Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable R.N. Damt, Pege
twenty-five thounand (Pj,OOO) inizabltantaa County Judge, Distrlat or Crdmlnrl Diatrlat Attorney, Sheriff, County Clerk, County Attorney, Dlatrict Clerk, Tu Collector, Tax &saeaaor, or the Aaaeaaor And Collector of Taxes, Tventy-seven Duudred and Fifty Dollars (*2750) each; Juatlae of the ?eaoe and Conatable, Fifteen Xundred Dollera ($1500) each; provided, however, that in all oountlea vlth a taa- able valuation for aounty purpoaea of not leas than Fifty-one Mllllon, OM Hundrad Thourand Dellarm ($51,100,000) nor mre thm Fifty-one Mlllon, Four Bandred Thouend Dollan (451,400,000), and in all aountlea vlth a taxable valuation for county our- poaea of not leas than Tventy-awen Klllioa, Xfne Dundred and PISty Thousux! Dollaza (+27,9“0,000) nor mom then Twenty-seven lUllLon, pli lhutdred (427,960,003, eooord- and sixty Thourend Dcllara lag to the tex rolls aa prepared by the Tax Aaaeaa- ov-Colleator of the reapeotlve oountlea for the ourrent 1938, the aounty Corriaaionera Courta ia such couutlea ahall have the povor to set and eatabllah annually the maxImum umuntoi the feea aolleoted by the Juatloea of tha Peace and Conata- blea vhlah shall be retained by auah offlcreFa aa o~a atlon fo r th eir l ervlaea~ provided, however, that tha maximsa amount aet and eatabllahed by the oounty Coaulaalonera courta *a tIm eaount to be retalnad by l uah&flaera l halllnno event xoeed Three Thouaand, six hundred dollaoa ($3,600) par annum, end provided further, thet the ooapenaa- tlon auoh officera (~8 provided herain shall be due and payable the flrat of eaah aonth, and the pm rata coapenoatlon See8 to be retained for eny quarter of the fiscal year ahall in ac event exoaed Iilne Eundrad Dollar8 (4900) and auoh X4lna Rundred Dollars ($900) ahall be paid only out of fee8 collected by such officer8 during qusPter to vhich such Tine Ihmtred Dollars ($900) 1-t ap- end in the event the county Comml8aZonen pllea, Courts OS such counties ahall set ahd establish the ataxlmum amount cf to be retained by auoh offi- cem nt en amount less then Three Thousand, 2%~ Rundred Dollarr ($5,600) then the aams provlslono, oonditions, and llmltationa as net out above rball *3 Xonorablo H.A. Dmat, Page
be rpplloable and ahsll be applied to any and all au& leaner p8yaent.a aa ry be provided by the aowty C~aalonera Courts of auah ooun- ties.’
Aooordlng to the 1930 Federal Census, Fort Bend County had a puletlon of Tvanty-nine Thousand, Seven RunQmd and Eighteen 29,718) ixbbitaata, and thm 1940 FeQerel Census r ahova the population of maid oounty to be Thi*ty-tvo Thousand,
lllne Hundred and Thirty-five (32,935) lahabltmta. We are In- purposes of uid fomed that the taxable valuation for aount wunty for year was approximetely 8 27,951,200.00, be- ing mom than $27,%0.00 end leas tbu~ #27,96$).00 aa aentloned in the above qwted statute.
With referenoe to population and the taxable valua- 0~08 Fort Bend County oomea vithln Seotion 7% ?&s:;wmpd Thla statuteprov3iieeine~ee'EXm~ the oowty cramais~fonera~ courta In much counties shall have the paver to set end eatabllo,h annwlly the maximum amount of . fees aollected by the justices of the peaae and constables which &all be jwtalned by suah oPfiaera as compensotlon for their servtces; prcvided, hovnver, that the asxti umcunt so met end eatebllahed by the aounty crarriealonera' oourta am the emount to be retained by auoh officers ehnll in no event exosed $3,600.00 pelr annm, and provided further that the em- penaetlon or such officere k8 provided in maid atatutm ahall be due nnd payable tlbe~~llr.nt OS each mcnth md the pro rota oolrponscstlon or fees tc be mtaixm2 any quarter of the flaoal hall in no event exaeed $900.00 and awh $900.00 ahall be paId only out of Seem colleothd auoh orficera during the quarter to wlrlch such $900.00 liait appllea. Am above stated, the statute rpec~floally provldew that euoh &OO.OO eha3.l be paid only out of oolleated by auoh offl- oera during tha querter to vhleh mixah @OO.OO llmlt ppllea, therefore prohibiting tlm retainlng OS few oompenutlon eamed in one quarter over and above the aaid $!?OO.O for any querter other than the quarter In which maid fees were aolleat- ed. Therefore, your question ia respectfully anavereQ in the negative.
It la to be underatood~that this depax%nent la not *4 Honorable H.I. l&rat, Page
passing upon the oonatltutlarmlity of the above mntloned atetute in thla opinion.
Trusting thet the foreegolng fully enave~a your in- quiry, ve are
Very truly yours ATTORREYGRNBRAL OFTsJms Ardell WillLua Aaalatent