i

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

### GROVER SELLERS ATTORNEY GENERAL **February** 17, 1930

**Eon. T.**  **L. Blanton**  

### Countynttornry 

## Shaakalrordcounty 

## Albany,Tena DearSir;

ounty “\/ 

### 0r e0untyjudga-t0to iolo oompsnsation

ion a8 to the ma allow its oount

be awarded by t at ror our opin

## air0i-dc0udy play lawrul under ald county judge ation he 8hould

rd County hen **a yowla**  rdl43 to the la8t yro-

**, reads**  **LL~ hollows:** 

**lonarr ’**  **Court** is lierrby delng oompeneatlon ror ex-officio y **otflolal8** when the oompeMatlon n&oh they are allowed to reteln 

### ximu+prorldad 

## ror in 

## thir ahap

## re the oonpemeation and exo088 roe;which the oftloersare allowed to **retain** shall not reeoh themerlmum provided for in thin chapter, the Comi8eioners* Court f&hall **allow aom**  pensation tor 

## sx-offlaio eervloeswhen, in their judgment, euah oom.pensetion is neoeasary, provided, 

## suchaomgs5eatlon 

## for 8x0rfi0i0 service8 allowed shall not **lnowsass the**  **comwnaation of**  orficlal beyond .themaximum of’compenrationand

# ( i



### , ’

Eon. T. L. Elanton, February 17, 1939, P8ga 8

lxoeaaiaaaal.lowad to be rrtalnad by him under thla cmptor. ProYldad, howeVer, the ex oitlolo harain authorized 

### shall ba allowad only tmcu an 0Pportunity

## r0r a public heariti 

### and only upon tha

## arrlrmmtiyo vote 

## or at least three 

### ambars of the Comaiaaionara~ Court SW

As 

### atatad by you, themxlmum compensation allowad oiilcsra in governed by tiiclaa 5885, as **amended,** and 3891, 

### as aaandrd. The psrtlnwst provisions or Articla 3883 **are** 

### as 

## r0iiowar

Vxoopt as othenriseprovided in this Aot. ths annual 108s that mey be retained by preolnot, oounty and distrlet. offlosra msntloned in this krtlcla aball be aa follows: “1. In oountlsa aontalnlng treaty fire (85.000) thousand or loaa lnhabitanter County **Jtidga;** Matriot or criminal Diatrfot Attorney, sherlrf, Cdunty Clerk, County rittornay,

DfstrlotClerk, Tar Coll.,otor, Tax iiaaeaaor,

or the kaaeaaor and Collector or Texas, ~Zwenty-four 

### liundred (Q8400.00) Dollara eaoh; Juatloe of the &ace and Oonstable,

## Twelve **ffundred** ($1~00.00)Dollars aaoh.*

WI nou rraoh the p~rtlneot p~rta ot irtiola 3891I
-adoh oftloar namad in this Choptar shall rirat,out of the ourrant raaa 

## 0r his ofiioa gay or bs @ld thr amount allowed nis **under** the **prcYiSlun8** of Astiole 3883, togetherwith the aalerisa of **his** aaaiatanta and deputies, and authorized axpen8aa under Artlcla 3899, and the amount nsoesaary to OoYer cost8 Or prsmlum on v,hataYer surety bond may be requiredby law. It the current fees O? luoh offlca collected in any year be .qore than the amount needed to pay the aarounta above epeolriea, same shallbo damned excoaa fees, and shall **be** disposed of in themanner hsrsiasiterHon. T. L. Blenton,February 17, 1939, Pabm 3

proridod. 

