Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE Al-I’ORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable R. A. YoRlrath
Oounty
Cooke County
Galne~~lllr, Texas
Dear Slrr Oplalon Nor
/ lour requert tor opinion haa
oarefully
request a8 tollowzr oonaidsred by this depar your
*Artlo 1650, the 44th Legislature din
appolntmnt,
asaIetant8 to oountf au
In thlr law with retere
sIatant8 end ~oour/i&l
ties where only one aealrrtant sslatant shall be authorized tier az are required law ot the County Auditor.
In oountles In rhIoh more then one aselatant ehall be appointed, Auditor may drslgaate the to aot tor him aselztant rho ohall be authorized during his, abrenoo unavoidable detentian. All ot aaid assietantr rhall take the usual oath ot ot- tier talthful pertormnnoo ot duty and may be re- quIred to gIre suoh bond aa the Oounty Aualtor mq , ..ee.m-Y1-.. ^-...,^.....,.--. .----..___..-.. .--. ~. “0 COYYIIY,C.~,O” I. . . . ..-..“-...I . . .
Honorablr RI A. xOx]Lr(Lth, Pa&e 2
dotrrmlno whloh bond shall be paid tor the ooun- ty and ehall run In tator ot the oountr and at the Oouatr Auditor (IO their ~Intereet may appear.
The Qounty Auditor shall preparo a llet ot the number ot doputlee eought to bm appointed,
their dutlee, qualltIoatIone and rxperlmoo and th e l alarIoe to be paid woh, and ehall or&J the llet to the Dletrlot Judge, or In thr wont
at more than one Dlotrlot Judge In thr oouuty, to the Dlotrlet Judgee, the Dietriot Judge or
the Dletrlot fudge0 ehall then oarrfully oonel- der the l pplloatlon the appointment o? raid aeeletantr and may siako all aoo*eeary Inqulrles oonoernIng the qualItIoatlone of the person8 nemed, the poeltlone sought to bo tll~~d and the reaeon- ablrnree ot the ealarlee requeeted; and ii, atCor euoh oonsidentlon, the Dletrlot Judge, or In the event of more than one Dletrlot a majorItJ the DIetrIot Judge8 ohall approve &he appoint- aunto sought to bo mado or an? nmb8r thereof,
ho or t&y ahall preparr a llet ot the appointee8 eo a proved and thm ealarke to br paid rach and oort P fy l ald llet to the ComIeelonere Oourt of l ald oounty. The Oommleelonare Court shall thsre- upon order the amount paid ,trom Osneml Fund raid oounty upon the pertormanoo ot the 08n- lorel and l ald Cottrt ehall approprlata adequate iundo for the purpoee# pzorlded that the total
number ot aeeIetante to ELUY munty under allowed thle Artlolr ehall not l xoeed two (2) aeeIetanta In oountlee having leer than tltty thOU0Md (50 - 000) Inhabitante, one assistant in oountlea ha&g not leer thn fltty-three thoueand, nine hundred and thirtpelr (53,936) and not more than tlttp tour thoueand (54,000) kabltante aooordlng tour (4) aeeIet- tha last preordlag bderal Cmeue ante in oountlee having between tifty thOU8and (50 000) and one huadred thoueand (100 000) in- habItante 01x (6) aeeletaute la oountlee harlng between oie hundred thourrand (100 000) end on0 hundred and tltty thousand (150,0&O) Inhabitant*, ten (10) aeeletante in oountlee hating between one huu&red and titty thousand (150,000) and two hundred and seventy-tire (275,000) ln- habitante., and fltteen (15) aeeietMte in OOUntieO more than two hundred and seventy-tire thou- hati aand 275,000) Inhabitante, in aaoh Inetauoa aooord- Ing to the laet preoedlng or any tuturr Federal *3 _ Honorable R. A. MoXlrath, Pagr 3
Ooneue, exoluelre In eaoh Inetanoe ot the tlret
aeeIetant, end euoh temporary aeeIetente as may bo needed In oaeoe ot bona tide earrgenolee, the num- ber ot suoh tamporary aeeIstante, their ealarIee and the duration ot employment to be reoommended by AudStor but to be datarminad by the or a majority ot the Dletrlot Dletrlot J-e
Judges as the oooaelon may require, provided in oountlse hating thrre hundred and thirty or more aooordlng to the (330,OCO) inhabitants last preordlag or anf tuturo Federal Census In
like mower the Judges of the Dletrlot Courts may authorize the appointment ot additional regular aesletante when in their judgment a neoeselty
exists therotor. The Couuty Auditor shall have the right to dleoontlnue the eenloee of any ae- elstant employed in aooordsnoe with the pro+leIone ot thle Artiolr, but no aeeletant shall be employed The Dietriot exoept In the manner herein rorlded. Dletrlot Judges gI op ng consent to the to appoint an aeelstant or aeeIetente
shall annually havs the right to withdraw euoh oonsent, ohange the number ot aeeIetante par- mittsdr “The County Auditor shall be authorissd
prorlda himsalt with all neoeseary ledgers, books, reoorde, blanks, and postage at the oounty’e expense, but-all stationery, oqulpmsnt, telephone pur- shall be made in the manner pro- ohasee thereot (As mended Aote 1935, 46th vided by law. Leg ., p. 763, oh. 333, a 1.)” Thr above quoted statute prorldee no age requlre- Ye hare been unable to mento tor aeeletant oounty auditors. tin& any statute whatever requiring age qualItloatIone tor
-_ euoh aeeIetante.
We quote iron 34 Texee Jurleprudenoe, p. 345, as tollowe:
* In so tar as thr d6oIeione have dealt that both minor6 with tb’gtter It is held and women OM be deDutr oleik;,*and a WomM’e aIf- glblllty lo not atteoted 6s taot that she Ie marrlod.” (Undereoorlng OUrO)
Honorable R. A. MoElnth, Page 4
The oaae ot Harkreadrr v. State, 33 S, W. 117, Texas Court ot Criminal Appeals, holds that a minor may lr- gaily serve as a deputy oounty olerk.
The oaee of Delsnoy v. State, 90 3. Vi. 642, Texas Court of Crlrclnal Appeals, holds that a deputy dletrlot olerk need not be a qualltled voter and may be a womfm.
This oaae cited the Harkreador 08~8, eupra.
You are reepeotfully advlaed that it lo the opln- Ion of this department that a minor may legally serve as assistant oounty auditor.
Very truly yours A7Zl'CXGT GENJBAL OF TEXAS BY %L J. Fanning Assistant