(1) There shall be allowed out of the county treasury from the general county funds, or any other available funds payable monthly by the board of supervisors of the county, not less than the following amounts for the purposes of defraying the salaries of deputy circuit clerks:

Class 1 and 2 counties not less than Four Hundred Fifty Dollars ($450.00) per month;

Class 3 and 4 counties not less than Three Hundred Fifty Dollars ($350.00) per month;

Class 5, 6, 7 and 8 counties not less than Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250.00) per month.

The above and foregoing allowances shall be for the purposes of defraying the salaries of deputy circuit clerks provided such allowance, and upon written request of the circuit clerk, shall be paid directly to the deputy circuit clerk designated by him, in the absence of which request, the allowance shall be paid monthly to the circuit clerk. Deputy circuit clerks employed under authority of this section shall be deemed employees of the county. The clerk shall select and supervise their public duties.

(2) This section shall not apply to any county having a county court except that in any county in which U.S. Highway 49 and Mississippi Highway 6 intersect, any county in which U.S. Highway 61 and Mississippi Highway 4 intersect, any county having a population in excess of fifty-seven thousand (57,000) and which is traversed by the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway or whose county seat is within twenty (20) miles of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, any county bordering the State of Tennessee and the Mississippi River, any county in which U.S. Highway 61 and U.S. Highway 82 intersect, any county in which U.S. Highway 61 and Mississippi Highway 8 intersect, any county in which U.S. Highway 82 and U.S. Highway 49E intersect, any county in which U.S. Highway 49 and Mississippi Highway 16 intersect and which is traversed by Interstate Highway 55, and any county in which Highway 589 and Highway 98 intersect, the provisions of this section shall be discretionary with the respective board of supervisors.