarded to the StateAuditor by the clerk of the dtstrict

oourt of said oomtyrithin thirty (30)days after i&e same has been filed in his offlae,

and one bopy to be f&lstl with the countyauditor, If any; otberwlso

said ~&opy shall be fllsd tith,tbe Co~&ssionsrs~ ourt

. Said report sU.1 show the anyant

or all fees, oonmiss~ ma oomp~~~ons whatever

warnedby said offioer Qurf& the flsml yearg and sooondly, shall show thm amountof fees, eokmdssioas and otxupensatlons solleotsd

b **thirdly,8** s him **dtnlng** t&o f isaalymar;

**dreport** shslloontalnmltsmlted utatement

of all fsos, oomlssions and gompsssations

eari~odduringth~

firoaf. year vhiohrerm not ?ollefted, ~g+h~rri.tb~th~
- .. 

### name or tae party ovmg seua 

### tees, 8omauss~oas
ma 0ompMsations. Saldroportshallbeflle4 not later than Pebruarylst folhwing the 81086 of 

### t he fi s o a l ye a r u 6 for 

### l aahday.aftsrsa%Q date t+atsaldreport awsains notfilsd, said offioershallbe liableto a psnalty of Ts8nty Five ($25.00)

Dollars whloh nay **be** raooverad 

### by the aounty **in** a suit brought **for** suoh **pur** posos,and in addition said officer

shall bo subjbotto removal from **offloe.***

**The** above statuto **road8** the sam as the smsn6sd
AOtS of 1930,**forty-first** &&slature, fourth **CdJ.@d SOS**  slon, ohapter

EO, at #ioh session br the Iagisfature

our pnsont srtiole

3892was enaotsd,

and *hioh **reads** ss follows!

'Any **offlow** mention06 in this ohaptor who **does** not coUsdt the msxinwasmount

### of his fess for anyfisoal ysar and who rouorts dellnqusnt

fees for that year, shall be en- - titledto retain,

uhsn eolleoted,

such part of such Qelinquant



### fatas as is suffiolsnt.to aompleta

the maxlmumoontpensatlon authorised by artloles

3683, S8S3-A,

arid 25586 for fh0Hoti. Charles R. Martin,

Yay l3, 1939, Page 4

y&r S.nLnIchQoll.n@ent~csrsrecbrrged, and also**retain** tho mcunt of lxocss fees authorIzcd

by law, and the rcmalnaor 

### of tho aellnqucnt

fees for that fIsoalyear shall **be** paldas hcrcinpzvvidcd farwhcn collcctc~;

prorided,

the pr~r~lons of thls art1018

shall nOat

applyto any offiocr aftor
cne year frcmthe date he ccascs to boldtho offioe to whioh sny delloqnent fee ls due, and In tha wtat the offlear earn&g the fses that ~0 d8aquti hsrr not 00ueea th8 samedtMatnlvmm3alaI#arterbcoaaesto **bold** the OffbS, the ankNUt**Of fee8**  cOilOctb6 shallbs pnlQ Into tho aouutytreasury. ProvlQcQ,lwwvsr, that aothlngla this Aat prcelud138 the p6p9f.eof'= 0frIcI0.fm in ~ocordanoo

with TItlc 61 of t;he Revised Civil statutes

ofTcxas, 1925,~ partofthcmsxlmtsneomp~~tIon, Provldcd,thatiilxl%F ma0 in this +tti010 by this Act 8 apply 

### to fee8 heretofore earne6.'

.~~ Stat&s providin~fccs for publicoffIccrs
aro striotly.~nstruoa. Under fhe pro~IsSoiu~ 

### of ths dove statutes,

the offloerls rsqulrcd to asakq

a smrn 

### riport at the cl~sc of caoh flsoalyear and 8uah roport +mng othsr thlrup, 8hell eont8In uL ih1Q2ti 8tatemrmt of all fees, 8onmis~ions auQ eanpensaf‘loaq

oarneddurS8g the flioal year whioh rsrc not oOlleOtcQ, tog&sir rith ,thcaaawOftho
r id fee43 bolllmi88ions ana c0mpcnsatSims. ibtyrZ3iSat founi Sal fwtlole~j897 supra, scnt~hs the 

### report rcqti.mQ to bc aWe by meh* offioars

to &iohtha pr~~M.~nimntalncQ In artI 3292 undoubtedly

rofcrs. We quote from the **opiaion** of ths court of CIvIlAppeals rcndcrcdin Bitter

Y. Bcxar County, 266 5.1. 224;

r “‘sh4 oadymennsr provldodby .lefor

giving notlae to the properauthorities of the cOllcctIon

of,fees,

and **the** purp~scfor vhioh they w ore sollooted, is for the **offli**
cers collectfng

6uchfecsto m&c swrn reports thereof. Upon suoh reports,settlements ars lmaa ulnua~rlth the sountyaad fmmsuchrcpOrtsthe mount,drrS the OoMty~
as cxoessfees ls asoertaIneQ. It Was f0aQ

.**BOIL Charlee**  **R,** &Utfn, **&y l.3,**  **1939, Pago**  **5**

bytho trial courtthatthe appellant -68 annualroports purportingto cover all fees oollcoted and received by him duringthe fIrcal.

ycsx In question

these reports

were swoxn to as bcIng oomplste and oomct, but none of the fees sued for wore inoludcd

in suoh ropcrts. Tho failureto dfscldsc in his rsports at
some periodof time before the &ration of his term 0s offioe, thp'essentlal raotrr, was a~plaIn

vlolatlon

of the law; aad whethsr Intentional or othcxwlsc

hd was wIthholdIng

matcrlal

intcrrmatlon

from the oounty;-6 It dots not lie In.appellant*o mouth to ,say

the sot&y had oral not108 cr had approved

his contontlon.~
5%eLcglslaturc~

bsing~authorIzedt.oflxand ~dct&m&c the fees allcwcd to publicoffloers

spay impose noaessary -aiti0-, lS.mitatIons and restriotIa6 eonslnbnt with their oolleotlon and diisposltlon. Suoh
pr0visi0nm afford

proteotion

to the cotintyas

mcll as to the offlocrs thcmselvcs and provide

BKHWS of readily chcckingupandfollovdngthcsourocc oft&l fun@ bclong- ta the countyor to the officer r;lltirmately. Such

emnddng fees in question becamsLblc and payableaftsr. lnaletamnt

of the Qefendar&

fcr the offbasefor tioh he
was char@dInthe examInIng court, (soeartIclclO2O,
c. c. P., 1925, as amended). Suoh fees oomewithinthe prorislon~ of drtlales **5892** and **5897,.** supra,and src pyquiredto be report&Q**by** the offloor. It Is our rieu that the reqtiremant that.swh fees bs IaoluQeQ in tho offioers

swornreport,bclngmandatory, Ss a conditioner preoedent

to allowlag

him to retain suoh foes as allowed **by** article5892 and fallingto do sol, such offlccr

has not met the rtwiSrsmsat8 of said statute; we q~errulc the opinion

of Bon. Jot J. Alsup,above rcferrcd to.

It lsti tbcrefaro,

tho opinionof this departmeat that the provisions **of artiolc**  **5297, beln&**  mandatory,must k complied with bofors the Justice of the Peace oan demand or bc ontitled to retain uudar the prooisIons

of,&Icle 9892, as a mattsr of right,such aelinqud - trial fees payable, **and** qualify underthe provisions thereof. ../.’

.

Bon. Charles R.lWti.n,Lgy15,1939,Page 6