Case Information

*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN

.Jwqorable RahLph Brook

County httornsy

kbbook Cwsty

Lubbook, %aae

Dear Sirs

OQlnian no.

A.: 0811 the

rhleh I ham rondared to the Couut ve to a mtter,

like to here your my muOh ror yvu 1 rqlort et the aounty a110 ana1oa.d. It

thlr OVUPt dloQosed w in addition to'thia one hundnd and II the mornlw look in the afternoon.

has lnoraawd the salaries ef all sooretarlal tilp, and the help in hla vrrioo cmd 1~ my ~ftioa is not sear&aria1 in every ~~88, ror in vrdax keep hillr, the COUW hl#~*, *2 Honorable Ralph Brook, page 2

f'roe having to ollmb the stairs to the Clerk's office from ten to flftaen times a day to sign birth oertiflaata matters, this book of th4 Probate mfnutss is belw kept by his secretary in his offloe, which is, as you see, oleriaal work. Then in addition to that, as you know, under the statute, he Is required, as I, to 1n4ke monthly reports, end with the volum4 that is passing through the two offloes, mine and his It la entirely impossible to 44oure help theft Is effioient at the 8100,OO figure whloh the county has heretofore been able to secure.

Win keeping the birth oertlfloate records as they er4 kspt the County Judge's ofsloe Is savlnq, the employment of on4 additional asalatant oounty olerk, and on aooount of congasted oondltlons in this part, the secretary to th4 County Judge ls olerking the County Court, sixi the Clsrk would not bs able, u&der the prosent s4t-up to lmrr aa I8 r4qoIrsd by law a alerk to attend this Court, and with th4 amount of,buaIness that is bblng'oonduoted In the County Court, it would bs n4044~ry that the County Clsrk employ a full-tla4 as,sIetant ol4rk totak4 oar4 of this buslneaa.

*As Is Sndioated in thr 14tt4r to the Commlssionoreg +.: :,, ..% _ :. :~ Burt; ~-it Ia,:njl::~opIut4n-that .thera-,salari4s~~.oollld be, raIa4d.

and these employ4ea Gould dssIgnat4d-as clerk& In this' cowmotion let m4 say_that you know full well that s4or4- tarial or clerioal help does not depend upon just bavlng someone around. You have to have someone that understands what It is all about. I .do test you all1 give mo an lmmsdlate opinion on this rnatWr.*

~‘&,tr opinion addreaa4d to the Honorable Commlaalon4ra* Court of Lubbock Wunty, Texan, on ths.abovs stat6d question roada as f0l.l0ws:

*You have queetlowd ma relative to rohather or not the County CommIsalon4ra~ Court oan authorize'the payment of a salary In 4x04~4 of $100.00 per month to an office eaalatant of the,County Judge and the aecre$ary of the County Attorney!s 0fri ~8. 3902 of the Revised Civil Statutes provides “Artiole

a4 follows: *3 Ronorable Ralph Brook, page S

WIWhoneoer any district, county or prscbot ofri04r~ shall require the s43~lo48 of deputies, aselstantr~ or olsrks in the p4rform4noe of his duties he aball apply to the County Commlssloners* Court of his county for authority to appoint such deputies, assIstanta or olerks, ,etatIng by sworn appliaatlon the number needed, the position to be fill46 and the amount to be ~16. Said appllcetion shall be acoompanied by a statamant showing the probable reoeipts from fees, ooadssionr and compensationto be collected by said offloe during the rlsoal year and the probable dla- bursements which shall Inolude all ealarles and expenses of said offloe; land said oourt shall make its order authorle- lag the appointment OS suoh deputies, aslslstanta and olerkr and fix the compensation to ba paid them wlthln the llmlta- tlona herein prasorlbad and determine the number to be ap- pointed as In the disoretion of eald court may M,properl' proridod that In no oaas shall tha Commlsslonera~ Oourt or any manber thenof attempt lnflu4uo4 thr appolntwnt of any person an deputy, aadmtant~or alerk fn any affloe.

Upon the entry + suoh order the offloere applying for saoh ,a~esfptants deputies or alark t&all be authoilzoa to.appoint, .th&; p&bad that saltI compensation shall not eroead tha maxluuu5'aWunt her4lnafter aet out. Th4 oompansatlon whioh ." :,,. : .M~aU.woa :~to +iha 4oputi4r .or...*larkm ~~awro.,~ Pi ~. tiI i asriatanta~. named for th9Ir~@ervfosr ahall be a reasonable ona, ntit fo

iroeed tag r~omwtng ~ourlta: In oouutler havhig P pupulk- tion of thfrty-maven thousand five hund d and one (57,501) and not mra thaa sixty~thoueand (60,000 @habitants, 7

fldt arr$istant or ohioi daputy not to @roeed Twaaty-ona Hunbed (#?lOO.OO) Dollars.per annum; other assistants 'deprrCtLns or oltika~not to exoeoa ltl&htaan Hundred (~l&.OO) .Dollar~ per anna eaoll. Provided that nothing in this dot shall be oonstrued as ra ealfng or airacting Baotion S af R. B. PIo. 694;~Chaptq.r S 5, P Acts 19S5, Forty-fourth LagIala- tun, 7M.'

