Case Information
*1 ,
x31 4. OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Iionorablo Comally Is?5Kay
c02ntg Attornag
Vood coLulty
Quitman, Texas
vhlch vaPtlng period 5-z now Gppro-
UAUTHORITIESt Art. ‘1052, Code of Crlninal Procedure; Art. 1617, Reviood Civil Statutes; Art. 1622, Roviaed Civil Statutes; f?P;i1074, Code OS Crl3l5.ifil procc- Art, 16, Section 61, Conetitution : of Feraff;
Art. 3912e, Section 17, Revioed Civil statutes;
aARGlJJ2.E2~r Art. 391%e, .Ssctlon 17, reads ln part 88 f o~lows : *In ell couuttos in this State such pre- cinct officers shall oontFnuo to bs cozxpenseted for their servicoa on Q foe basis until the Comissionomt Court ehnll, hove dotormined othervtise in accorclctnco with the provisions of Section 2 of this Act.1 *
“Sn tNe County, the Comnlsslonera~ Court hos taken no action comeming changiug Justicao of the Peace to a salary basis, so it thorofore follows that they are compenscttcd wholly on a fee baolte.
“Art. 1617, Revised.CivLl Statutes, provides that, a$ well a$ other county officials, the Justice of the Peace who ahall collect or handle sny mouey for tho use of the county $haSl make o. full report to the Comlssloners’ Court, at each roS;ulau tom thereof of all fines imposed and collected end al.1 judgments ren- dorod and collected for ths U$Q of the couuty, end all jury fcos co3loctod in their rcspeutive courts in Savor of, or for the use of the countyj and bt the mm3 tims preaant their receipts nnd vouchore, shov- ing vhnt dSspoaStion has been nado of ths normi ;;;leot- cd, fines Imposed, end judmeuts rmdered.
1622, R.C.9. provideo that when any officer collact~ noney balonging to, end for tho use of, esy oounty, ha shall, excapt Vhcro otheririse provFdod in this title, forthxlth the ram to the proper couuty report clerk stating fully fro3 when collect&, tha a!aouut tha tine trhsn colloctad, $.ml by virtue of Co3lectoG, vhai mthority or procoee collected. Such zxcticlo pPovldc$ furthor that on mklng $uob report, ouch mount eholl bo chm(i;od to suc21 officer, end he nay dlncherga him&f thoref??ox by pr~d~~inp, tho 3?ecoipt of tho props county trooouror thharofor.
f ’
, .-. 233 &morablo Connally EScXay, page 3
“In view of the two articles mentioned above it- ueeT53 that the statuteo direct the Justice of the Peace to turn into tho County Troaeuror all
stoiioa collected belonging to or for the UBO of the county.
*Art. 1052, Code of CrMnal Procedure, reads in part RS follovsa ‘.... Two Dollars and fifty Cents ehall be paid by the Count to the Justice of the Poam for each Crinina Action tried and --sg
flnal~y disposed of before him.....*
%!h%.s artidlo mema to bo based on the asSmp- tion thet the justice has turned into the County Treseurer all monies collected bs1ongZng to or for the use of the County, and that the County ia then to reinbume him in tho mount of 82.50, ee provLded in .t.ho nbove article.
@Art. 1074, Code of Cr?lmlnal Procedure provides for triel fee OP $$.OO 88 hereinbefore sontioned,
‘Art. 16, Sect&on 61, Constitution of Toxa8, rends in part a8 followa: r....All fees earned by ’ ., dietriot, county end proalnot offlcem @hall be paid Into the County Treasurer vhore ssrned for the account of the proper fund, provided that feea incurred by the State, county and my mmicipality, or in cam vherc a paupers oath is filed, shall be paid into the County Trsnsury vhen co31ooted and Provided thr.t vhore any officer is commsatcd vhol2~ on a foe basis cuo.l? rees n otalncd by such 0Sffccr or oZT3f~t~recsury ol tilf2 corrnty a3 [*] the Comissionars 1 CouYt my direct.. . . *
“oons~d&hg all the namb .articles, both civil and crinlnal, end tile provision of the constitutiion quoted r?bove, ths log,fchl conclusion Fe that the et&&o;ory provisions and tho constitutional provision em in conflict.
“OPiZIOX: It is the oplnLon of the triter that tho Conctitutional io contz*olling, provialon and that the Comissionors~ Court in enpowrod to direct thot~ any officer coqmxated vholly on a fee basis nay rotaln such portion of the fees collootod as he Is Jo~nlly entitled to racolvo.
