Article XVI, Section 61 of the Texas Constitution

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As amended November 2, 1999:

(a) All district officers in the State of Texas and all county officers in counties having a population of twenty thousand (20,000) or more, according to the then last preceding Federal Census, shall be compensated on a salary basis.

(b) In all counties in this State, the Commissioners Courts shall be authorized to determine whether precinct officers shall be compensated on a fee basis or on a salary basis, with the exception that it shall be mandatory upon the Commissioners Courts, to compensate all justices of the peace, constables, deputy constables and precinct law enforcement officers on a salary basis.

(c) In counties having a population of less than twenty thousand (20,000), according to the then last preceding Federal Census, the Commissioners Courts have the authority to determine whether county officers shall be compensated on a fee basis or on a salary basis, with the exception that it shall be mandatory upon the Commissioners Courts to compensate all sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, county law enforcement officers including sheriffs who also perform the duties of assessor and collector of taxes, and their deputies, on a salary basis.

(d) All fees earned by district, county and precinct officers shall be paid into the county treasury where earned for the account of the proper fund, provided that fees incurred by the State, county and any municipality, or in case where a pauper's oath is filed, shall be paid into the county treasury when collected and provided that where any officer is compensated wholly on a fee basis such fees may be retained by such officer or paid into the Treasury of the county as the Commissioners Court may direct.

(e) All Notaries Public, county surveyors and public weighers shall continue to be compensated on a fee basis.

Editor Comments

This poorly-worded section, added in 1935 and amended three times, has been criticized as unnecessary.

Attorney Steve Smith

Recent Decisions

None.

Historic Decisions

  • Wichita County v. Robinson, 276 S.W.2d 509, 516-17 (Tex. 1954) ("A part of the compensation allowed by the statute was paid to him by the Commissioners Court. All parties acted in good faith and we think it would be inequitable under the circumstances here to require . . . . We therefore hold that the County is not entitled to recover from the respondent the compensation which had been paid him in reliance upon the validity of the law and on the advice of the Attorney General. It is to be understood that our holding on the unconstitutionality of the Act is confined solely to that portion of Section 57, that refers to 'salary payments' to tax assessors-collectors in counties of more than 20,000 population.")

Library Resources

Online Resources