Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Eonorable Earl B. Btinwon
county Attommy
Rookwall county A Rookwal1, Texa5
B#4orablc Earl B. Stlmaou, Page Iz 331, Vernon*8 Annotated Civil Statutea,
iwtiale
read8 aa followa:
Vounty attornega, oonaant OS the aommlaaionera aourt, ahell have power to in wrltlnng oae or more as8Istant8,
agpolnt
not to exceed three, Sor their reapeotlvo ooutiee who shall hate the eame purera.
authority and gualIfIcatIona aa their prin- they ahall hold ofiioe. clpala, at whose will Before entering on the dutiea of their officea, t&y ahell eooh take the otrlolal oath which shell be Indorsed upon their appointment, which oaths an6 appointments ahell be raoorded and depoalted In the county clerk’8 offIce.”
krtlcle 3691, Vernon*8 &uW.afed Clvll Statutea, aa amsnded, reads in part se followa:
%ech ofrIcer maed In this Chapter shall fir8t QUt Or thO OwrWt raea Or hi8 Off108 pay or be paid the &mouat allowed. him under the provIeIona of rlrtlole SEM33, together with the aalari~a 0r hfa aaalatan8a aab asputha, authorlsod xpnaqa %uMar A&lelo ,5899, amount na6aa8ary to cover ooata of aadthe gmlwm on whatnor eurety boatl may be l~qulre~
If the uurrent r0438 each orfloe oollec;ed In any year be more then the amou&i needed to pay the eauuata above paoliiad, 8ama shall be deemad orceaa~ reo8, end shell be die- poaetl of in the mamer hereiaafter pxvvI6d. tw~ty-five thou-
“In eoantlea eoatalnlng sand (ZiS,O’OO) or lea8 Dfatrist inhabiteat+, aad county 0rrioore. 1~34 harela ahall main one-thlrb of eueh ezoeaa tw:a ant11 auoh oae- thI.rd, together with the a~~tmta apeaftled In hrtiule 3883 abwunte to Three .Thouaan~ pil- lara ( s,ooof . Praolnot oitlcara ahal& retain togeWnr with one-t& rd until uuch one-third, 8r the amount 8~0irhi In Artkle 5883, aaounta to Fourtaen Xundred Dollar8 ($WXJ].
*The oompenaetIonau l%m.itatIona end maxi- *3 &*.orabls Eerl B. StIaaoa, Page 3
mums herein rixttd In thla Aat~ far orriaera shall lnolud4 end apply to all 0rti042-8 In taoh and every oouaty
mentioned herein or thle state, and It Ia hereby deolared to be the Iatentloa of the LegIalature
the provIaIona of thla kot ahall apply to nnd any p4eIal or eaoh of said ofricere, general law inormslstent with the provIaIona herwr Is hereby expnaaly repealed la w far aa t.h8 same mey be iaooaaistant with thla Aat.
“The u0mgenaatIon, limitat lone aad mexi- stuw herein fixed shell alao apply to all roes end oompenaetlon whataoev’er oolleetad by safd of~Ic4re In their 0rff0ial oapeoltg, as tee8 of ofiloe whether accountable under the present law, and any law, general or epeolal, to the oontrary La hereby expmealy The only kind and charaoter repealed. of ooxpanaatloq exempt fro5 the -g.rovIaIona of this Act ahell be reward8 reoelved br BherIii8 ror aP~reh4naIon of orlarinala or rugutivea tM roe&very of tolea troa juetloe and ror aad poaeya reoelved by County~Jodgaa property Jpe&a or the Pea04 for p4rioraIr&aer- ahIah aom ahell not be ao- .riagr oeremonlea, oountable ror end not required to be reported as reea orriee.*
drtlole 3908, Vernon*8 Annotated CIvIl Statutea, reada in part aa foU.owa:
Whene~ver any dlatrfot, oounty or preoinot the aervioea bf deputies, orricer ahall require or olerka aaaIatenta ti the performehoe ot hia to the County ConevIa- dutlee he ahall agply sIoaeru* Court of his aounty ior authority to appoint auuh deputlea, aeaiatanta or olerka, the allarbor neptled, stating by sworn applloatloh to be filled aad’the aimaht to be the position Said applleatlon ahall be aoeompanled paid.
