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OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN .
410”L” SLLLL-s
A-“*L* O.klAL
iionoruble Eossr =D;-WC
county AnbitOr ,’ ratOtt
La crange, Trmo ..
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and -itsceirr 3 hair ,pay d
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~%aoh of the above
:..boodti.whloh are approrrd b the Comdr8loner8~ . ::
Court aad--are rsqulroa to Ee recorded by the .
County .Clrrk. Iha qae8tloa ir whether tbr
county Clerk is7aitha to oollaot racsrdlag
fee8 rrOti tb4 CO&U&y cOSd88iOnOr8, JU8tiCa
of tha Peace, COnrtablO8 and Fabllo C[oigherr. :’ _. .
fr tbs cOUItty Oi+k. 18 la titled
t0r a 4 8
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Art1010 E340, ~emon*8 Hlaotatod Civil StntutoI,,
grovldrr, la' psrt, ti8 rOllOW81
** l ’ Eaoh shall cxrcate
o o a lfs8Io lla r
, a bond to be ripprcoed by the county Judge In
the OUDof t!wreo tfwusand 40Ua~s; payable to
tka oounty trecmumr, ooaditloard ror the faith-
rui prrior;uanou or the anti40 0r hlr 0rriO4,
thtt he ~111 pay over. to hla county all aoaeys
iii~~aiig paidt0 hip out or e0platy -runa 48
.' voluntary paymntr or otherwlsr, and that h8
~111 not tote or give hfr 6onsent to pay out
or oouaty gund8 exoept for lawful J;urpo8e.a
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istlcle 2373, Yeraon’8 .inmtated CIvll ZXatute(r,
~456, .ln pnrt:
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. '&oh jua.tio Oha: aiv4 bond psyible
W thd oouaty .judgr IO the 8th ot Onb Thoarend
"uollrrr, oonditloned that he ~111 faIthfully
and imIp36rtlallydleohbrge the but148 required
0r blsa by law, 64d will promptly pap over to
the jmty entltlcd to reoeire it, all wmeys
that s&y 00~4 into hi8 biiada during hI8 term
0rdri00. * * ?*. ., _.,.
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irtlolr 5680, Yernon~o ianotated Clvll 3tat2ter,
grovldset . ..
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*&ioh pub110 telgbsi oleited'fot a
praoldot ohal1 execute i bond payable to the
oouaty judgo Lo the 8usl of riv. Tho;lsand Dol-
lar8 to be rpprovod br tti Oom~f8aIonorr~ Court,
ooadltiamd upon tha faithful and iopartld per-
roraanor or the duties ok hia 0rfi00; The bona
: or a wolghar of a proofnot err a*) ~YOP riY0
thoueand baler 0r oottoh are rdoCIv.5 fi ror sale
or 8hlQsent 8hall bo fao ThOU8snd ?iv4 !IuaPmd
D0116r8.*
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I Article W381, Vernon’ knnotbted Civil jtatutes,
ia’ 011followsr
m!ktob person who may be elected to the
ofiloc, of Conetable ahall, bsioto entering upon
the atitles of the otflCo, give a bond wltb two
or rrore*gooa ana &wfTloleat surstles, to bo ap-
proved by the C;r+zilesionarr Court of hi6 county,
for ash BU?Lae msy be tlrsote6 by 13314Court,
not leea then Bivo mutr0a Dollar8 (~~00.00) nor
mre than l’litern Huadr4 Dollsrr (61,500.00),
payable td the.0ovornctr bna hls etiootwaor id of-
rloe, oonaitioae4 tot the raf.thfuL perfomianoo of
ell t5e duties r6QUiRd Of h&4 by iOf; and Oh011
also ta;ce ma eubsertbo the oath oi oftioe pre-
eoribsd by the Constltutlon, wbioh shell be in-
doreed on eaid bond, togetbar with the certffl-
oste of the ofricer ad.tinieterine the ram;. nhlob
bona and oath shall .be recorded in the office oi
tho Clsrk or the county Cour$, ana deposltea in
.sr ia0ff1 0s ~a;idb o ndlhhll not be void on tho
first recovery, but “,ay be eced on from tl?le to
time in the nati. of the perty injarod until the
. whole amunt theroof is raoovorecl.”
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r,rtlolo 6000, Vernon’s Annotctod Civil Sthtutc8,
! prov idea t
.
*Al orriofel bond8 or county ofricer
&et ere requlrea by lasr to be eppxovod by the
ooadssloncret owuxt, aad nhioh hevo been eo op-
grove4, r&U be e.de psysblo to the county &a&o,
ml mroly l&opt and. rsoordea by tho County Clerk
in 3 book kept ror at ~'WOSO.~
mtlolo 5886, supra erpreesly provide8 t& tbe
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bona of
the publlo rrigher elected for e preoinot ehmll bo pay- .
ebie to t~he ootity judge and ‘dust be npprovwl by ths oomisslonsrs*
. court. Therefore, tha bond of a gublio nri&er OleotQd for a pre-
-’ Ginat muat be ssfely kept and XrOOrbd by the County Clerk in a
boor icog for that purpose. .
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‘... m?oio 608l;‘rupr~;.oxgreesiy provlde8 tlut thr
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Hoaomble Homer D. Eok; p~gQ 4
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bond’of a constable shall be approved by the 00~18BiOnarS’
court and rooorded in the office of the Clerk of the County
-Court, and deposited in said otflce.
Artiols 2340, supra, regarding the bonds ot oounty
oomissioners orprossly provides that such bonds shall be approved
by the county judge. thle Statute
iiOV,QVQr, dooe ILOt QSprQSSly
require that the bonds ot oounty oomnissioqors must be recorded
in the County Clerk’s orfloe.
Artiole 2373, supra, regarding bonds of justices
of the peace, provides that suoh bonds shall be payable to the
county judge but does not expressly provide that such bonds shall
be recorded by the County Clerk; neither does said statute QX-
pressly provide who shall approve the bonds of justices bf the
peace.
Although the foregoing statutea regarding the of-
fiolal bonds 0r county oommlsslonera ana justicea oi the pence
do not expressly r6qulre suoh bonds to be reoorded by the County
Clerk, it 1s our opinion that suoh bonds should be recorded for
the protootlon of the publlo.
The recording oi the oifloial bonds required about
are not for the benefit of the individual orflcere but are for
the benefit of the general publio. The sam reasoning foll.owed
in our Opinion No. O-5099 and the opinion OS the Attorneys General,
found in the 1906 imnual Report of the Attorney General, at page
370, la applicable to the questions under consideration. There-
tore, it 1s our opinion that the County Clerk is not entitled to
any rees ror recording the orricial bonds 0r the above no2a
orf Polals.
Tours very truly
ATTORNEY OKNEXLOf TTDXS
4LiwdA
BY
Ardsll William
Amistant
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