i 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

GROVER SELLERS ATTORNEY GENERAL 

February 17, 1930 

Eon. T. L. Blanton 

County nttornry 

Shaakalrord county 

Albany, Tena 

Dear Sir; 

ounty “\/ 

0r e0unty judga-t0to 

iolo oompsnsation 

ion a8 to the ma 

allow its oount 

be awarded by t 

at ror our opinair0i-d c0udy play 

lawrul under 

ald county judge 

ation he 8hould 

rd County hen a yowlardl43 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 ahapre the oonpemeation and exo088 

roe; which the oftloers are allowed to retain 

shall not reeoh the merlmum provided for in thin 

chapter, the Comi8eioners* Court f&hall allow aompensation tor sx-offlaio eervloes when, in their 

judgment, euah oom.pensetion is neoeasary, provided, such aomgs5eatlon for 8x 0rfi0i0 service8 

allowed shall not lnowsass the comwnaation of 

orficlal beyond .the maximum of’ compenration and 
( i 

, ’ 

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

l x o eaa iaaa al.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, the mxlmum 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 othenrise provided 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, Dfstrlot Clerk, 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 

3891 I 

-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, together with 

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 required by law. It the current fees O? l uoh 

offlca collected in any year be .qore than the 

amount needed to pay the aarounta above epeolriea, same shall bo damned excoaa fees, and 

shall be disposed of in the manner hsrsiasiter 
Hon. T. L. Blenton, February 17, 1939, Pabm 3 

proridod. 

aIn oountie8 oontafning tw0ntprire thousand (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 thixmand po~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 auperlnt endant. 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.18 is proper under the provision8 or Artlo 

3SS8, as enendod, now reading a8 iollow8: 

"IIn a oounty when tbo 0ouAtp Juego aotr 

a8 8uperintandont of 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 the meanor 8p*OifiOd 

in Chapter 49, Aot8 or tho tiortprinlt LO&~- 

laturo, ikurth Called Somion (Art. 27006-l), 

and in Chapter 178, nota or the Fortp-8soond 

L,tgielature, uegolar Ye88lon (Art. Z8E7a).* 

We dlrsot your attention to the feOt tlii8 ertl01s has been long OWEtrUOd by thi8 Department a8 beiw 

aooountsble WI part ot the mexlmua the offioar oould retain under the qovleion8 or .aticle 3691, su~ra, agd the 

oounty Judge 18 not entitled to the oom~pensation provldrd 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 ooneistently held by romer ad- 

,mIniotratIons or this orrior that ths Commisalonersv 

Court may allow a county juago et-0rri010 oonpensation 

under Artiolr 3895, supra, in any amount within the 

discretion or that body so long as the total or rem 

earned plus ex-oriiaio may 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 or Tno ThOUSAAd SeV0A Hundred 

($2,700.00) Dollars, aoted within thoir legal right 

in so doing, insofar as your fIr8t question applies. 

‘86 mxt ooneider whether the oounty judge 

had the legal right to break the tie vote Or the Comsi8aicnsr81 court in rator Or a salery inorease ror 

himseir. 

Fe note your holding that the language or the 

8tatUtO (Art. 3895, supra) should be *only upon the 

errlrmatIve vote of at least three members or the commiesloners~ Court.” YOQ ate t3m8roufar~uiro viz 

vote or thrS~iSSiGAer8. V:s mat 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 exoept where 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 

attorney ua8 under consideration, there is no doubt but 

that the oounty jud5e and two OomiiSDiOAO~S oould fix 

the amount, even over OppOSitiOA Or the other COIIL~S~~OAore. 

Via do 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 i16 followst 

wBefore entoring LL:,OR the dutlea of 

their office, the county judge and each coa- 
Hon. T. I... Blanton, FnbrusW 17, 1939, *Pago 5 

miaaloner ohall take the ofilclal oath, and 

shall alrro take 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 auoh warrants 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 thousund dollar8, payable to the county 

treasurer, sondltlonsd for the faithful perfomno. of the dutlw Of hi8 OtfiOO, that 

he will pay over to hi8 aounty a11 ooneyr 

Illegally paid to him out of oounty funde, 

as voluntary payments or otherwl*e, and that 

ha will not vote or give hlr aon8ent to par 

Out county fundl a 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&reotly lntereitsd in any ocntraot with, or 

claim againat, the county.....except suoh warrsnts as map 

lsmw to hl;n as fees of ofl10e.~* 

The order fixing the compensation would be mamantlal bsrore ths warrante oould issue and we thererore ooncludemounty judge would be prohibited by hi8 oath 

from partloipating in tha vote nstabiishlng the order. 

The 3upreme Court of Taxae is the oaae or 

Dalton v. Allen, 215 8. 55’. 439, held a rlmilar order valid 

when’the oounty judge wae pre86nt and presided over.t& 

aourt when hla sx-offloio, oongensation wes increased, 

but he did not rota upon the gueetlon, and we think the 

inference very 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 Civil Appeala 

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 personal profit; and ofilOerr 

are net permitted to plaoa thsmaelvea in a 2osltlon in wnioh personal interest may cone into 
(on. T. L. Blenton, February 17, 1939, Page 6 

confllot with the duty whioh they owe to tha 

public. Thus publio offlOer8 are denied the 

right to maks oontraots in their offlolal 

oapaolty with themsslver, or to become lnberested in aontraots thus made, or to taks 

oontraots rhloh it is their offlolal businrss 

to am faithfully erfoned$ nod a board 

cannot make 8 lega P opntraot alth 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 GiZNUtAL OF TiiX@ 

BY 

(rlgned) 

asnjamla modall 

A8818tant 

ATTOR?E? GZNSUL OF TSIkS