Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1945 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Eionorsbls C D Wr,;,
county Atto&.;
Briaooe County
sirrsfton, *xllr
War Sir8 O&nion Ao. O-6905
fort a n
lp uer
ty Coamimionerrha8
la io nerPnolnot
r ror
-Zo en rdjoinin~; pnoinot,
Or #I nib, IBtill iti thiB
:
th otir library vfe hare not been able
l ra ot enee reported, rnd w nred to
'1. Did thi8 Cornmirrioner WAtolartlOaUy
raaate hi8 orrio, when ho aored hi8 rsmi4 to
air new looation, on land that ho own6 and
rstabllrhed him hone et tlo new looation?
‘,- ’ 480
HM.“U. 9. Wrl&, pago 2
’
i.“:
c a n
h0
.“2,ltu hold orrio 00 o``uu~oo~o~O~,
aTanir ho la llr in lnothar prrobot dlrrormt
rrom the on0 ror rh oh he was llaotod?
9
Ifhe O8MOt oontinue to hold Oiiioe will
it t:E; M 00ti0n or thO ~0~a0i0nOr0~ court'br-
olrring the 0kri0e taoant, ir he doer not realgm
before a new l0lu1 OM be rppolnted?
‘4; Ii ha OOBt~UOO ir, OiiiOO Wixi it fntOlf- ’
datg sag or the order8 or the Cocmlaalonerrc Gourt,*
mot1oJl 18, Art1010 5 0r the Conatltutlon prorldoa 00
iollowar
T3aoh OrgaAlftedOOUnty iirth# St6tO AOW or hwo-
rite exlot~ ah&l DOdlrldod iron, tLmr’ to t&a,
rOr th0 OOIWM~OI Of the pOOpi tit0 pIWObOt0,
not leer than iour and aot mora than right, !Che
present count;t ah&l1 LMko the rlrat dlvlalon,
courtr
Subasquusnt dirlaloaa ahall be mado by the comia-
llonera* court, prOYided ror by thla.conatltutlOll*
IXI esoh auah preoioot then shall be olroted at oaoh
blonnlal eleotfon, on. Justloa or the peaor and one
oonrrtabla, saoh of whom ahall hold hi8 Ofiioe ror
two y’rara and until hia auotvaaor ahall be alrotsd
and quelLfled) provided that in any preo&aet $a
whlah then nay be a olty oi 8000 or taore lnhabitanta,
then, ahall be rlrotrd two juatloer or thr pram. Eaoh
oounty ahall in like manner br divided into roux 00pI
alBalOnere* lzeolnota in oaob 02 xhioIi there ahall be
@looted by the auallfisd toters thareof one oount
oOMl88ioner~ who shall bold hS8 ofrioe Ior two &a
a na untilM e luoooaaox a b a ll b elh g ted a ndp usu~d.
Tha oountr ooaalarlonrr8 80 ohoaon, with th t
jud60, aa prosfqng orrioer, oh811 00rqp040 :hi%&
Comlaalo~era~ Uourt, rhioh ahall rxsroisr luoh power8
end juriadlotion over all oowty bualneaa, 80 la aon-
rarmd by thla Gonatltutlon rind the law0 or th8 state,
or an map br hareartrr prarorlbrdrn (Uaderaoorlng
ouxa) ,
Sea. 14, ht. 16 of the Gonitltutlon prorldra no tollowat
*All olvll oiiloerr ahall rrrldr within the Btatrl
8iid 011 dlatrlot or oounty orrlorra within their dir-
trlotr or oountloa, and ahall keep their oftlo@@ at
luoh glacra aa my be required by 1aWj and bllum to
oonply with this oondltion shall VaOEite the OiZloo
00 held,"
/
\.\
i-ion. C. 3. Wright, pee;* 1
..:
In rlaw Or the provlalona Or Ut. 5, 300. 18 or tho Con-
ltltutlon, above, thera la no doubt that a county oonaiaaloner
1s e county ofrfosr. While thin quaatlon leame not to have
bean passed on by the Courts of our State, lt hae been deoidad
by the Court0 of meny other Staten. Yae vol. 10, Words end
Phraeae, 96. In the '%ma Or !iElClOnB v,‘lJooro, 104 SO. 432, the
supreme court or Alabama hold that the 0rfi08 or Colliltg Conald-
alonsr or a subdlvlalon or Coireo county wee a aouzitp orrloe;.
The raota ii? that oaaa show that car80 county wan by law
divided into four ootnnilsalonora~ dlatrlcte. Therefore, a
oountg oomleslonar being lnoludad in the term *oountp oiiloarss
no uasd in Art. 16, Soo. lJ+ or the Conetitutlon, abovo, la ra-
qulred to roslda in hia county only and not aaorarerlly in the
praolnot in whlah he wan llcotad.
