Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
GROVER SELLERS
ATIOINSI G”~=“A‘
Hon. J. P. Wllllaar
County Attorney
bar a93
Yoakm county Taraa
Plalna,
Dear Slrr
yodd
t&Q be governed by thq laws under the new set UP1 as-passed by the recent Legislature?
Y.-.-he County Treaaurcr’s aalsry ~8s not included in the recent lawa passed by the Legialaturua, what authority, It any, does the Commlreloner9a Court have ror adJustlng the salary County In lhnaurer, line with the aslarlea paid to the other ofrloers of the County?”
Hon. J. P. ~~11~18m8, page 2
Tho population of Yoakum County 88 shown by thr 1940 Fedora1 Census la 5,354, and whhrn thr Commia8lonara’ Court ot aald oounty drtrrmlno8 that the ocunty offlOer8 shall br oan- penaatod on thr basis of an annual salary rather than on a fee basis, amount of ths annual salaries whloh the 8ommlaslonera~ Court may rlx ror suoh orrloera la governed by thr provlalona or Sootloh 15 or Artlola 39128, Vornon@a Annotated Civil Statutes, together with the amendment to aaid Artiolr, set rorth in Smotlon 4 or Senate Bill No. 123 Aota Of the 49th Legleleture, 1945. The a8 amended) oontalna g mar01 provlsloa8 mentioned Artlcla I a# to the mlnlmum and mnxlmum l alrrlea, l pplloablo to’811 ooun- tlra having a population oi 1080 than 20,000 Inhabitanta, agoord- lng to the last roordlng Fedaral Cuxaua, whore the Cormnlaa~lonora’ Court has aetrrm ned that P oountF ofilorra shall paid on a 88 wrll as spoolal Drovlalona, l pplloabl~ salary basis, pertain olroumatanoes, whorrby thr Coamlaaloner8~ Court may allow oortaln prroentagea or lnoreaae to br added to the amount of the aalarlea allowed nnder Dhr grnrral provisions of raid aeotlon.
As a ganoral Dro?lelon with referOnOe to the minimum ehd maximum aalarl8a OZ OoWIty OfflOOrs, In OoUUtle8 having a population oi 18.~8 than 20,000 inhabitants aooordlng to the or- ceding Ysdrr0.l Census, wm rind the following language In Sootion 15, Artlole 3912r, V. A. C. S.:
‘Thr Commla6ionarrt Court in oountlar having a population of 1088 than twenty thousand (20,000) Inhab- last preo8ding Federal Census itants, aooordlng at the first regular meeting In Janurrry oi l aoh oelen- dar year, may pass en order providing for dcinpensatlon all county and preolnot offloers on a salary basis. The Commlssloners’ Court In eaoh of suoh counties in hereby authorized, and it shall be its duty, to rlx salaries cf Criminal District Attorneys. In the event such Court passes suoh order they shall pay to each of said District and County OffiOer8 in Coney an annual salary in twelve (12) equal installments of not lea8 sum earned as oompen8ation by raid than the tote1 orrloer lr hi8 said oifloial oapaolty the fl8oal year of and not more than the maximum allowed suoh August 24th, 1935......” ofrloer under laws existing *3 Hon. J. F’. “‘lllle?s, -,sge 7
Thus, unZsr the quoted general provision, tIm mlnlmum salary vhloh may paid to the orrlcerr to la the amount earned a8 oompenaetion by eaoh retipeotlvo orfloor the fkroel yeer 1935, while In his said orrlolal oapaolty the marlmum salary under raid general provlalon of this eeotlon la the mulmm! oanpenaatlon whloh each r8apeotlve offloer was ellowed under law8 existing Aueuat 24, 1935, ($),OOO.OO;for lnoluded therein, other than the oaunty treasurer; orrloers #2,000.CC ror the oounty treaaurerl.
