Case Information
*1 OFFICEOFTHEATTORNEYGENERALOFTEXAS AUSTIN
GROVER SELLERS mrr~RNEv GENER*l.
Honorable J. Pinsa Smith
County Auditor
chftrokec county
Rusk, Texas
Dear Sir:
by law to count we hve reeaelved .yo
100. 0n tb3 r0uoviag quma0w
“SNGOND, 3?he $tilsrg of the Diatrl~t Clerk vas ~~$2,4OO.OO~ptm yeti by an order of the *2 Sionorable J. Fiuen Smith, page 2
>----mr*~ Court in 19S6 and hm 10 beeo eet eaah yea ado. oontlaued at that figure to this date. The annual report on file 61 the r&strict Clerk for the year 1935 shov@ a gross GARBED fee of $3,&0*98 with 0~ $1,472.17 of this tee ool- lected. Said report ale0 8how6 au Ex-otfimlal cem- berider the gross fee above PM~tl~ Of 41,28O.O3 mentioned asldns a total of $h,,Y~l.Og as groua feea earned. !Ihe authorlted deductions ehw for deputy hire, ho.00 for preml.&~ ou (65o.w surety bad, $3.00 otrloe aupplles, 446,22 arr ~-togs -6 $7.00 for trcltellng expewes, lerpiag a mt EAREfaD iecr ot 43.604.81. IO the right of the80 Evhat fQure, in your oplnlon, ehould govern ,thc Cwd68loner~* Qourt ia mttlag f&i . 88-Y ai the Dlatriot Clerk tn aooordtume ulth Art. 39X(1, Motion IS, (P.A.C.8.).
Eonorable J. Flnaa Smith, PsfZe 3
1Qcreased for the rereelnder of the year, or frm the time application for increase va5 applied for?
Wl+TH. We would further like to knov, if in yaw-on, the Commla8ioner15 Court is bound by the 5nnual report8 on file for 8ald offiicers for the yeear 1935, and If.aot, vho is to deter- II&IS and.vhen aad hov are they to determine vhat 15 the correct figure to govern in aettlag the aal.ary or 8alaries of the official8 mentioned in Art. 3912e, Section 13 (V.A.C.S.) "SIXTH. Artlale 3912e reads ia ptwt, Q&ah of rraim%aers shall paid in money en awaaal 5ala.ry in tuelve equal ln5tallm5nt5 of not leso th8n the total num EARXKD as aompellsatloa by hl.m i ‘.j. 10. hi5 offlalal eapaelty for the y5m 3.935.' ~Do55
.'thl5 5msnb in your opinion, the.dROSS E4RlIIXGS of
said offiae or the IKEI! EARBlDios of 8ald offLee, after deducting all expanses of 8ald offleet' ;k. -IF% -4.~ ;i@y:> .-;: ::::. i ..m -pop~tioQ::of~LQ&#p~, .Cwntro.:.i.r:i:43,g7o.‘:lrhrb~t-:, /:: ~,:, : _ ,,; : ,,
? mt5, Moordiog to the 1940Federal Cenra8. The 1930 Federal I Cen5u8 shoved a populatlen fof,aald county or 43,180 inhablt- : ult5. Therefore, Artlol# 3912e, V~IOQ~~ Aaaotited,Oivll Stat- i utc5, commonly knovn a8 the "offteerrl &l#&rg UN' la apliaable ; to 85id aounty.
t Under the pr0?lsibn8 of Art. 3912e, V.A.C.S., your i Co5sala5ioner5~ Court 15 authorised and Lt 15 it8 duty to fix the -1 annual 8alarlea of the County Clerk, Mstrlet Clerk and County
t Judge of Cherokee County at an amount~'of sot lea5 than the : total 8um earned 85 coapen8stlon by hl51 la hlr offlolal cage- i elty for the fiscal year 1935, 5nd not mom th5n the m5x+uiit c tmowzt alloved 8uch offloar8 under lavs txlstlng on August ?4,
1935.” Said artlale further provide5 for an lnareabe of aaid ? wslmum amount alloved %I& counties oovdtq uith%n certain p6pti8- ; tlon brackets and havlug aertaln a88e88ed pm&arty valu5tioas.
Our Opltioa Ho-. O-345, in response to a question whether the expenses for deputy hire, prem.tum on surety bond, telephone and postage should be deducted from the total re- ae;pta of the office La oamputlog the *total sum earned 88 em- pensat;on by hiin la his otflalal 08pMity,A hold8 thet the co!+ e5s;onerq' Court should dsduat fs?om the total aolapsnsation
Ronorable J. Finw Wraith, page 4
esrtted, collected urd unaollected, the expewes of the orrlae for the year I.935 vhluh vere legally allaved by the Comalesion- era' Court for tht year.