Artiolo 2339, Vernon*8 Annotated Civil Statutea, provide8
aa rollowat
vaoh oounty ahell br dlvldod into rour ooa-
niaelonora preolnote,a,nd otio oonmfaslonar nhall
be elected biemlally ln ssoh preolnot, and aeah
comalselonirr ahall hold hle OrSloe ior two years.*
Art. 2341, V. A. C. S., provldea en rOuOWBl
“113 0crm0r racenay in the oPfloa 0r mwds-
aloner, the oountp judge ahell appoint ooze ault-
ebla pareon living in the preoinot where auoh
vaoanoy oooura, to nerve a6 oommlsaloner tor euoh
greolnot until the naxt ganaral alaction.*
Art. 2927, V. A. C. S., ~rovldas as follows:
Wo paraon ahall be rllglbls to any State, county,
piaolnot or munlolpel ofiloa in this Steta unlasa ha
BhOu bo allglbla to hold oiiloo under the COnOtltU-
tlon of thio state, and unlssa he ahall haV* resided
ln thle state Sor the porlod or twolvo mnntha and nix
months In the oounty, preoinot, or munloiplity, in
whloh ha orrera hineelf a a l oendldata, next prsoed-
lug any goneral or apeolal llootlon, and ahall have
been an aotuel bona ride ottlzen of aald Oounty,
preoinot, or muniolpallty for more then six moather
No Q@r$Onine1lglble ‘to hold OSriCO ahall Over have
hle name placed upon tho ballot et any goners1 Or
spooial ohotion, or nt nny primary olaotlon whma
oandidatas bra aoloota6 under primary eleotion 1ewO
or thie State! and no auoh ineligible oandldato Ohell
aver be voted upor~, nor have voter oouzatad iOr bin, at
any auoh ganaral,~rpeoiel, or Qrtiry d~OtiOE."
482 .
xcm. c. D. Yirl$ht, pass 4
ArL'2928, V. A. C. S., provides as tollowfirr:
*r;elthsr the Seoretary or state, nor any oounty
judge or thle Skte, nor any other authority authorlead
to issue oartiriostes, 85all issue any oertltlcatee or
'eleotlon or appolntnent to any person elected or ap-
pointed to any ffloe la this ststs, who Is not eligible
to hold suoh OSf-lee under the Oonstitutlon of this
Stab and undrr the above artiolei and the name oi no
ineligible person, under the Constitution snd I8we OS
this Stats, shall bb certified by any party, oommlttes,
or any authority authorized to hare the names or oandl-
dstes plaoed upon the prlmarg ballots at any prLmary
lleotion in this state; and ths nazm ol n&3 ineliglblc
eanbldate under the Constitution au4 laws of thlr Stats
8hd.l be pla064 won the btillot Of any 4onsral or
speolal eleotlon by any authority wh~ss duty It 18
to place ntuses of candidates upon offlola ballots."
Under the above oonatltutlocal and statutory provtsione a
county oomaisaloner; after 5s has been duly oleoted or a?polnted,
is re;;uired to reside In his oo:mty only rather than in the
preoinot in whio5 he was eleatad or agpoistsd. arom this we
sre not to bs understood as holding thst a county 001381~a~oxier
CM mslae OutdIe the pmd.aOt l.~ whloh he is oleotsd or ap-
pointed at the the OS his eleotion or appointnent. In the
absenoe of oonstitutional and stetutory provisions rquirlng
a county oommleslonur to reside In his preolnot, after he has
been eleoted or appointed, we are oonstralned to hold that he
tcsy melde anywhere in his oounty.
In the ease o? Lhllnger at al VS. tienkin, 29 9. 3. 240,
chief Justloe yishsr said1
". . .me provieioii 0r the constitution ts
expmso in deolerlng that oounty orricers shall
renlde within their cOUitle8. This pfovirlon
evidently ueans that the county sentloned is the
county in *ioh tts orrioer was eleotea. Then
roliowa the dsolamtlon, in efreot, that the
rc1l.w to SO reside in sal4 oounty ahalL vaoate
the orrioe. The oonatitutlon 1s express upon
this point. It deolares, i.ia erreat., that ralh-e
to 00~ply with its terms wit5 rsrerenoe to rrsl-
drnae will bring about a taoanoy in the OrriOS.
u an orgio&r&oves from the bounty,anU estab-
s5 8 a r sidenoe slscwhers, thl8 is a fsot that,
rtason 80f the provision of the oonstitution
guoted. vaaates t5e offioe to whloh he *es eledted
. .I1 (Underscorlnk3
. ’
483
I‘\ /
..
Hon.‘C..‘D. Wright, &15e 5
A oount``comlssloner rho removea from thr preolnot, Ln
rhloh .h6 was 018otSb and ha8 qUallil.ed, intO an adjolnlng
preoinot ln the aaoe oounty is not lnaluded in the class of
from their oountiss and establish reel.-
;;f;;~;‘:“l``;h~v~;
In vle~ Oi the a b o ve luthoritlea, you am advised that
-it 1s the opinion of this bepartment that ths Commissioner
whon you inqulm about, did not vaoate his oifloe by remov-
.. ing iron ths CoMmlaslonersl QmslnOt, fm whloh he was eleOte4,
into an ldjolnlng pm¬ in the same county,
From what we have ral4 w8 4rem it unnooossary to anmer
your other questions.
We truat that above satiaraotorlly answers your lnqulrles,
Your0 very truly,
ATTOLXZY OUL.!lAL OF TiXAS