### aInoountie8 oontafning

### tw0ntprirethousand 

### (85,000) or 1088 

### iahabitaatm, M8triot or county ol;Pioer8 nurad hmrain shell rot&n omthird or **ma011** l**xoe86 rO08**  **until m0h**  **mb84th;rd, together**  with the amOUAt8 8p9Oirisd in Xl'tiel8 **5885, WUnt8**  **t0 TbXeO**  **thOU8Md Dollar8**  **($s,ow). Yreoinot**  **OifiQW8** 8h811 rotain one-third

### until suoh oar-third, tog;sthmr mith the emout mpeoirisd in Art1018 S885, amount8 **to Fourteen**  Ifundred Dollar8 ($1400).* ThWeiOrO, a EOUIRty **jUdg0 in**  OOWtie8 COIltainf~ 

## twh.g-rive thixmandpo~mlation or 1088,ray retain th8 maximum **or** Twenty-tour Aundrsd ($Z400.00)Dollar8 end ona-third **0r** the eXO(I88 iOS8, the !m*1mum ooolpomlation and 6%0088 fWB8 not to axoeed Three Thou8and (t"s,OOO.OO) Dollera,making It pos8iblo ior e oounty judqa to **enrn** a fotal of Three Thousand (@WOO.OO) Collars **per** year, a8 hi8 iE6XiltLSB

OOBl&MJOS6tiOA.

. **Your** count7 **juagi is**  

## etorrioio **echo01 auper**  lntendant. **Your** l~ttar 

### statrm he wa(r voted an ox-orrloio aompensation Or Nine iIu~~d?@d ($900.00)Dollar8 rOr t;ii8 work. Tr.18is proper under the 

### provision8 or Artlo 3SS8, as enendod, nowreading a8 iollow8:

"IIn a oounty when tbo 0ouAtp Juego aotr a8 8uperintandontof pub110 lnstruotion,h8 8-11 reOoir. rOr 8UOh 8arviOOO 8UOh fB8la~ not to l

xoe6d Xine IiUndzed Dollar8 ($900)e year a8 the County 5Oard Or School TI'U8t.88 or ths ra8ysotira 0oU~1tis8 IMP provide. T?N amount 8hal.1

**be** inid in themeanor 8p*OifiOd in Chapter 49, Aot8 or tho tiortprinltLO&~- laturo, ikurth Called Somion (Art. 27006-l), and in Chapter 178, nota or the Fortp-8soond L,tgielature,

uegolarYe88lon (Art. Z8E7a).*

We dlrsot your attention to the feOt tlii8 ertl01s has been long OWEtrUOd by thi8 Department a8 beiw aooountsbleWI part ot themexlmua the offioar oould retain under the qovleion8 or .aticle 3691, su~ra, agd the oounty Judge 18 not entitled to the oom~pensation**pro** vldrd by AI'ticle

9888 ov:A~nnd above his maximum 

## COmpeA-

.HOA. T. L. Rlanton, February 17, 1939, gags 4

ratlm arrived at by rOa8On or said Artiole 3891.

It has been ooneistentlyheld by romer **ad-** ,mIniotratIons

or this 

### orrior that ths Commisalonersv Court may allow a county juago

## et-0rri010 oonpensation underArtiolr 3895, supra, in any amount within the discretion

### or that body so long as the total or rem earnedplus ex-oriiaiomay **equal,** but not exceed the maxImum allowed by law, In thi8 Instanoo,Threo Thou8and ($3000.00)Dolhr8.

You are, therefore,advised that the ComJBi8sibner8*

Court 0r 3haokelrord County In voting tha oouhty judge the amount 

## orTno ThOUSAAd SeV0A

Hundred ($2,700.00)Dollars, aoted within thoir legal right in so doing, insofar as your fIr8t questionapplies.

‘86 mxt ooneider whether the oounty judge had the legal right to break the tie vote Or the Comsi8aicnsr81 court 

## in rator 

## Ora salery inorease ror 

### himseir.

Fe note your holding that the language or the 8tatUtO (Art. 3895, supra) should **be** *only upon the errlrmatIvevote of at least threemembers or the commiesloners~ Court.” YOQ ate t3m8roufar~uiro viz vote 

## or thrS~iSSiGAer8. V:smat disagree with you OA this part Or your holding, for the 

## UOUAty judge Is a member of the aourt. R. C. 5., 1923. Sm. 11, Tex. Jur. 558; Art. 2342,

On any othar qUeStiOA exoeptwhere he is hImself interested, the oouhty judge aould properly psrtiaipste **a8** a umber of said 