by Y atatemant ahowiagthe probable reoeIpta irozn tees, oommisalons and ooslpeneetlon to be oolleoted said office durlag the fiscal yesr and the probable dIsbursementa whIah a&all isi- elude all aalariea expenaea ai ataid Offi&S~ *4 anor;;ible Earl B. &timon, iage 4
crnb said court shall ;=ke its order authorlz- ingthe apaointrnent ot such deputies, esslst- ants and clerks and fix the oonpeneation to be ?ald them within the lI.titstIons herein pre- scribed and determine the ruzber to be ap- pointed as In the diooretion of said Court ZJ be proper; provided that In no case shall the Co~lssloner~s Court or any smaber there- of attempt. to Inrluenoe the appointzaent of any person as deputy, assistant or clerk in any ofrice. Uson the entry of such order the orrlcers applying for such assistants, depu- ties or clerks shall be authorlxed to appoint them; provided that said compensation shall not exoeed the maxlr~~ amount hereinafter set out. The ooiaDenaatlon which pay be allowed to the deQutIes, assistanta or clerks above nazaed ror their sarvfces shall be a reasonable one, not to exceed the rollowIng amounts:
"1. In counties having a population or twenty-five thousand (25,000) or less Inhablt- ante, ifrot. assistant or chief deputy not to exteed Elghtwn Hundred ($1600.00) Dollars per annum; other assistants, deputlea or olerks not to exoeed Fiiteen andred ~($1500.00) Dol- lars per annum each.”
It is to be noted that article 3902, supra, which Is a later enact-at of the Legislature, doe8 not expressly repeal ,rtIcle 331, sUpra; however the two atatutes under oonaIderatIon herein, are in, par1 materla, end their provl- elons in suoh respeat cannot be reconalled. In s~tioh olr- oumstancea, "the older statute will be held to be repealed ImplIoatIon to the extent of the conrlIct* * *. It la presumed that the Legislature Intended to repeal all lava and phrts or laws olearly inoonslstent with Its later Aot8.v 39 Texas Jurls. p. 145, sec. 77.
In thfs connection we quote from the case oi Meek v. bheelar County, 125 S. I,. (2d) 331, as follews:
*Ia the case ai Srysn v. Sundberg, 6 Tex. 418, 424, the Supreme Court of this State announced the rule whiah, we think, Ie decisive of the Issue before us. Suoh rule Is in the *5 IIonorable &arl 3. Stlmon, Page 5
r0iloring language: *It undoubtedly la true that n oomatruotlonwhloh repeals rormer stntutea, lmplloatlon, la not to be la- : that statutea in rored; and it is aleo trus par1 materla, and related to the sama aubjeot, be- are to be takea and conetrued together; oausa It le to ba i&erred that they bad one object in flaw, and were Intended to be oon- eldered ~II oonotituting one entire, har- monious ayotem. But when the new statute, in iteeli, ooaprehende the entire aubjeot, and oreatea a new, entire, and lndewndent eyoteo, raspeotlng subjeot matter, it that 10 unlveraallg held to repeal and supercede all previous systems and lawn reapacting the subjeot matter.‘” ire think that srtlole 3908, aupra, is aontrvlllng oounty ttarney8,
in the appolntiuant assistant and ll.aite Said Artlole rrpeoif- their aompenmatlon as stated therein. ioally pmvlden the W eompeneation that oan ba asolatant or a deputy In counties having a allawad a first population oi lea8 twanfy-five inhabitants thouaaad than Vhallmnot xoee4 Eighteen Hundred Dollars ()l8OO.00) par
The maximum oompensation provided ror other deputleu, szianto and aleskm shall aot exoeed Fliteon -red DOI- lars (#MOO.OO) per 8iukum.
A8 above Indicated, Rmzkwall County has a popala- tion of under twenty-five thowmnd hhabitate; therefore the maxlam oonrpensatlon that could be allowed the first assl6tant ooanty attorney would be eighteen wnd dollara iiald aaslstant served as the aselrt- ($1800.90) per annum. ant oounty attorney ror only one Bonth aa6 oould not be entltJ,ed loea. to more than #lbO.OO an oompematlon for hlr rran-
The ttounty attorney 18 entitled to dedttet the 8alarl.ea OS hla asblstanta"and deputies authwlzed expenses under wtlale 3899, and the amoaat naoessary to oover ooet at pre- aiua on whatever oar&y bond pray be required by&a% under Article 3891, SaQra.
In view of ths ?oreg&ng authorltlso, you are r'mpeot- rully advimd that,lt is ths opinloa of this department tht the BPP of One liurulred the oounty attoraay oan legally deduot *6 -orable Earl B. Stllllson, Page 6 Fifty ($liiO.OO) Dollars paid the afmiatant aoanty attor-
ney in arriving at hlrr nuximm aompenaatlon allowed by AT- tialeo 5883 3891, rupra.
Trustin& the foregoing fully a.aaweps your inquiry, we remain
Your0 very truly A?%%3