. , R.onorable C0~2ly NOUy, p~a.)r
oPROPOSITIOR RO. 21 Doe3 the Comlaaionerst Court hwa tha authority to direct the oounty treas- ur8r to pay end apply monlao received by such trcao- urer from fines lmpoead in Justice Court into a.uy fund they see fit? particular
oAUTHORITIESr Art; 1709, Ravisad Civil Statutesj Art. 1628, Roviaod Civil Stututosj Art. 3629, Revleed Civil Statutes; “ARGWTI .krt. 1628, Revised Civil Btat,utes 88t8 up ttiae funds into VhlCil the County treasurer ehall plooa nonios co?dng into his hZuxk!. Art. 1629, provides that ths Comiasionars’ Court my caune other amount8 to be kept, creating other clae3es of funds, a3 it nay dcen propor...,. Art. 1709, reeds a8 followsa ‘The County traasurar shall x?eooiva all Eoniea belong- tng to the county from vhctevar 3ource they my be da- rived, and pay and apply the 3tme ao required by law, Iq suoh mnuor as the com.issPonars court of his county may roqulre and dire&. )
I “OPIRIOn: In the absence of statutory requlro-
manta as to vhat particular fund them noniee ehould bs placad, it la the opInI.on of the Vritor that the Comiesionara~ Court does have tine authority to diraot into which fund they shall ba put.
“I raepectfully ask for f3.u 0nlnLos fro3 your offica on tha abova propositionn,”
Wood County, Taxeo, had a population in excess of 20,000 l.!Wkbitunts according to tho 19tiO Federal Cansua, end \TO undar-’ .Dtnnd fro:~ your latter that tho procLnct officers we conpemntad on a fee basis.
Arti& 1052, Vernonis Annotatad Toxns Cock or Crln-, inal Proccdurs, @mda @3 follovsr
nThroa Dollars ohall be plaid by the county to the County Judge, or Judge of tho Court ot Lzw, and Two Dollars ond fifty oonts shall bc paid by the cowty to the Jwtice OS tho Pozco, for each criains.l nction tried md finnl>l dioporod of bo- fom hII& P1*ovided, hmovor, that in all ccmtics hapin n popubtion of 20,000 or lorrt, the Juetlco oi" tlJf3 po2cc 3h2l.l rmoivs 0 trizc!. foe of Throo .,
,
Dol.3ars. Such Judge, or Juatloo shall present to tho Comlasloncrs* Court of Ns county at a regu- 2s.r tom thereof, a writton. account specifying
each orlmlnsl aotion in which he clalma such fee, cortifiocl by such Judge or Justice to bo correct, and filed with, the County Clorl:, The Coamlasion- ers~ Court shall approve suoh account for such
amount as they find to be correct, and ordor 8
clmf’t to be laauad upon the County Tronauror Zn favor of such Judge or Juatico fop the amout ao approved. Provided tho Comxlasionor~a~ Court shall not psy any account or trial fees in any ceso
triod and in which an acquittal l.a hsd unlcas the State of Tor.rs vaa roproacnted in the trial of
eaid muse by tho County Attorney, or hts assls- taut, Crininpl Dintrlct Attorney or his aaalstnnt, and thf~ ocrtZflcate of.-said Attomoy is attaohed to aaid account oortlfytig to the fact that said cauzo ~8 ttilod, and tho St&o of Toms vea ro- presontod, and that in h.La jadg?xmt there vaa
rufficfent evidence in aaid csuas to.deimnd a
trdal of same.’ - Arficlo 1074, Vernoala !.motatod Texas Code of Crln- inal Procadure, rooda aa follova:
“Xn each aaao of conviction &‘a county COUPti Cl’ O. COUty COUrt st ls~t, vhether by s
jury or by a Court, there ahnll bo taxed s@nat
tho defmdsut OP against all defendanta, when
aoveral are held 5o~~tly, a trial fee of Pivo Dol3are , tha aam to bo collected and psid over 5.n the asm moor as in tho cam of a Jay feo, and in the Suatlcu Couz*t the trial fee ~hal.1 ba the emi of Pow Dollara.”
Artlolo 1628, Vernon*a Aunotated Temn Civil Statutea, reeda as follo1ra :
“The fubda~mxoived by the county treooumr ehallbc clasaod es follova, md ahall be appro- priatad, rcspc~tively, registered to the psy~~ont of. a13 clalns
in tho fi?at,, eooond and third cl.asoear . .
‘.
Ronos+able Connally &Kay, page 6
“1. All jury feoa, all noneg received frm the eale of eatraya, end all occupation taxear *2. All money rooeived under eny of the provi- eiona of the road and brid2o lax, includI.ng the penal-: tloa roaovered f’ron rellroada for fa.ilw to repair oroaofnga, and all fiaoa and forfelturos.
“3. All uoney received, not othortise atpro-
prlated here%n or by the oomn.M$stoners oourt.
