Court Opinion

ID: 4137413
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2017-02-18 02:24:36.140137+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:37:45.086980
License: Public Domain

Hon. J. U. WHLB~T              Opinion Wo; V-1360
gig:     CT,                   Re :    iWx?amr-mmqfk~a13atlon
Falfurr%=;-Texas                        .of~
                                           tfia..;.my.vpfxp.ers
                                        and their Uepntlea and
Dear Sfrr                             ~,,
                                        clerks-Yx-BrWOkS county.
        ~''Ptm%stre~
                   rsqnea~~~,an~,.opf~~,,cDncarnlng
the marfntuu~~copymnsation
                         of the catty officials of
Brooks 'Catme ,&ndtheir deputies, assistants,and
clerks:

           Thwmrhrry uf-th&tXmnty @nmiaal~onersIs
gov~rnsd~~~~;Articlas~~2~50    3912g, V.C.S.
                           ,ancl             Att'y
mm;  'op. v-1327 ,(1g51). Article 2350 provides in
    :
            *In ~vuatirrs~h~vl~~~~the
                                   follvwing~as-~
       seased~va~~tl~a~,~~~~espsc~lvely,
                                       as ,shwn
       by-,the,totalasaes~aad~valnatlons
                                       of all prop-
       e~~~oeFtff"lud~~~tha~~ormrrtgasseasorand
       a~~e~,by,,~~.,Cowal~~~ars-,Canrt, for
       county~purpwaes;fur~t.fis~-pmmioas
                                        'year,fran
       time to~t~me~;~~~tfi~~Com~ty~ommlsaivners
                                             of
       such,~countis's~shall
                          .sa~ rec~elveannual sal-
       aties not,to exceed,,ths-.,anrounts.
                                      herein specl-
       flad, sald~aalar3~~s~~ta
                             be*pald'tn.equal
       !dlOTIt~~y-~%3l~t~b&lE?Ilt%,          (l/2),
                           at''k6WBt.-ECN3+??llf
       and nataxFaaeizrg~w~frmrtfrs'(3/k),           out
       ,of,-~~...~fi~-,and-'-,~~,..Fund,,,
                                        ana. .tfiere-
       malndwr-outs-vftYse'~fMnwalT-imU~w~the coun-
       Sy;.,said.assessedva'lna~ona~nd salaries
       appltcable~~th8~eCv~
                         being as follws:
               *
                   .   .   .

               "$10,000,001and less than $12,000,000
Hon. J. W. Wilson, page 2   (V-1360)

     not to exceed 2,200.OO. $12;000,001
     a@ less than t2O,OOO,OOOnot to exceed
     $2,500.00."
          Section 1 of Article 3g12g provides:
          "The Comlssloners Court In,each
     county of this Stat& Is hereby authpp
     lzed, when in their Ju@uent the,Ziman-
     clal condition of the"eounty and,ths needs
     or-the officer fnstlfy the %ncreatq, to
     emtur ~m'order imreasl.ng the aompensa-
     tion 0x=the ,prsclnct,coupty.and;distrlet
     o?fiaers; or efther ,of,then;ln~-
     tional amount~~~not
                       to~exoeed~~~twm

          ~Sinm~TtrOwimWnmtyhaa a-tax valuation
or $lg~,?J4.,&@(~95a,,ta~,,'~O~l~)~,.,~~.,~ximum
                                             base
cornpensat~~.aPlawd..%fie~~oan~~caxmtis~~onersunder
Article-P350 ?LS $2,500.00.~'
                            Sectiu~~l or Article
3912g'~~~orizws'.a~,~~crease.,i~,canpensati,an.
                                             %ot
to excae&,tve.**five,.,(
                       25,),-percmt-
                                   .'of,+%e,
                                          mm al-
lowe~~.~~;,tfn~~~av~,~rrr"t~.,~~~a~,~.year~vf
                                          1948.0
Since'.Br~,,,eomr~~.~~a,tax'v&~uat~onin 1948
          rolls) ,of$lI.,~2~~,~lg~.OO,
(1947 'tax.                        the maximum
allowecPun&er~-tImlaw~to,tha~~county~comutle8loners
In 1948,wm $2~;200..00~ Therefore, Article 3g12g
authorimmam kncreaa-e.3m       nsat%m,.tiotto ex-
ceed $550.00 ~(2~~qtw~ent                 In view
of the'iolrs@ng;~.it3~ ~~~opiPivn~~thrrt.the~~mxlnmm
salary that~+maybwpald~the county mmmissloxers of
Brooks ~count dtming 1951 is $3,050.00 ($2,500.00

       - SeAAm         House Bill 265, Acts 52na
                  I'.of'
I-w.9 R~.S.1951, ch.,Tgl, p. 675 (Art. 3g43e, V.C.S.)
provides:
          *In each county of the State of Texas
Hon. J. W. Wlleon, page 3   (V-1360)

