Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1942 )

706 OFFICE OF THE Al-I’ORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Honorable R. A. YoRlrath Oounty Auditor Cooke County Galne``lllr, Texas Dear Slrr Oplalon Nor / lour requert tor opinion haa oarefully oonaidsred by this depar your request a8 tollowzr *Artlo 1650, ot the 44th Legislature appolntmnt, by the din 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 by law ot the County Auditor. In oountles In rhIoh more then one aselatant ehall be appointed, the County Auditor may drslgaate the aselztant rho ohall be authorized to aot tor him during his, abrenoo or unavoidable detentian. All ot aaid assietantr rhall take the usual oath ot ot- tier tor talthful pertormnnoo ot duty and may be re- quIred to gIre suoh bond aa the Oounty Aualtor mq , “0 COYYIIY,C.~,O” I. . . . ..-..“-...I . . . ..ee.m-Y1-.. ^-...,^.....,.--. .----..___..-.. .--. ~. Honorablr RI A. xOx]Lr(Lth, Pa&e 2 dotrrmlno whloh bond shall be paid tor by the ooun- ty and ehall run In tatorot the oountr and at the Oouatr Auditor (IO their ~Intereet may appear. The Qounty Auditor shall preparo a llet ot the numberot doputlee eought to bm appointed, theirdutlee, qualltIoatIone and rxperlmoo and th ela la r Iotoebe paidwoh, 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 DlotrletJudgee, and the Dietriot Judgeor the Dletrlotfudge0ehall then oarrfully oonel- der the l pplloatlon tor 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 Judge a majorItJ or 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 Pfy lald llet to the ComIeelonere Oourt of la ldoounty. The Oommleelonare Court shall thsre- upon order the amount paid ,trom the Osneml Fund ot raid oounty upon the pertormanoo ot the 08n- loreland lald Cottrt ehall approprlata adequate iundo for the purpoee# pzorlded that the total number ot aeeIetante allowed to ELUYmunty under thle Artlolr ehall not lxoeed two (2) aeeIetanta In oountleehavingleer 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 to tha last preordlag bderal Cmeue tour (4)aeeIet- 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 thousand (275,000) ln- habitante., and fltteen (15) aeeietMte in OOUntieO hati more than two hundred and seventy-tire thou- aand7 275,000) Inhabitante, in aaoh Inetauoa aooord- Ing to the laet preoedlng or any tuturr Federal 708 _ 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 the County AudStor but to be datarminad by the Dletrlot J-e or by a majority ot the Dletrlot Judges as the oooaelon may require, provided in oountlse hating thrre hundred and thirty thousand (330,OCO) inhabitants or more aooordlng to the 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 exoept In the manner herein rorlded. The Dietriot Judge or Dletrlot Judges gI op ng consent to the Auditor to appoint an aeelstant or aeeIetente shall annually havs the right to withdraw euoh oonsent, and ohange the number ot aeeIetante par- mittsdr “The County Auditor shall be authorissd to prorldahimsalt with all neoeseary ledgers, books, reoorde, blanks, stationery, oqulpmsnt, telephone and postage at the oounty’e expense, but-all pur- ohasee thereot shall be made in the manner pro- vided tor by law. (As mended Aote 1935, 46th Leg ., p. 763, oh. 333, a 1.)” Thr above quoted statute prorldee no age requlre- mento tor aeeletant oounty auditors. Ye hare been unable to 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 with tb’gtter It is held that both minor6 and women OM be deDutr oleik;,*and a WomM’e aIf- glblllty lo not atteoted by 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'CXGTGENJBALOF TEXAS BY %L J. Fanning Assistant