Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1942 )

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OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTlN
Honorable R. Z. Ryohe
cottaty Aoditor
ama a0uty
Lorrgrier, Texas
DearSlr1
Your letter c7f J opla-
ion 0f this a8pattaute 011 q uestio n mea 0l8
fDllart
l8w other than Arbiolo
olntmnt of aosietaats
mea it, but t&em
two o~taoro ldeae
the oompasatlon.
qutmiotti my I, a8 a0wy Arrdltor, wpolat
a relative of the Dlstriot JPdge’8 rite, 8 fir**
aouein, 1x1 tieu of tho rdrt (4 the salary hr
Eoamable IL 9. Wyoha, Pago 2
b8aI set b Judgtw; (b) the appointmeat
wda f6li en ~ironth80r thr prb~i0~8
esttlw of the salary of the raslgnitg asalatantrW
Article 1650, Veraon’n Azotstsd Civil 5tatut.s
rwid8 a8 r0110w3:
T%a Count;; Auditor of nnx county or thlo
Etatt ~7~ et aq tiara, with the aoment or the
DietxiOt uUQ~I Ox Di6triCt Jud&w hevin~ jcris-
a:0th as horelnaftsr p-ovided, a.p;clnt a rim
assistaat an% other aaslstmt; whc r&.ll bs au-
- tf;Orizeil to diGChftx&jSSUOh datid8 as rr,es bo 238~
Slp.O% to tkel:;by the COUtQ .tUdltOr t5.d pXdd8a
ror by law. In counties where only me esslstant
18 apyolntctd, t;uoh asoletaht al.mll to autCo~1ze.d
to aot for the County Xudltor Zuriri his absmca
or urmvoldahla detontlon with respoat to suoh du-
floe as am rs:uirea by law of the County Auditor.
In oountlos in wlrioh uore thn one asslstaat shall
bo appointod, the County Audltor may deslgste the
aeolstant who ~1~11 be authorizud to not for bin
dur@ his aboenoe or unavoidable detontlon. All
or oald aaolstauts shall take the usual oath of
orfloe for i!aithfUl partornanoa or duty am? may
be required to givs ewh bond a8 the County Audi-
t:= day ti0temine, whioh bona shall bo pia ror,
by tho oounty ahd shall cull in favorOr thr OOUt-
ty end or tho Oounty Auditor as their. lntarset
m6y appear.
“The County Auditor ahail prepare a llet of
th3 numhor or deputlea 8Ought to be app0intea,
their dtitiett, qualiri0tdOos liid 0~perb3w1 ana
the salaries t0 5~ paid 6803, anit simll 08~ t iry
the list to tha Distrlot JuQe, or in Lhu event
or more thun one Di8triat Judge la tha ooahty, to
the Dfstrlot Judges, ahd the District JUdg8 or
the Distriot Judges ahall then oarefully oonsider
the applicntio:i for the appolntmtmt of aaLl asslst-
a&s and nay iruko al.1 noouassry lnqui1laa oonoern-
i&q fhu quulifloatiohs or the portions Imod, the
posltlons soiight to ba flllcd and thu reusonabl8-
aoss or tha ,solariss rsquested, and if, aftor suoh
consldoratlon, tho Distriot JuS;e, or LII thu avant
of more than one Dietrlot Judye, a mjoritg of t&o
Dintriot Judges ahall ap,pmve ths appointmnts
sought to bo made or any ntunher thercof, he or
they shall ~r:~pare a list of the apgoinluas so ap-
proved and the ealarles to be paid aaoh and oerti-
l’y said liot to the CaPnieslonsrs Court of mid
OOUllty. The &WLiSSiOnerS CoUt Shall thereupon
order the amount paid from the Ceneral ifund of
said oounty upon the performanoe of tha aenioes~
aad said Court shall appropriate adequate fundm
for the purpoeeb provided that the total number
of aselstsnt8 allowed to any coun%g under this
Artiolo ahall not exoood two (2) assistante in
counties hsvlng Iem than fifty thouwad (50,000)
lnhabltantr, one assisterrt In oc;r;ltiue hsving not
less than fifty-three thousand, ~;ine hundred and
thirty-sir (53.9 6 1, and not more then fifty-four
thousand (51,000 ? inhabitants aoaordl to the
last preooding Federal Census, four (4“? eseistantn
in oountics having betwreo fifty thousand (50,OOO)
and one hundred thoueand (100,000) inhabitants,
six (6) ssaiatntlts in oountios hsving between one
hundred thousand (100 000) and ono huudred atid
fifty thousand (150,&O) inhabitante, tan (10)
sssis tsnts in oountlea .havfng betwuerl one hundred
end tiity thousand (150,000) ami Go hundred and
aeranty-five thousand (275,000) inhabitants, and
Sfteorr (15) assistants In counties having, lore
?&an lzto hundred ana rorenty-five ttiouaand (275,000)
inhabitants, in eaoh lnstenoe acoordlng to the la8t
preoeding or any future Federal %mue, exolusi+a
in each lmtanoe oft tha first oselstant, and suoh
temporary essietants as nay be metted in Qaeee oi
tona iida emsrgenoles the nuaber of such tmporszy
assiatm ts, their ealarias and Wo duration of em-
ployment tb bo moomended by the County Auditor
but to be detewlned by the District Judge or by
a mjorlty of the Dietrlgt Judgee ae the! oocasion
mey require, provided in aountlee hevl% three hur+
dred and thirty thoueand (330,000) lnhebltanto or
more aooordis to the laet prowdin.. or aW futura
redoral Census in like maaner the Judeas OS the
Cistriot Cmrta lnay authorize the w:pointrs,nt Of
additlo,rsl rec.ular asaistante wbm in their judg-
ant a neoeaeity exists therefor. The county Audi-
tor shall h?ve t&e right to di``our.tirrUe the S8Wi0OS
Honozabls R. S. Wyohe, Page 4
O? any as8lsta.d employed In aOOOrdmO%with the
p~orioions of this Artiolr, but rio assistant shall
be employed exoept In the manner herein provided.