    bating a apnlatlon of,lessthan twenty
    timus%& P,2O,OOO)fnhabitantsaccording
    to the last-~precscllng
                          Federal Census,
    whwrva-11'thecounty officers are com-
    pensatsd ma ~$alary~baais;theCvmls-
    8imeri~Court shall detsMm.-amually
    th'e'salary,tv,,be
                     pale the cvunty treasur-
    er; prwided tfra*t"the-
                          ,annuafsalary to
    b~pa~d,t~~e,..c~y.~,treaaurer shall not
    be:set at any stunless than One,Thousand,
    16i~ght'HnnUred~
                  Dollars,($1,8+X-)per~annum."
         ~~~~~~0~~~hu'~absova~'~~d.~pr~B~orre,
the Comw&miwms-' B~t,lnay.,~arat;"Dfrs,,,sa~~grg-,
                                          of the
Count Tr3atstzmr~at~~any
                       reammable ,amountnot less
than P,~OO.QO per annum. Att'y Oen. Op. V-1327
(1951v .
         "$hrcw-~gr~~.~annty,'baw.a.'gopulatlvnof
less than Z9,OOO~inhabltants'andfts county officers
were compensatedau a salary,bars18in 1948 and are
now ctmpwmate~ on a 3alary%asls, the salary or
the resmiting vmun~~tifl~ctala is governed by the
provlaivns of Articles 3912e-12 and 3912g, V.C.S.
Artlcle~3~912e-12pmwiaes~:
          "In all c~ountiesof this State hav-
    ing a,popnlatim of lese'than twenty thous-
    anB (2O,OQ@),according to the last pre-
    ceding Federal @msus, and in which coun-'
    ties 'theCvmdssfonerrU%tart~~~hamdeter-
    mineb-~~thz&%mccmnty~off%clals &all ,be
    cnnpensa%sd~m a.~salary,,basls,   such Com-
    miasPom3m Courts are authorized to fix
    the salaries    of cuunty ,oiflclalsIn such
    ocytmtles,their deputies, clerks and as-
    sistallts.Said cvmpensatlonshall be paid
    in~mon~hlg or se?Pinrvnthl$  Installments,as
    aalci.Court   may ,determlne.Provided, hw-
    ever,  that no salary fixed herein by such
    Caaanisslon~rs   Court shall be in an'amovnt
    to exceed Five Thousand; Four Hundred Dol-
    MS    ($51400) ror,thenCounty Officers and
    iw,an ,amvun-t  of Three,Thousand,Six Hun-
    &red Dollars,($3,600) for Deputies, Asslst-
    ants,'anc¶   Clerks;'provided, further that no
    salary shall be Set at a figure lOWer,,than
    that paid for the Calendar Year 1946.
Ron. J. W. Wilson, page 4   (V-1360)

          Under Article 39120-12, county officials
of Brooks County are entitled to a base compensa-
tion of not more than $5,400.00per annum. Section
1 of Article 3912g, above quoted, authorizes an ad-
ditional increase not to exceed twenty-fiveper cent
of the sum allowed under the law for the fiscal year
of 1948,. Tbmaxbrum mm allowed under the law to
the county officials of Brooks County in~lg48 was
$5,400.00. Article 3912e-12. Therefore,    Article
39128 authorlzw, an increas~e of not more than $1,350.00
(twenty-fiveper cent of $5,400.00), Therefore, the
maximum compensationthat ma be paid the~county of-
ficials of Brooks Ccunty Is $ 6,750.OO ($5,400.00plus
$1,350.00). Tn addition to the compensationprovlded~
for in Articles 3912e,-12a& 3912g, the tax assessor-
collector.Is entitled to additional compensationpro-
vided for in Section ~57 of Article 1436-1, VIP.C.,
as amended%b Ssnate Bill 271, Acts 52nd Leg. R.S.
1951, ch. 36is, p* 620. Att'y Oen. Ops. v-1294 (1951)
and v-1327 (1951).
          Article 3912e-12 authorizes the~base salary
of $3,600.00 for the deputies, assistants,and clerks.
Section 2 of Article 3912g provides:
          "The Comissioners Court in each coun-
     ty of this State lrr hersby authorlxed,when
     in their judgment the flnanclal condition of
     the county and the needs of the deputies, as-
     sistants and clerks of any district, county
     or precinct officer justify the increase, to
     enter an order fncreaslng the campensationof
     any such deput~y,assistant or clerk in an ad-
     ditional amount not tomexceed thirty-five
     (35%) per cent of the sum allowed under the
     law for the ffscal year of 1948."
          The sum allowed deputies, asslatants,and
clerks of the county officers in Ezooks County, under
the law in 1948, was $3,600.00. Article 3912e-12,
Section 2 of Article 3912g above quoted, authorizes
an increase not to exceed $1,260 (35 per cent of $3,600).
Therefore, the maximum salary that may be paid deputies,
assistants,and~clerks In Brooks County Is $4,860
($3,600 plus $1,260).
                        SUMMARY
          The~maxlmumcumpensatlonof the County
     Commissionersof Brooks County is now $3,050.
     Arts. 2350 and 3912g, V.C.S.
Hon. 3. W. Wilson, page 5   (V-1360)

          The Comlssloners~ Court of Brooks
     CotmQ;ynray,setthe salary of the County
     Tmasumr ~at~~a~~~masonab~le   sum not less
     than $1;800.00. H.B. 265, Acts ~52ndLeg.,
     R.S. 1951, 'ch.391, up. 675~.

     and 3912g, V.C.S. In ~additi,on to the com-
     pe?matlmrprwlded for in Aptlcles 3912e-12
     and 39912g,the,tax asset-collector Is
     entitled,,to;Ch%',campensa~~-prPvided  for
        ?hct*an~57
     1x-r          ofofArtic101436-1, V.P.C., %is
     amende~d,bySmiate Bill 271, Acts 52nd Leg.,
     R.S. lgfl, ch. 368, p'.6z-o.
           ~~Thw~~ma~mumaalary~that 'my be paid
      tvthe deputies, assistants,and clerks
      is ~$4~,860. Arta. 3912s-12 and 3912g, V.C.S.
APPRQVEh                         Yours very truly,'
J. C. Davis, ~Jr.                  PRICE DANIEL
County Affatm Mvfaf,on           Attorney Qeneral
Everett Hutchlnson
Executive Assfstant
Charlea*D.N&them
First Assistant                        Asslstant
JR:mh