Our 6eld Opinion No. O-345 also holds that the ex-
offlci.al rsrl.Ary paid M officer In 1935 should be taken in con- slderrtlon In aaaputlng the airpilaupr cral5ry of ruah offluer under the pre5ent lev.
Art. 3863b V.AdLS., wovlder that, exoept as other- wise provided in thfs hat, the anaual fee5 th5t xay be retain& by the county judge, oouuty clerk and dlstrlot clerk in ooun- ties h5vlng the popul5tlon 0s Cherokee Oounty 5h5llbe Thirty- floe Hundred (&AKL) Doll5rs each.
Art. 3891, V.A.G.8.b provides 5u0h offlaers 5m.l first out of the oumtnt icas 0s hi5 offltt p5y or be p5i.a thta1~nntaIlovtdhlt5under thepm~181ons 0rbe.3883, together with the mlarfaa of his arrlsta~tr and dtputltr, and authorWd espenrm .\ardor Art; 3899, 5nd the mount metslurry to eovtr aostr of premfmn on vhattver surety bond say be re-.
qpirva by 28v;and 2s mt ourrent rtt5 of tush 0rrb5 eolleot- ::_. ed .: laiauy yy.M&k .;+#fpeatbra..thr.~iamwat. :~.~;tQi;~:?tbu...xmonnt. ,
above spta%fltd,~stae dsllbe dttwd exataa feea, a&t 8ueh 0rriatm sha.ll~tainOne-thlra 0s ruahawers rcsr unt%lmoh oaa-thedb together uLth the amwit ~oiiisd %m AH. 3886, samate to Forty-tve ~Buwlred l id Nifty Dollar8 ($@50). 3883 tab 3891, V.A.C& utre txktng
Sat& tit*. &I agplla&ble to Cherokee Clom?g OR Asgnst 44, ,393s.
‘Ehartr0ra, la antvtr to your first quaatlau, ia Wder to determint the - u&r
tha dmthorlcea Mp5n555 ($5 7b
rtta of $8,938.52, Tht mtmtiit +d quent fear io 1935 La not to bo here beem wune in 1935. After SW& dedwtiorrr for authri4ed was aot tarnta
za 010~ or the r0rtgag, we answer your 5eoopa we*
tion *a $olZovsr 93 aWlVe at thd llliDtmar fQW@e that i* to *5 Bmoreble J, Fiwn Smith, page 5
~~OVO~S said Co~MIoner~’ Court iafi.xlng the Dbtrict Ch!kts salary for the aurrent paar, ve must deterl&le the exact 4kmo~t OS current fees that such District Clerk would have been al-.
loved to retain (18 co!tQeaSetloa ior his servicer ia the year 1935 13 such less aarwd bad all been collected by b3.m. After all authorized deductiona were made, ynu show the amount of $3~604.~ a; tp; yned feea for the year 1935. Under raid
. ., the annual ieea thnt map be retained
Art: 3883: V:A:C.S., t&z annual fee4 th4t mey retained .by the Mlrtrlat Clerk aPtounta4 to $3.500.00. Thlr lcares
$104.81 that AS to be *eated as exaeas fees aacordlng to the prv?isivas of said Art. 3891; V.A.O.S. Oae-third or 8uah ox- cew feea amounta to $34.93 g/3. Thla one-third OS the cx- teas tees tatty also be reta%Md by said District Clerk. There- fore, the eW of $3,534.93 p/3/ la the exact emouat euuh
Dlistrlct Cleric would have been alloved to ret&in. .Sn 1935 If all feei wraed had beea ool%ected, and this la th4 mi$sS.mum flptuce governibg the O~a81oaer’(1~ Court”ia.ffxYng the Dle- trlut ~Clerk~a28alary for the curreat year. The mexlmum ftgurs ia, $4,wLoo.
:-’ i
trerted an exuesr fees uader sold Atr. 3891, V*A.C.S., a& the ak-ofSclo 8aapeanatlva reuelved by *gr. aomty judge’ ih 19% exact~~ualedtbe plpgunt allovedhlmuader aald Art.=, V.A.C.S. After deduatlng the suthorlzed expea~s; ,riioh exaeal ~feer amount $0 $189.46. !fhereiWa, oa!ky one-thl*d of Such 6X- ;BglLi3ef could have been rstiataed by maM 0Stlaer ae4oxW.U
This one-third ($63.15 14) added to 43 500.~ egaln*$3,%3.X5 l/3, whioh La the mlaiwnp &umm~ vhich.gweras aaid abunts tb 0aolPli~mtbfm~ 04mFnftiFagtb 44bry0t judge for the unrrent year. ObviouSly, the pwieat ammt la avt within the re.oeived by your CaWW 1 (f3,5W.O~) lirnitr ps~~ded in Art. 391 , sectloo. 13, V.A.G.S. The au&mm figure in $S,WLOC.