‘. Cpinicn 30. O-3092 of tbls department holds that fines ehould be paid to the County Trunsurer and pieced In the Road & Rrid@ Fund of the oounty. (See Sea. 2 of Article 1628, aupra.)
Articles 950 and 951, Vemonts Amotated Code of Crim- inal Raoccdure, provide oertaLn ccmnioaions for certaLn offiaers and road a8 follovet 950. The diatrlot or county attorney ‘Art. to ten per cent of’ &Ill fines,
shall. be entitled forfeiture8 o? moneys colleoted for the Stotc or oouuty, upon jud3;lonta reooverod by hint nr,d the clerk OS the cowt in which aaid ju~euts are xon- .* dered ahall be entitled to five per cent of the ~, amount of a&id judmenta, to be paid out of tho amOwt V%on OOlleOtGd,
“Art. 951. The sheriff or other cffioer, ex- wept a justics of the peace or his clci*k, who ool- locts roncy for the State or county, except jury Soed, under any provislon of this Code, shall be en- titled ode” to reta& five per cent thereof when colleot- Ve quota f&m Opinion Ro, O-616 of this daparkmt a$ rolloVs;
“Artlclo LOj2, eUp:pra, apaciflcelly provides that the county judp, or judp3 Of t!x3 court at lcw, cl&l be paid $5 .OO by the comty, fcr ewh crtilnrrl actlon triad and f5.nall.y &La~osiad of before him, such atctute furihcr prorLdca thnt the justice of the ponoo ahall rsceivo $2.50 in al.1 colratioa havL,,ilg G populatFon in oxceaa of 20,000 Pad $3.00 in cl1 cowtlm hsving n yopzlation cf 2S,COO OP loss E&ion tried and fiscally dispcf~od for edi.cHr.~ind of boford hln, euch foor? to bs paid by tix? county *7 vh.en such olnims era filed in oomplianoe with Arti- ale 1052, C.C.P. Xt ia lmmterinl whether ‘the dofon- dant uho is convicted in such crinlnal aotlon pays his fine 2nd ooota or vorke his fine and co&s out on the county f&m, pUb1t.C PO3.dS Or OtheT public
vorlse of the county, or eatiePi%a such fins end
coete by atzyizg in j&U a aui'ficient length of tim to diaohmge Ns fine md coots. Tha judge or $ua- tica 16 eatltlod to the fall fee az grov~dr;r! bx
Article 1052, cuprn, for eech crininal nctlcn tried andTinnllg GIGcored of bvfora hlz."
we cncloso hormlth c copy of said opinlon.for your informs- tion. [9]
Opinion Ho, 0-634 of tW.8 Gqmtzmt bolik~ thet the ~omlesl,onars~ court does not have aothcrity to take trial fees collected under ArtLcle~lO71;, C.C.P., and place the3 in a eep- orate fund for the purpose of paying the foes due the~.?uetiao ' under Articla 1052, C.C.P. Ye.ewlose bsreuith a cogy of said
opinion for* YGOl informtfon.
We havo carefully tho CcnstltutionaZl gues- conoidered t&on raised by you and have reached tho opFnlon that there ia no conetitutioml
gilcrstion Fwolv~d bsomse tho $4.00 tr,ial fee la Justice Courts unAor* &~ticlo IWIt, CiC.P., 8v.p%, belarip; to anrl is pr;able to the county and not to the Juctico of the Peace and that t&r&we tho Suetico coilld not retnin any portZ.on of t.ho fee due the county. The fee duo thj Juotico under AHxLcle 1052, c. C.?., supr2, :.a payable to h31 57 tho Cmaty, ?rior to the e.mp,fi@ont of Article 1052, C,C.P.,.Jueticeo colloctcd fees from doPGn&nta upon comictim; such pi?ozGdu?e XLS hsld invalid In the case of Ezc Partc lie21y, 10 S.W. (26.) 723, on the (growd tbot the Ju3U.cG hsd a p;ecuninrj intG??est in t>G defcn&mk's ccnvlct.I.on a;ld wis Gi~pGll.iIlC?d -alJar AFtlcls 5, SG3tion 11 Of OUr State Conatittition. IIcncc the ~g~G&nent of ArtPcl.8 1052, proviclhg that the cowiy shouli: pay the trid. fe0E of C.C.P.,
Xt ia our fwthcr opinion'that the fines (less legal bc ~JhxX 3 in the Ro:d E IJridgjo Fmcl of the cotieZ310n3) ~holl~d coLu1ty.
,. . 2.38
soonorabls Conmlly McKay, paae 8
It is our furthor opinion that t&iI feee collected tmaer Artiolo 1074, C.C.P., should bs plmod In thc$ General Fund of the county anil that the fooe duo the Justlco undop &tlOlo 1052, C.C.P., ~f’rom tho aounty, ehould be piid fros the Goner81 Fund of the county.