Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1939 )

OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Wr. C. J, W&lo, Pags a ethsrwise in aaoordanoe with the prod- slons at oeotlan I? aZ this Ast. Ttb ootmtle8 wherein the Caronisnioners* Courti ahall Pave detersnine& that preoinot eSf$oehe shsll be campmsated on an manual ralary basis, but wherein they here deter- mined that oauntp ai’fiaan shsll not be 80 aempennated, hhe Offlosrs*~8alary Fund oh said aounty shall W aemposed and !mla up af fees, aonmiarsl~ns and other ocnqenmitlon solloted by the preoinot Ofri06ra or aueh oountp md Qepoalte6 in reiil fund, and suoh hmds ae may be trenerarrsd to said fuad bp the Cemwieeionarr* Court or the aounty. “(b) fn oaunties where it ‘ehall haye be& determined that praolnot of’flaere shall be ompe~~atetl an an mnnawlsalary basis it 8hell btt the dutp. o? the Coxndseionere* thurt ef rush oounty to fir the salary ~~~wwI to swh oiilssrs. Eeah of said offioere ohali be aid in anandyan ~nnwl mdarg in tnelva t E8) equal instellrzente of ~48 lesn t&an tilts tote3 mm sarneb an oem~nsatien earned by him ih his oifioisl oapeeity for the fiaoel year 1988. and nat n!ozv than the nmximummaeunt aIlswed suoh offdoer under the lmm exietin#g Autguat BC, l$HL *fa oou~tles in whloh praolnat ol’fioern en uld e salary as ompensetlon rer their eerv Poen, nuoh aiiioere desiring 00 appoint one or mre dapufira or eQaistentn shall aaka appli#IiItlan to the C~iselanars~ Court ror authority 80 appoint auoh deputy er aOput500, in the aanaer and form presarlbetl Per appli- aaticaas rer deputy oeunty orrlcaerrs by Artme 3908 3evis4d cfvil 3tetutee, 19eQ, 813ammtled wlth;in the provisions of thfr Aat1 the CW- missioners* Court shell not eutharize the appelntzwnt or any deputy oanstable at a snlrrp axaeedinng Firtaan Hunal~ed(W3OO.CCl Doll6rs pox yeac. Tb salaries of aeputlsa authorized to be appointed undr~ the provl- slona of thLa Session shell be paid out or the Offioeos' Solfirg Fund. %I oountier wherein tha oounty orri- oera named in this Sot are oompenaated on the basin or an annual salary the Gtnte or Texae shall not be oharged w&h and shall nat pay any fee or ouamleelon to any preolnot 017i0er far MY EOTY~O~EI by hSla performad, but aald offloer shall be paid by the County out or the Olfioer6' OIalary lknd auoh roes and aanmiaalone ,6a would atheml66 be p&l him by the State for auoh mrvine+w This department held on tanuary 16, ;1956, in an opinion arlttea by Hon. %oe 3. Almap, Aesistmnt ht+&rnay Gane??al addreerred tn Ntm. John R. Gnae, County Attarnt%y, S%%nkl!.n, TImas, that it was tha duty of tha omm~aeioa~~a’ 6ouxt in a aalarp aounty to 6et the aalury at un emount 0r the 0rri0i8.l not 1eaa than the amount earned d~rin&g the year 19W3 and not mere than the maxi- mumallowed uader lows btistbng August 84, 1938. Thla 6dminiatration I366 repeatebly ruled bo the MIIWeffedt’. See oanfennce opinion No. 3698, dated April. %, 1989, add~aaad to Ifon. 8~6, K. Evetts, wrktten by FM& Benj6d.n Ww$$a!.l, AseS.etant Attorney Qensral, and other apihlons eii this depertment. The laws in