? our mmter to your fotith quertha la aa tollcove:
Oti inions xos. O-1595 aad 0-6%?3 each hold La 6ubstawe that %a 0 C0ms.8alvwre~ Court halas the right
fix tba ~slari98 at artah bftlcera with&i the
au vba nut& ~larlea have awe been fixed,
ehaaged duH.n& thdlt Yb=.
Thiah~lngabcfvre us the quertZolnvhetherthe Cm+ rpL~si0g~rst Oawt 115 Mtttiag ealarles Of offlwrs la araounta not authorized by lau, fixed mush s&laxS.es Iflthln the ooatg- putloo of the next abo%i%jldlnge. We do not think no.
Honorable J. FiWn Bmlth, page 6
the.aaa9 OS B(ecogdocbea county v. Jlaklns, (Clv. A&Q. - vrit refded) 140 E. W. (*d) 901, an order of the CocUeelonere~ Court fixing the district clerks 1 ealary at a ewn less than the tinlmum fixed by lav ut$s held void, and a judgment ln SavOr Of said clerk for the difference betueeo the salary p&d &la sad the lainlaum Wy allowed hla by law war atf lrmd.
(Ill80 eee Xaco@5bahea Co. v. Ulnder (010. App. - writ refueed) 140 8. K. (26) 9 , for similar rullag on judgmnt ln favor of County Clerk. T Therefore, it 10 ow oplnlon that la such oases Where the sabrier have not been fixed lawSully, the Comalaaloaer~f Court OwlUg the current yew should Six the salmler of the aouaty offiaerr nmmd In Sec. 13 of Art. >912e, V.A.C.S., au dlreoted by #aid article, for the yeaar lg45. when Sired accordlug to l&v, would be anmel
8uoh tiles, saleries, payable la twelve equal lartallmentr. Thud= enoe between the aoathly suma paid such officersduring the yem befor4~ the ealarles ware ~flxed anf3 the amount 0s the inatallmeatm of such u%larler after same are flxed munt fc@ tl p~8r aocOrQln$ to I&FI would due aad payable to the osfleeru iavolved. In 80 aa8e could them annual salaries be Stied for aye8.r thsthad’explred. (See aormaisaianerrr~ Court 0f X~Ogd0~h0a OOUaty v. Winder et al, 113 9, W. (W) 277.)
;.,~( ~:jl: _..,, ::!:! ..:;.:;:p :: ..~:-:-~:.;:,,::,!‘iii:::‘:‘L:li..::r .:,:::i:: :,::::, f;.: ::; i:::.i.::z; ,.:.,,y ,:.::. ‘:? .: . . . . ,~ ,,, we a&r y0u.p f~&bq&jjt~on 88 ‘foll&i~’ &it. 4896,
.V.A.C.S.; providee that ewh district, county sad gzoo$aot
otflusr shall keep a correot rtntmat OS all Sees earaed by him, eta., aad that it shall be the duty 0r the sounty audlt- or to aaaually exaaiae the booke aad amounts of suah otila- era aad repat hla fladlags to the grand Jnry or to the dis- trict aourt.
Art. 38!?7, V.A.C.S., provider that each dlrtrlct, county had preulaut bifioer rhallmke, at the aloae of e&ah flwal jam, a rapert shoulag the amant of all ‘fee8 4ad 00m- pewe&lonr earned during the fleoal 6lr, nQk¶ ehow1ngthe amowt of same aolleated, aad ltendr GJ part of .aa!ne aot eolleoted, chewing the aame OS the party oviag ruch kin- call.eat& feea, wmalaaioaa end amqwmeatlons.
The annual reporto ara n4t aooolucrlve proof of the
truth OS the i’sots sOate+ thereh and u?e aot binalw on the C&salowra’ Court in determl&6 the s~~unt oS ~~u~~ ml- See 34 Tex. Jur. P* 600. ary to pay its ossioers. Ye belf.eve the ncturl apra\rat of au f*e? yap a?;.; be detertiwa to tw mamae-
mls,siona owned by the officer niey .g auditor’s fautlon of the Caaalsaloaers~ Court, b’~ the Count 3896, V.A.C.S. disuharge of the duty inrpoeed on him by .Maid Art. *7 RCXlOrable J. Finen Smith, page 7 Your sixth queatlon la fully answered hereti by our ;
a&suers to your firat, seaond and third queetiaar.
Ye are enclosing herewith copies of said opinions Noa. O-345, o-1595, and O-6223, utiah fully net out the text OS the etatutea la questiou.
We trust the foregoing fully answers your queWtlOn8. Yours very truly A!WORBEURtiR?ALOFl’RXAB /rlstle4/
m Robert L. latt~lmsJ;.
APFRcwRn
Oplnfaa ~Comfttee
By /a/ U.Y.B.
chlllrlaun