### oourt. To illustrate, ii the question

## 0r ex-orrioio

## OOZWeA8atiOn r0r the 

### county attorneyua8 under consideration,there is no doubt but that the oounty jud5e 

## andtwoOomiiSDiOAO~S oould fix the amount, even over 

## OppOSitiOA Orthe other COIIL~S~~OAore. Viado not belI3ve the county judge should partlolpats as a votIn(i member of the court when his own compensation Is before that body.

Article 2340, R. C. 9.. 1925, reads i16followst
wBefore entoring LL:,OR the dutlea of their office, the county judge and each coa-Hon. T. I... Blanton, **FnbrusW** 17, 1939, *Pago5

miaaloner ohall take the ofilclal oath, and shallalrrotake a written oath that he will not be dlreotly or indlreotly intersated in any oonwaot rlth, or olalm againat, thr county la whloh he resldam, except auohwarrants a# may 188~0 to him am foea of office. $aoh oommlsrl:..ner shall execute a bond to br approved by the oounty judge in the hum oi three thousunddollar8,payable to the county treasurer, sondltlonsdfor the faithfulperfomno. of the dutlw Of hi8 OtfiOO, **that** he will pay over to hi8 **aounty a11**  **ooneyr** Illegallypaid to him **out of**  **oounty funde,**  as voluntarypayments or otherwl*e, **and that**  ha will not vote or give hlr aon8ent to par Out county 

### funda

l **XOept iOr**  **lawful p~rp08ea~** **”**
It will ba noted the county Judge and eaoh oommlsaloner ie bound br oath *that he will not be dirsotly or ind&reotlylntereitsd in any ocntraot with, or claim againat, the county.....exceptsuoh warrsnts as map lsmw to hl;n

as fees of ofl10e.~*
The 

### order fixing the compensation**would be**  **maman** tlal bsrore ths warrante oould issue and we thererore ooncludemounty judge would be prohibitedby hi8 oath from partloipating in tha vote nstabiishlngthe **order.**



### The3upremeCourt 

### of Taxae is the oaae or Dalton v. Allen, 215 8. 55’. 439, held a rlmilar order valid when’the oounty judgewae pre86nt and presided over.t& aourtwhen hla sx-offloio, oongensationwes increased, **but** he did not rota upon the gueetlon,and we think the inferencevery strong the holding of the case would have been **different** had the Judge voted for the lnoreaae. See ala0 218 9. Vi.73 (eeme case, Court of CivilAppeala oonfornl~ to anawera to certlrled question.)

The rolloulng from 40 C. J. 1037 reene here aaplioable:

"A public orflos **io a**  **piblio trust**  **and** the holder thereof Oannot use It directly or lndlreotly

### for a personalprofit; and ofilOerr are net permitted to plaoa thsmaelvea in a 2osltlon in wnioh personal interestmay cone into(on. T. L. Blenton,February 17, 1939,Page 6

confllotwith the duty whioh they owe to tha public. Thus publio offlOer8are denied the right **to maks**  oontraots in their offlolal oapaoltywith themsslver, or to become ln**berested** in **aontraots** thus made, or to taks oontraotsrhloh it is theirofflolal **businrss** to am faithfully erfoned$ nod a board cannot **make** 8 legaP opntraotalth ona **or** Its sm nembars in raspeot of the tnmt **rrpored** 

### la it.*

we, therefore.respeotfullp **sdriss** you it is our opinion the **order** lnerw8iag your oountg judge's ax-offloio salary to menty4eren Hundred ($a,700.00) Dollars **per** year, where 8tme we8 done by hi8 vote, Is illegal.
Very truly your8 ATTORNXP

GiZNUtALOF TiiX@

BY (rlgned)

asnjamlamodall

**A8818tant**

ATTOR?E? GZNSUL OF TSIkS