TJnder t&Is artlola it ~os?ms alaar that the County Commissl,owr8* C6urt shall have the power to authorica tha ippolntmant.of suoh deputies, araiatanta and alarke that may ba needed by th4 Oouuty Judge atw!l/Or the County In tha parformanos of thslr dutias and to Six their oompansatlon wIthin the llmltatlona prescribed In SwtI6R~S of Article 3908, oinse Lubbock County 00mn within thetpopulatlon braoket.~ Under Section 3 the CommIssIoners!

*~ ~Court Gould authorized .to appoint a Clerk to the County .,;;'Judge*s ?ffIq6 to s47i+e inthe~ County ;T~dge~s office~at~a ,~ salary of not 'to eroeed $1800.00 per yeear. Likewise, the ‘~~Commlssionera* Court may authorize the appointment of a

Clerk in the County Attorney's off&a8 et a salary not to, ~exceed 461000.00 #4r year,

.' Honorable R&h Bfock, a&s 4

*Section 13 of krtlale 3912 ,provides 'as follqwa: -'The Commhdoneks~ Court inoouatles having a population of twenty thousand (80,000) inhabi.tante or more, and leas then one hundred end ninety thousand (190,OOO) inhabitants according to the lest preoediug FWl0rtal ‘hnaus, ia hsiaby Qilthorizsd ends It shall be its duty to fir~the rala;rlss or ~11 the following named .0rrici~, totit: 5herifr, asseesor,end collector or

taxes county Judge. county sttorney, includi?le 'crluinal dlstrjot attorneys end county ettorney, Including criminal distrf& attorney5 end count7 attorneys who .parfqp the duties of dietriot sttorneye, distriot alerk, county clerk, treaaurar;hide and animal lnspeotox.: ICech of said oiiioere shell be paid in,mooey. and annual salary in twelve (UT) aqua1 lnatall3nent5 oft not l&s than the total SUDS earned 8~ oom- pe?~eQ$ibn by big in his 0rrii0ipl cep@ty'ror:t*e rl5oal par 1935, end~nfl mom thdn ths,meximum ameugt,a&lowed such bff'fher under'lewca~ ed5tI.W on,August~.24,,~1?3F~; .~ prbylded thet .in oouutle5 having a population-of.twenty ~thourand (~SO,OOO) 5nd loss #an thirty45veri thouland five

hUndrtWJ (37,500) E'XJOi+iiQf3 ,to.the '&%et; pr49?ding .Federal Ahulsus, end having en eeeeaeed 9el~~ion'id,6~O~?s at yiftaan M~lllon (~@S 000 OOO)~ OolXara;,aa?oxd$ag;to the :;;i:g+ ~(~~ : :~: ~~,'~.:: .b,:;~ .:: a :::i! 5::: 'id& ,app*sa _ :pr~ee~~j~~.&x .;mll Of .:.a,e~~, ~o&nt* %?a~ Ba*m : ~auoh &fioers es eelerios map ‘be .%n@reeeed

amunt~al~lowad daq(l$) lper oent ror ;&eoh One tailllon~(~1)OOO;@O.OO) Dollare valuation or rrectionel pert thetieor, in sroeie ~ or said Flrtaan Hill.ion ($16,000,000.OO) Dollar5 valuation

over ends above-ths~sa&.~ amount allored suob offioers under laws existing on~August 24, 1935; and~&kOoided that in oountiee h&ring a pohletiqn br tblrtf+rvon thousend riro hundred '(~s?,fOO) aqd ,iees :than ~aiFW'thoUs+ ,(80,000) aooort?l&~te the last ~preoeding Fed&e1 CWMLUB, end hering an esmesaed oaluetlon:$n l xa,eee of Twenty.iiilPiq (Q%O,OOO,OOO. Dollere, eacording to.the laet preaeding app~#d tax roll 0f suoh county, the ~xlxagm amount alloubil such otfiaara as. eeleriea may be increeeed oae (1$) Peru aentior seoh one tillion f#i,OOO,~,OOO.QO) Dollere veluetion or freOtiOna1 pert theredt,~ in exoeas.of aQi& Twenty hPillloh ($ZO,OOO,OOO.OO) Dollar5 valuation over end above the marifaum emouut allowed suoh orfloer under lnua existing on Auguet 24, 1933.