I’:‘lth reference to s~eolsl provlolona slithorizing certain peroentegoa of lnoreeae to be added to the roregolng amounts eUowed under the general prorl8lona, the pertinent prorlalona are:
R , provided, thet in oountlaa having a &la& or lea8 than twenty thousand (20,000) lnhab- ltanta, tho last preoedlng Federal Census, according oi Ten Mll- and having an aeaeased valuation In uoeaa lion ((10,000,000.00) Dollars ecoordlng last preceding approved tax roll ot such ocunty the maxhum amount rllowed such orrioers a8 sal8rlea may be ln- creased ona (1%) purr cert for eaoh One Xllllon (~1,000,000.00) Dollar8 valuation, or rraotionel part thereof, In exceaa oi meld Ten Mllllon ($10,000,000.@0) Dollars valuation over end above the maximum amount sllomrd such oifloers under law8 l xistlng Auguet 15, Article 39124) 24, 1935, . . ." (Section
Thus, ::ken the ~omissioners ’ Court determines to in- crease the ofricers selariec above the amounts allowed under the - r , *2 OOO.OO), the above general provis:ons (@,OOO.OO q1;oted Irovlsion, ;ne perof nt per rciilion or ?ractlon,thereof oi ;unty tax vsl;%:.tlrr. akve .~10,OCO,OZO.G0 nay be eSded tc the :xe;oi.lg b.rounts.
I^$ “That ‘actlcn 15 0r Article 35120, Sevlsed Xv11 .i, 1925, as amended, be end the 8aze -tetutee Texbs, is hereby amnded by adding thereto the following: “‘Lq The Commissioners la hereby authorizeA, Court -&en in t..slz ,iudtl;ment the ilnanc:al conditlzn of the .- ‘lnty 2 n i __ the ZETCS c: the cfficsrs, justtry the increase, -r.ier iiicreesing t5e ccm?enseti:n c1’ the - - e2ter ~1.: “_, ;:,tci..ct, ckinsy 2z~L d:a;rict In 3 s?dl-,isnsl oific~rs *4 Hon. J. F. “:illlama, page 4
rmount not to sxoeed (25%) per oent twenty-tire o r the rum l llcmrd under the law tor the ilboal.
year o? 1944, proridrd the total oolpsnbation ruthorlbbd under the law for the tlboal Fear oi did not sxoeed the bum o? Thirty-nix Hundred ($3600.00) Dollarb. (a (sec. 4, 9. a. 123) Aotb . 49th Lbglblbture, 1945)
Thle prorlbion authorizer the Comlealonsrb’ Court the balarl~b o? the OttlOsrb to allow an inoraees in ‘to, not to bxoead twenty-tlvb peroent bbove thb amount allowed under the law a8 oompenbatlon for buoh ottlorrb tl8oQ year 1944. Thub, in order the ~xlmum b#brleb to determine allowable in Yoakum County under thlb prorlblon when beid oounty ohanger to the ralary 1, 1946, it lb ffrrt January bybtem neoebbbry to detrrmlne what amount wbb bllowed the law tor under bald oiiioere in Toakum Coiintq tor the tlboal year 1944. In the tiboal year 1944, bald ottloerb o? Yoakum County were oompen- bated on a ?ee basib and were rubjeot the provisions ot Artloleb 3863 and 3891, V. A. C. S., l xoept th e 0Ounty treasurer whose maximum oompenbation wab governed by the provision8 or Artlola 3943, V. A. C. S. The oompenbatlon allowed those otil- oera governed In the year 1944 by the provision8 ot &tloleb 3883 and 3891 war llmlted to $3,000.00, while under the prowl- blonb OS Artiale oompenbatlon oi the oounty 3943, web limited to $2,000.00. Se note here that the provisions oi Section 15, Artlole 3912e, authorizing the amount bllowed under laws existing August 25, 1935, to be inoreased at the rate o? one percent per million or fraction thereof or county tax relu,s- tlon In exoess ot $10,000,000.00, according last approved tax roll, applies only to those operating on the salary oounties “lnoe Yoakum County was not operating the salary basis. law In the gear 1944, the one percent per million in flsoal excess of ten pillion reterrsd tc i:. said salerr la:: oc,uld net b salaries aLlox.?5 under apTlIed in deterzinixc the aEo:ount of tte law for the oftiolals o? Yoakun Count;? for the iiecel yeer 1944. Thus, In a county, such as Yoaiu~ County, that opersted on a fee basis in 1944, the amount allowed undar the law tor year was governed by the the fiaoal llmitatlons of Artloles ‘::hen the twenty-five peroent Increase 3883, 3891 and 3943.
