Case Information
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OFFICE OF THE ATiOFWEY GENERAL OF ,TEXAS [1] AUSTIN
GE- c. MANN *Tmul8voDlwL
Eonorabld Robert r. Pedsn, Jr.
Oounty A$torney
yatagorda connty
ereln you request t the:Distriot a county. 'YOU have atfone for Xatagorda 8180 informed u8 ordin&to the lo40 tated Texas Civil Statutea, for his servloes to the oounty as suoh County.huditor, an annual salary of not more than the annual salary allowed OT paid the Aewssor and Colleotor of Taxes in h.le oounty; and not lees than the annual salary allowed such Coqty general law prbvided..ln Ar$i,cle 1645, Bevleed Civil Statutesi aa eefd hrtioie d~63%d bn January 1, 1940, auoh salary of the county #IditOr to be fixed determined by *2 Ronorable Robert F. Peden, Jr. - Fag* e Judges making euoh
the Distrlot Judge or Distriat appointment end having juri8dldtlon iu the oouuty, a majority ruling, aald annual salary to be paid monthly out or tho general fund oi the oounty. The aotlon or said Matrlot Judge or Mstrlot Judeos In dotermining and firing tho salary of auoh County AuditOF ahall bo made by OFdeF and rsoorded in the minuteu of the Matrlot Oourt or the oounty, (IleFk thorsof &all oortify the 8ame for obs6rvanoe to the Cauui~loner~~ Oomt, whloh shall oauao the aamo be reoorded la ltlr minutes; Mter the salary ot the Oounty Auditor.hae.bemn fixed by th6 Dlatriot -fudge OF Distriot Judges, no'ohange In ruoh salary.
ahall th.FeafteF booome etteotlve until the begin- - of the next ensuing flroal year of tho oounty.
Provided however, any lnoreeee in the salary of any .
euo$ Oounty Auditor, OVOF and above~ the annual salary ~.al.lowed auoh County the general law
provided In Artlole lWb, as said Article existed on January 1, 1940, &all only be allowed or permit- ted with exprear oon8ont and approval of the Cap- ': tia~loaera* Oourt ot the oounty whorre County Auditor
18 arfeoted or may be arrooted provimiona or thld Aot; raoh ooneent approval or suoh Commir- be ma& by order or such Oou~t thmersf Cow% &all and reoorded In the mlainutos oi the UQIIPPl8aioneFa' Court &a;ohSoounty. As amended Aota 1987, 40th
p. 104, oh. 35, 5 1; Aots 1989, 41at
2:::: ;lY: ;: g:: p. 62, oh. 28, 8 11 Aotrr 1951, 48nd
., p. 29, oh. 15, 6 1; dote 1931, 46th Q. 1826, oh. 45, 5 3; 1959, it::: lrt a: s p. SQS, 8 1; Aots 1941, 4Tth 46th Leg., 8&f L., L%s ., pi I%& Oh. 601, # 1," (UndersOOFin@ our#)
amnate Rll~ Ii9 of tho 49th Legislature, oodirlod aa nrtlole lM5 Y. A. 0. S., upra, repealed House Bill 409 oS the 47th Le&latur@, and the.abovo quoted statute ia the valid andsubsisting Article 1645, V. C. 8. See Opinion Eeg51 of thir depaFtment, a copy of which ia enolosed
. 1048a, B. 0. S., rersrred to in your lettet
Artlols (rhioh rhould have boon denominated as Art1010 1541a, R. C.
8. aa 18 nore.iully shown in this opinion opinions enoloeod herewith)i is not applloable to year situation, es ,suoh artlolo applletv only to epeoial auditor8 and not to county auditore.
HoaoF8ble Robort F. Peden, ;Tr. - Page s
This department held,, ia an opinion written by Hon. Bruoe W. Bryant, yiir8t A6816tant Attorney OeneFal, dated Oot- ober 5; 1931, and neorded la Vol. St6, pp. 890-1-5-b and 4, LetteF Opiniona or the Attorney Oenerpl or Toxa8, that Art1016 1646a, Revlred Civil Statute8 oi Texas, was a mienamer cau.aod by an error made th6~att.rn.y appointed by the Oovorn6rPto ~FOIW. the Revised Clvll Statuter ior publloatlon and to in- elude therein the OenemlLaw8 naoted at the 4g. s68. or the (tho MB. ~.&18tur. that ~aaod the bill b9th I.@8latur. 66ld otatutoa) in aooordanoe with the authority
noodfiting and ln8fruotlone oontalned in Chapter lO4S the Aote or said that Art1016 26406 w6a a mbnumor should Le&rlature, have beon donomlnated a8 Art1016 15418.. Thl8 opln~on hold that OoUnty OOm&oiOMF~'. OOtlFt8 of Oounti.8 under &5;000 po~~uh- tlon, Oould, either alone OF In oonjunotion with other oogttl.8 h8vizig a populatlouti Ices than 85,000 population, make an arran@ment whereby they oould jointly employ and oompeneato .a spiolal alrdltor oF~audltofs for the purpose speoifled In Art- + 1 'lob l&&l Revised Civil Statutes. The opinion aleo hold that auoh an aiditor was a speolhl auditor and was an entirely dlt- f6FOnt type OS auditor rronk mat ef a oounty auditory who86 or- floe wa8 authorized Art10108 ld45 and 1646, Revised Civil Statute8 and who86 dutiea'were presorlbed in the Articles ioX& i loring* Thl8 opinion also held that there was no statute whloh 1: authoFl%.d two OF mar. counties to jointly employ a oounty'audi- '. / tar. We think the above opinion la correct and we hereby ap- Provo ~wne. We enoloee herowith a oopy of Said aplnion whloh oontalna a oompr.hen8lve dl8oaa8lon of the matters involved therpln.
Art1016 1647, V. 0. S., providea: *The dlstrlot judges having jurisdiotion in the .~oounty, shall appoint the aounty au<or at a ape-
olal meeting held ror that purR.se, a majority rul- l4~; provided, that if a‘majorlty suoh judges rail to agree upon the releotlon Of 8ome perron (16 auditor, then either or sald.judges shall oertlly euoh iactct0 Governor, who shall thereupon appoint eome other dietriot judge to aot vote with the aroreeaid judge8 In the seleotlon of suoh auditor. The aotlon rhall then be reoorded in minutes of the diatrlot oourt or the oounty and the clerk thereor shall OFF- tl?y the same to the oomml8sioners oourt, whloh shall oause the seme be reoorded in Its minute8 together with an order dlreoting the payment of the auditor's salary. (Id.; 1905, p. 381; Aots 1915, p. lSS.)v *4 Bonomble Robert F. Peden, Jr. - Page 4
Ihtagorda Oomty Is In only ozto judlolal dirtriot, to-wit, the 28rd, oqnelatlq of Brazorla, ?t. EWnd, Wharton and M8kgOFda oounties. Ummuoh as laat UppFOVOd tax valuations for
Matadord8 t3ounty are In 6%0688 ~rteen ($15,ooo,ooo) yillion Dollars ,lt ,I# our oplnlon that it Is mandatory that the ju&e of.the eSrd Judloial M&riot of Texam appoint a oounty audi- tor rOF- Mntagorda County.