la04 ln 19aElattooting the, oamc penaatlon 0r ofrloera ara atated In Art10106 38813, 3891 ml 5895, Rtwlaed Civil R&Mea af Texas, as amended. The mm Botal or earnings uMar all three or said arti- aSee oonatltuted the oompenaation of said offleers. Hcraaver, the oaunBy did not pay any of the authoriascl exgenditurea. mla1e $891 provided othrrwlser Ttaoh affloer neuaeclin tsL6 ohapter aheli rest out 0r the ourrent roes ot hla arrioe pay cm be pmid tha amaunt allowad him under the prwlelona of &tlola 3#3!3b, tog&ha? wi$h the salaries or ,h,l? arain- tents and deputlsm, an& eutharime8. expenses under Arti SB09, and the arabtintneOt)S13- ary to aovar aoata of premium On HbstWaT surety bond may be required by 1ax.” Mr. C. 7. Wilde, Peg0 4 0 inlon No. O-744 or this dspertmtJnt nl8ten by Ffan. Bsnjanrla wO&aIl, A68letent Adcrnoy Otmoralt edt¶rseend to Hon. H. P. tWillan, and dated I&@ 31 1998, helda that tho sommifieionere* oourt In errhg at the proper minimum6alary for ltr oaunty ettornay In a salttry oeunt should deduot tram the tot61 aiwqonaation earned, 00I leotstl am3 unaolleot- ad duFin& the per 1933k the expen666 Of the Off106 for the year 1935 whioh wove legally allawed by the oorae&3donorst awrt for that yoer. This opinion rur- ther hold6 that leamuch aa Arti 391&e prDmvit$ing tar 6alrry or the oauntp ettornoyc$dco6 the *total 6~10 earned es oouwnsatlon for Ohe ttddal year 1935," the bOsf6 of the minimumsalary tO be fixed by the 0ommi6~ sioners' oourt, tho raes~earned end delpoafted CO the Wfi4or6* Salary Fund and the expen6es of the oifioit sinoe 1933 would be lanuatsrisl and aauld not aperate ta fnororuro or dlm%nlah the minimum66lary 66 r%xed by bha li3~iSbitiVO (tneot!Wnt. Tha 0fri00 0r oonstablo i6 a QO!lStitUtiOMl otiioor ..Ths ooneitable is naml in ArCiole Sass, the muxfrpumrb0 bill. It ~66 undaubtedly the intention or the X&s- latur@ in parsiarq Sootion lib of Artiolo 3Qles mpre, to provide ~llniman RI% msxiama mlaries not or& ior the pnoinet oiiloars who were inoumb6nts 0r 8heir otijaes in 193% but llkwrlse for thslr euOoe66ors in orrioe in ruture y6arsr You ure, thererora, re+psotfully a&vi666 that 18 1s tha opinion or tbS.6 aepartiasnt thrb in a oounty where oainot orrioers era plnoed on e 66lary bnsie the8 tr 0 ocmr4&8sf0nere* oourt in 8otting 8ho salary 0r a oonstabld who did not hold offioe in 1938, but who 18 holddng offioe now mm% be (loverned by the fOllOWfn3 oon- ditlonts! 'Ebo tote1 oo4pn6etion eexned, 40ii80tea end unaolle0tdd, 0r the inoumbent of the 0frt0e or oonstable ig the year 1933 lam the exp6n606 02 the 0Cfice for the year 1635 whloh were leselly @UOW64by the ootis- sionoret oourt for the year 1935, ehd?. be enb ia the ~inimuro emount et whioh the eelary or the proeeat aan- etable wh621 be eet by the o~mml~slnnere~ oourti %tmver, t&r. C, Y. Wilde, P6g* 5 the oErmaiasionemt*oowt oannot 6et the non6tablor6 6aZary at en ataunt in 6xoam 0r the mdmum mount ~Uom~3th6~60n~teble under laws etieting huguat t . TlWSting that thti 66ti6ftNttCil?:l$' 6il6W6r6 your laquiryb and wtth boat rqpuls, we ere WYFaAW =.‘9& ATTORNEY GBNERAL OF TmQ