591 J. :. “~‘?lllece, pege 5 Hen.
authorized by Seotlon o? S. B. No. 123, la added to the maximum amount allowed under the lbW ?or the tleoal year 1944, the total maximum snuual allowable by virtue salary o? buoh proriblon would be $3750.00 PlUb 25%) ($3,000.00 referred to, exoept the oount all orrloerb for whobe maximum bnnuel balarg would be $2500.00 T $2,000.00 PlU* 25%).
SummarIb?.ng the and foregoing, you are adrlsedr Under the general provlbIonb o? Seotlon 15, Artlole
(1) 3912e, wlthout reterenoe to the appll-
oatlon of any speolal prtnlalon authorizing peroentager of lnorebbo, the maximum annual of the ottloerb lnoluded therein lb bblbr~ the maximum emount o? compensation allowed buoh otrloerb under laws existing Augubt 24, oounty ($2,000.00 1935, treasurer1 $3,COO,OO for other ofiloers to). Under the special provlslonb authorizing per- (2) oentages o? lnoreese above the foregoing
amount8 under the general provlalona,the mexlmum peroentage o? lnoreabe, lnbotar as Toakum County 1s oonoemed, would be twenty- ?lre peroent, unless the tax valuation of said oounty an shown by the approved tex rolla of 1945 wan suoh an amount that an Increase o? more then twenty-five percent could be authorized. stated dl??erently,It viould be neoeesary that the 1945 tax valua- tion o? Yoakur: County be In exoess of ~~5,000,OCO.OO before the fore&olcg amount.8 (t?,OC,O.CO end ~2,GCO.OO) could be ICcrezsed more t,“.Er. t.iient.y-five yeroent. Thus, If the 1945 t,zx vzluEtl)n or Yoakun: County is :35 ,OOC,OCO.CO or less, mxlmum annual for the flaoel salary of the county treaeurer year 1946 would be $2500.00, ant for other oiiloers governed by the salary law, vrould $j750.00. maximum annual salary *6 Hon. J. P. ::‘illiams, page 6 to Jour question
Nlth reterenor as to the bdjubt- ment that may made in the OOunty trebburer*b bb1br~, the prorIbion8 l pplloable foregoing inoludeb to dibOU#biOn the county where a oountf oompenbateb it8 o??loerr trerburer on baa18 oi an annual bblary. When a oounty operate8 on a balary Habib, the QrotibiOnS o? hOtiOn 15, AX%iOle j912e (ab amended) l re l ppliobble to the ocmpenbatlon of the ocuntr However, when a oounty it8 OffiOerb treaburer. oompenbateb on fee babib, we know of no prorlblon authorizing anr ln- oreaae beyond the ,62,000.00 maximum ocmpenbbtlon authorized In thin oonneotlon we refer you our by Artlole 3943.
Opinion Rio. O-6588, addrebbed to you, wherein if wan pointed out that Seaata Bill Ho. 12) in no ray amended the protlblonb l pplloable to the mbXi.lIIUm oompenbation of the eountf when the oftloers oountf are ocaapenbbted 8 tee kblb. that the above and SOregOing batib?aotorll~ We trubt anbwerb your lnqulrleb.
Yours very truly, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS BY J. A. gllib ASbiStSnt .-.