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