Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
Honorable t;tsphen F. Eebert, papa 2
perform the dutTF:s of district attorneys, die- triot alerk, country zlfi;k, treasurer, h:l.de and anlmel Inspector.
*bell, 3. In all ca~ehl wh.ere the Coznir-
slontws* Court shall huve determined thet oounty sffioers or preoinot offioers in suoh aounty shell be oompenseted for their services by the papent or an annual salary, neither the Stats of Texas nor say oounty shall be oharged with or pay to sny of tks offloers 80 cagensated, eny fee or oonaai8- elan for the psrfcrmcnas ot any or all of du- tiee of their offiaaS but euoh oftlosr6 shall re- oeivo esid salary In lieu of all other fees, oom- missions or oompenaetioa which they would otherwise be authorized to retain8 * * * provide% iurther, that the provisions of this Eieotlon #hall not af- feat ths paynant of costs in oitil oama by tba State but all suoh cost8 80 psid ahtl1k be a4WXU&- 88 ior the offioere collaotin~: the sum,, a# they are required undss the ~rovia10~1 of thlr iiot to eoaount fox teea, oolllni~siona and ooeti oolleoted ir0m prlvste ~8rtleta."
E'xior to the enactment of tke Cffioero~ Galrry Law, thr, bSlelature law fit to limit the oararaisaioar to be l llowe4 to any oounty treawxer by the provfsionr of Artiolo SW8 VW- arm*8 Oiril Statutea, not to exceed $2,000,00 anntrall~+ AlthouSh Sactlon 13 of Artiola 2.9120, was amended and more reoenbly by the 46th Legislature, an exemlnation of the ori&aal Offloarrt Salary Bill, /iota cf 1935, 44th Legislature, 2ad CaLled Ssssio~k, Chapter 465, reveals l&t the treasurer was rpsolfioslly narasd therein 884 pl-tWently BhOWll ill ~t+CtiO~ 13,. In this recpeot said original aot did not ooafllot with or repeal Articles 3945, 3942 end 3943, relating to the oo5~mfmslon5 authorlzad to DO reaslvs4 by the oounty treesurerr
In oux opinion no. O-Q$S, rendered January 83, 1939, found oa page 24 ot the Attorney General's Aanual Rbgort for 1939, we held that Artl?le 3$%2e does not require the ooxais- aionore' wurt to bet the salerg of the oountg tr%asurer at th8 n&a&mm, but that it may Six the oompensetioa the QOunty trearursr at any rate not exceedfng the statutory rate and may l%$duo* the xexkult mm to be paid to 14880 than the statutory cut and thet ths oounty d~oe# not owe ths tram8uF8F the dii- *3 Honorable iitetphen P. Reberf, pa+ 3
ference bet-men the s;nl~ry fixed by tha oomfenfonerS* court snd maxlmm provided by 2tiole "943.
Khem dZ?ir.aFo districts aI.8 created under the 1.?a, Vernoxl'a Ciril 2tetutel#,
provielone of Chapter 7, Title 8146 and U147, it la the slendatory duty of the by Artiole8 oounty treasurer to asmme the duties of the treasurer of auoh distriot and ho is required to ereouto bo d for the falth- rul disohsrpa of euoh duties) open aa aooount vA.th the dlatriot and keep an eoourete aooount of all money6 by him be- reaaivsd longing to suoh dlstriot end of all anounto peld out by h&n. By the p~0visiOn8 of Artlole 8148,it ia provided that the trbsrursr shall ba allowed 6s pray for hi8 ssrvloes a8 suoh, on+Fourth of on@ per cent upon 811 oroney reorlred him for the aooount of euoh dlstriot end one-eighth of ona per oont upon all. money by his! paid out upon the order of the dletrlct.
X8 era aindful of ths oonetruotion given Artiolos 89U - 3843 ti oonneotion with the ebova mcmtioned srtfolea pertaining to the dutlen and oommii~8lons allowed the oounty treasurer RS trnenurer of a drnlnsgn diatriat in the on(~e of Barrita County VI. Charlton, S. Ct., 843 5. PI, 489, sffirming judp:-:mt the Court of civil Appafi15, Charlton vts, mrrir county, 228 s. ru'. 969, in the light of and in oonneotfon with the mtxlmum fee bill previously tlm Mfi- to the enaotzent oetrml Salary Law. Under the holding in that oam, the traasur- er would be authorized to ouch additional fees allowed him under the proviefona of Artlola E3l.48. B%JIOO the 8mot- . sent of the Otiionrn’ Salary Law an4 as espres8ed in hotion 3, eupra, with the tresmrer cxpre@*ly namid therein, it 18 ap- * parant that the ~egialatum intended the oounty tresrurer to reo~ive his salary in lieu of all other feem, oonmis11ton6 or oompensatlonlr whioh he would othsrwire b@ ailthorlzed to rntela, with auoh oo,m&~ione allowed him b y any drainage diet I t to be pleoed In tha officera* eslary fund. Y& find that zuzh 0r tb4 orri06re * Sfelery Law relative to the 00~ 00nau0ti0n ellowed the oounty treesurer under the provi6ions of mieaionn Art?ole 8148, Vernon'8 CIVIL titatutae, has been rollowed by this dnpirtmnt datlcq frola it& original tmaotmnt.
krtlale 39126-2, eubaeatlon (e) raremad to in
your letter, spplfcs only to oountiaa wtiese the pOpulati0n is in excess of 335,000 eeoording to the last preosdlng or any ruture Federal oensue, oonseque3tly it does not apply to pour oounty. It alpht be interesting to note, however, t&et eincr the sneatmmt of the original Qfflosrrr* %l(rry Lew, the *4 Ronoreble .%@ien P. liebert, Page 4
Legislature hiia de&t with the oouhty treasurer in certain oountles, separately from other oou&ty offiasrs in that al- though Article 3912e-2 underwent two amend~ente by the Legls- lature, not until the ensotment of house Bill 874 by tho 46th %gi8lature, Chapter 11, found in the Speoial Lawa of Texas, page 607, now appearing a8 kbeeotlon (a) to whloh you refer, does the provision appear whloh reade Where euoh treasurer acts also as treasurer of any navl(cation and dralnege districts, he shall reoeive 8nd be ehtltled to reta:n auah oosnPensetlon- Srcm suob districts as is provided by krtlclerr 8281 and 8148, Revised Civil Ztatutoe of Texas, 1923r"
It la tharafore the opinion of thin departzsnt that where the oonmlesloners~ court has aet and fixed the ealary of the oounty treasurer under provisions of the Orricers' Selary Law, Seatfon 13, Artfole 3012e, Vernon's Oi~il Statutes, the treasurer is not entftlod to 81) his own, eoramlaetono allowed hti under the ~rorlsions or A~tiolo 0148 eeld but sama 8houl.d br pal& Into statutes tha officers* salary fund fromwhich he draws hi@ salary,
Yours very truly