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. > OFFICE OF THE A-ITORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS ? AUSTIN Q@~m*LD

c.MANN hw*“*.” 0.*.-&L

Honorable E. L. Hlnson, Jr. county riuditor, Polk county Livingston, Texan
Dear Sir:

ion of this depertae part, a8 follows: 43, r4qusatingtls opindquestion reada, in

oran8 County Ssrvlco 48th Legielnturo, it Bill 368of aald Leglean Oplnlon onthe SolloWounty Treasurer of Polk County **be** a County Service 

### orricerand oonofflaa Of County Treaeurer and 4 be the County 6ervfce Offlimr aa created under the Acts of the 48th Legieleture?w
HoueeBill No. 968, dot6 of the 40th Lsgialkture, 1943, reaba, in part, ae tollown:

"~eotion 1. Whenthe oom~~loeionere' court of the county shall determine that a Veterane County Service Officer is a public neoeeslty in the dlspatah&horsble X. i. HIneon, Jr., aage 2

of the county bueincaa, it eh.111by a majority vote at the f

’uil mstubershlp thereof, create a d establish a Veterans county Service Office. ‘fhe ooro~ieaioners~ oourt shaall ap;)oInt suoh Veterans to suoh dervice Oiflae and ewh nasletant Veterans to ouch Service OtfIoe a(1ehall be deemd neoeeeorp bythe ooudy oofsm18aionera1 court. SuohVaterana County Aervlce Officer and/or Iisaiataat Veterana County Servlae Officer &all reoeive a aalarf not to exoeed one huadred ($,lOO) dollar8 per month ior / the principal orficer nor morethan 

### riitf(@Xl) --- Qllars per math, flred bythe OownIssfomrre* Oourt, to be paid in equally monthly Inmtallmnte out of the general funds of the oounty and all salaries, travel andother expeusss of such office shall be paid on order of ths oomniaeIoaere* oourt.

The &t further prescribea the qualiffoationa Cf aueh Veterans County Service 0rr:osr ar;d/Or Aesistant Veterano County ;iervlce Officer, the dutlea of such offioera, the term oi offl.oa, etc.

Literally construing the language In Section 1 of the &t, it Is apparent that the ~o.:m?ieslonere~ oourt Ie autimsIzed to create and establleh aVeterana Countr bernbe Off ’ice whenthe oounty conuals~ionera* court determiner, that a Vetirans County Servlo-e Offloer is a puhlio neoeeslty in the dispatah of county busineaa. Generally speaking, aom offices are areated by the Constitution andother8 by thestatutea. It is a settled prinolple also thst anofftoe oo~mmInto exlstonce only whencreated In the preaoribed manner, aad oontinues only so long ~8the lawto whloh it owes existence re;lPlins in force; whenthat law 1s abrogated the offloe Ipso facto oeasee to exist, unlosa perpetuated byvirtue of som other enactment. (City of San id3eonfo v. Couitreas, 169 S. Y:. 917, 179 S. iti. 515, lZZJ3. ii. 194; Bennett 0. CIt 268S. Y. 785; Tex. 37) 1nt &t ,“
~‘~a~~~d%he~ County, 146 S. it. r v. ~omm.lselons~ the Suprent m70,

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Court of this State has said:

“The creation of anofSice is peculinrly a le&lntlve satter.”
The question whether tkBoommiesionerr* Oomt creiites the ofilce or nkther the Legislature haa.orsated tfr, oSfice and the Aot merely Surnisi~a a method bywhioh appointmnt to the OSlice is rsnde, 18 not bdore ~8. IS the Ltgislature bar not created the osrlce but authorize6 the oomlosioners* oourt to oreate eald oSSloe, then a eerloue quretlon ea to the oonatltutionalitf OS the mt is raised. Thsrerore, weexpress no opinion as to the validity OS aaid ikttr

Ypeclflcally anawerlng your question, lt 16our oplnlon thut in view OSSection 40, etiole 16OSthe Ytate Conetltutlon prohibiting tha holdtag or rxerclalng, at tha same time, Bore th&none olvil oSSice OS emolunsnt, the county treamrer cannot legally hoti the oSSlce OS County Treasurer and tbs ofiice OSVotarane County Service OfSicer at the uame time. Vary truly your8