-*(a) The CommL5eionars* Court mey euthorlza~the employ- ment of a stenogrepher by the oounty judge,.enU pey for such ssrvloe6 out of the (general fun& of th5 orrunty to ed amount not to rxceed Twel9e Ebndred (12OO.00) .Dollera per year+ *5 Honorable Ralph Brook, pge 3

‘7fOU will notiac the provision in this Article which authorlres the employmat of a aeoretery to the County Judge et a salary of not excaeding $l200.00 per year, however, the seoretary to'the County Judge of Lubbock County has greeter duties and greater responsibilftleo than ordf.nary secretarial work end the work that ehe nuet~do inthe oirioe oFthe Gounty Judge oannot be properly desoribsd as secrsterial work. In other words, her duties go beyondthose of the ordinary aeoretery.

She rifle out birth oertificatee for the oounty, keeps the books of' the County Judge(s office and perrorms numerous other duties outside the general aaope of eitore- It is therefore my opinion that she should tar$al work. properly be designated aa a olerk the County Judge and pursuant to 8uah Ueaignatlon by the Comuiseioneret Court, the Commissioners* court would be authorizeC to f$x her salary at a sum within the limtte prescribed, abo9e. It le therefore my oplnlon that the Commissioners* Texas would be within their legal Court of Lubboak.County, rights fn euthorleing the appo&ment of a clerk to the County Judge and CL Clerk~to the County’Attol%ey at e salary in eeoh instance. of not to exoeod gl800.00 per annum.9 '

This. Dsge~~ent ~haa.hereeoforo, on ~se9eral oooaeL,ona, ':':I~,'.'::nritt~~';"oplnions' on pra~t%Dally~ the eeme~ question or, queetiona

lnrolred in your inquiry.

le direct your attention to ODInion Do. O-1620 holding in erract thatthere is no authority ror a County Attorney to ,employ e atanographer.

We uall your attention to our Opinion Ko. 04874 whiah holds that when a County oompllos with the termta or Artlole 5908,~ Vernon's Annotated Civil Statutea, e olerk may be appointed by the County Attorneyti

83th referen& to that part of your quezMon regarding the euthori'tj or the~Comaiselonors 9 Court authoriefng the eppoint- ment of an oftice assistant for the County Judge end the paymnnt or e aelary in excess ot One Hundred ;($lOO.OO) Dollars per month to such essistant, It Is our .optnion that 8 County COmmiseionsr8t Court la not authoriied under Artiole 3902, Vernonts Annotated Civil Statutes, In the absenae of the specific grant of power, to pay any salary Eor an essiatant for the County Judge, an4 that in view oi' the provlalona of 36ctlon 13(e) or krtlcle 3912e, Vernonttt Annotated Civil Statutea, ap lyi~ng to COunt%es 91th e population o!' twenty thousand (20,000 7 lnhabltants or more, and less than one hundred ninety thoueend (190,OOOj Inhabitants, the County Judge in such oountles can only employ a stenogragher with the approval of the Co.misslonera* Court at a s&sry not to excee8 Twelve Aundred (312O(i.@C) Dollars p.r yesr. Our conaluslon thus stated with reference to the first part of the question quoted abose is eupported by our Opioloa MO.. O-1449.

Honorable Ralph Brock, page 6

In your opinion addreese to the Flonorsble CormIs- sionera* COUrt Of Lubbook County, Texm, YOU atate ill dreOt that the Conmiiet#lonm?~* Court or said oounty would within its legal right in authorfzlng the appointment 0f a clerk by an4 for the County Attorney at a salery not to exueed Eighteen Hundred (#.6OO.O0) Dollare per annum. We think that this is a oornot statement with reference to a olark for the County and the salary to be pal4 rauoh olerk by ~lrtue ai However, ae above lndloated we 40 not Artiole 3903, 6upm. agree with that portion of your opinion with reference to a olerk ror the county Judge. In eupport of the ~oregolng we oito you the r0iutw~~ end enoloss a oopy or -oh ror your oonvenlenos.

opinion4 opinions here rererred to are Bos. O-383, O-3146, O-1449, O-8342, o-1097, an4 0-1630. O-65, O-1649, O-1874, O-3743, O-1950, that the toragoing Sully answers your inquiry. we trust Your8 Avery truly ATTORHFiY GEUEUL OF TWXAi AWROVZD M&R. 18, 1943

m :.: /@, . ..._.::. :,:.- ?IIIsT ASSI8TAliT

ATToIllnry G%!?=L

AR/PO

AtiROVXD OFINIOiP COh&IT+EE BY.B.W.B. CEAI=