'L'beDistriot SuQe or DFatd.ot Jtigoa &iv@ oon-
sent to the Auditor to appoint an acsistant or
araietants shall annually hare tho right to wit&-
draw suoh oonsen:., und ohango :hc na.,ber or BB-
si5tanta pmaittod.
“The County Auditor &all ba authorizad to
provida hlxmolf *;:ith all nsoesa~ry l&ars, booka,
reoorde, blaxkq stationery, squipment, telephone
a& pooh&e at 4he oountyle expense, but all pur-
olw~sea thereof ahall~ be made in the xmner pro-
ydgea ror by law. (-4s amendea .bts 1935, 44th
., P. 743, oh. 333, e 1.1”
Artloles 432-438 inolualve, Vernon’s hnaoteted Penal
Calo are the otctuteu portainlno to nePOtlfiln In this State.
Under theso statutes no offloer of the State or any ~11U111oipal
6ubaividon theroof, nor w 0rfioer or nwber of any State
or punloIpa1 board, ahull appoint, or vote for, or oonrira the
eppoint:aent t0 any offioo or employmane, of any pereon relataa
within oertain e``oifled de&%ea to him or to any other ~!&~ar
of such imar i&an the oompansation OS euoh peraon 18 to be,
paid out 0s Publio tide or ma or ~ffioe 0s any km what-
mayor. Eva&in of zmpotiara by tr@.din& and appmvaL of ao-
oounts or tbs %rc&wlne( or WErants to pay t&a ooqenration oi
enr inelip.ible ol%oor or per8on, are also a6dt with. TiM
otetuteaprovide aloo for tbu puniehment at any parson r& viol
laterc any Of it8 provlsion8.
Artiole k32, ~UQFO.,prohibits +ny offlorr oi thie
Sate, the ofrioerof any diotriat, oounty City, pnolnat,
sehool dietriot, or other munioigal 8Ubdirisiom oi this Stats
or sny offlos or nembor of any Stato, dlotrlot, oountr, oltr,
sohool Qistriot or other doipal board, or Judgr of any
court, fro5 aypolnti~, or votllig for, or oonfirming tho ap-
pointwnt to any ofrloe, pooltlon, olorksllip, iwlopmt-nt or
duty, OS any person rolatsd within the seooad degree by affla-
ltp or withb the third d~$rae ty oomunguinity to tha patron
so appointl.ng, or m votticg, or to any other member of anf
au& board, the Legislature, or court of whloh mob porsm
80 appointing or votlw amay’bc. a member, when the enlam, feea,
or oompensetlon of EU& appointee 1.7 to be paid for, dirrotly
or indirectly out Of or froai public funda or fees Of OffiOa Of
any k$.nd or oharaoter whateosvor.
Ronorable R. 3. Wyoha, Pqe I;
It will be noted t&t Article 1.650, supra, speoi-
fioally autkorizea the oouuty auditor of any oauntp in thla
State to appoint a first aaaietent end other aaniatanta who
ehsll ba authorlzed to diaoherge such duties 8a zny be aa-
signed to thfm by the oounty auditor ani: pnviaea for by 1~
aftor first hsviq obtained the ooneent of tho di8triotT~;g8
or dlatrlot judges hsvlng jurisQlat1on in the Latter.
rtatute further provlQa8 thtitthe Qlntrlot judge, or lu the
arent of mora than ona Qiatriot juQge, a majority of the Cl+-
t&let juQgos ohall approve the ap~olntnmnt aought to be amao
or any number thereof. He or they shell prepare a llet or
the appointees ao ikppIW8d and the salariea to be poia eaoh
and oertlry aaid 11s~ to the Comml8aionere~ Court of said
county. As thiiQiatriut judge or Qlatrlct d#uQCeshaving ju-
rladlotios in the mattsr muat approve the appointment sought
to be made it la our opinion that the nopotl8m atatutaq abovr
mantioned, are oppLloable and prohibit the Qiatriot lu@e or
juQCea having jurisdiotion to approve the appointment or any
person as assietant oounty auditor who is related to them or
either of them ~lthlti the prohibited degree.
The person inquireaabout in 8 first oouain or the
wifs of of the DiBtTiOt
one JuQgea who will approve tha ap-
poiaittnt anQ io rolatoa to the Dlatrlot JuQCe by arrlnlty
within the aeoond Qegea. Therefore, it la our OQlnioa that
the approval or such appointment by the Diatriet Judge la pro,
hibited by the abma xumtioned statutes. Therefore, we 1-0.
apeotfully enawer the above etabod question in the hegatite.
Trusting that the foregoing fully answers your in-
qufry, we sre
Tours very truly
XTTXi:L?T GiXWAL OF TEXAS
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