OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Eionorsbls C D Wr,;, 

county Atto&.; 

Briaooe County 

sirrsfton, *xllr 

War Sir8 O&nion Ao. O-6905 

l p uefor r t a n 

ty Coamimionerr ha8 

l a io nerr Pnolnot ror 

-Zo en rdjoinin~; pnoinot, 

Or #I nib, IBtill iti thiB 

: 

th otir library vfe hare not been able 

l r a o t enee reported, rnd w nred to 

'1. Did thi8 Cornmirrioner WAtolartlOaUy 

raaate hi8 orrio, when ho aored hi8 rsmi4 to 

air new looation, on land that ho own6 and 

rstabllrhed him hone et tlo new looation? 
‘,- ’ 480 

HM.“U. 9. Wrl&, pago 2 

’ 

i.“: 

.“2, c a n h0 l tu hold orrio 00 o~~uu~oo~o~O~, 

aTan ir ho la llr 

9 

in l nothar prrobot dlrrormt 

rrom the on0 ror rh oh he was l laotod? 

If he O8MOt oontinue to hold Oiiioe will 

it t:E; M 00ti0n or thO ~0~a0i0nOr0~ court'brolrring the 0kri0e taoant, ir he doer not realgm 

before a new l0lu1 OM be rppolnted? 

‘4; Ii ha OOBt~UOO ir, OiiiOO Wixi it fntOlf- ’ 

datg sag or the order8 or the Cocmlaalonerrc Gourt,* 

mot1oJl 18, Art1010 5 0r the Conatltutlon prorldoa 00 

iollowar 

T3aoh OrgaAlfted OOUnty iir th# St6tO AOW or hworite exlot~ ah&l DO dlrldod iron, tLmr’ to t&a, 

rOr th0 OOIWM~OI Of the pOOpi tit0 pIWObOt0, 

not leer than iour and aot mora than right, !Che 

present count;t courtr ah&l1 LMko the rlrat dlvlalon, 

Subasquusnt dirlaloaa ahall be mado by the comial lonera* court, prOYided ror by thla.conatltutlOll* 

IXI esoh auah preoioot then shall be olroted at oaoh 

blonnlal eleotfon, on. Justloa or the peaor and one 

oonrrtabla, saoh of whom ahall hold hi8 Ofiioe ror 

two y’rara and until hia auotvaaor ahall be alrotsd 

and quelLfled) provided that in any preo&aet $a 

whlah then nay be a olty oi 8000 or taore lnhabitanta, 

then, ahall be rlrotrd two juatloer or thr pram. Eaoh 

oounty ahall in like manner br divided into roux 00pI 

alBalOnere* lzeolnota in oaob 02 xhioIi there ahall be 

@looted by the auallfisd toters thareof one oount 

oOMl88ioner~ who shall bold hS8 ofrioe Ior two &a 

a na untilM e l uoooaaox a b a ll b e l h g ted a nd p usu~d. 

Tha oountr ooaalarlonrr8 80 ohoaon, with th t 

jud60, aa prosfqng orrioer, oh811 00rqp040 :hi%& 

Comlaalo~era~ Uourt, rhioh ahall rxsroisr l uoh power8 

end juriadlotion over all oowty bualneaa, 80 la aonrarmd by thla Gonatltutlon rind the law0 or th8 state, 

or an map br hareartrr prarorlbrdrn (Uaderaoorlng 

ouxa) , 

Sea. 14, ht. 16 of the Gonitltutlon prorldra no tollowat 

*All olvll oiiloerr ahall rrrldr within the Btatrl 

8iid 011 dlatrlot or oounty orrlorra within their dirtrlotr or oountloa, and ahall keep their oftlo@@ at 

l uoh glacra aa my be required by 1aWj and bllum to 

oonply with this oondltion shall VaOEite the OiZloo 

00 held," 
\.\ / 

i-ion. C. 3. Wright, pee;* 1 

..: 

In rlaw Or the provlalona Or Ut. 5, 300. 18 or tho Conl tltutlon, above, thera la no doubt that a county oonaiaaloner 

1s e county ofrfosr. While thin quaatlon l eame not to have 

bean passed on by the Courts of our State, lt hae been deoidad 

by the Court0 of meny other Staten. Yae vol. 10, Words end 

Phraeae, 96. In the '%ma Or !iElClOnB v,‘lJooro, 104 SO. 432, the 

supreme court or Alabama hold that the 0rfi08 or Colliltg Conaldalonsr or a subdlvlalon or Coireo county wee a aouzitp orrloe;. 

The raota ii? that oaaa show that car80 county wan by law 

divided into four ootnnilsalonora~ dlatrlcte. Therefore, a 

oountg oomleslonar being lnoludad in the term *oountp oiiloarss 

no uasd in Art. 16, Soo. lJ+ or the Conetitutlon, abovo, la raqulred to roslda in hia county only and not aaorarerlly in the 

praolnot in whlah he wan l lcotad. 

Artiolo 2339, Vernon*8 Annotated Civil Statutea, provide8 

aa rollowat 

vaoh oounty ahell br dlvldod into rour ooaniaelonora preolnote,a,nd otio oonmfaslonar nhall 

be elected biemlally ln ssoh preolnot, and aeah 

comalselonirr ahall hold hle OrSloe ior two years.* 

Art. 2341, V. A. C. S., provldea en rOuOWBl 

“113 0crm0r racenay in the oPfloa 0r mwdsaloner, the oountp judge ahell appoint ooze aultebla pareon living in the preoinot where auoh 

vaoanoy oooura, to nerve a6 oommlsaloner tor euoh 

greolnot until the naxt ganaral alaction.* 

Art. 2927, V. A. C. S., ~rovldas as follows: 

Wo paraon ahall be rllglbls to any State, county, 

piaolnot or munlolpel ofiloa in this Steta unlasa ha 

BhOu bo allglbla to hold oiiloo under the COnOtltUtlon of thio state, and unlssa he ahall haV* resided 

ln thle state Sor the porlod or twolvo mnntha and nix 

months In the oounty, preoinot, or munloiplity, in 

whloh ha orrera hineelf aa l oendldata, next prsoedlug any goneral or apeolal l lootlon, and ahall have 

been an aotuel bona ride ottlzen of aald Oounty, 

preoinot, or muniolpallty for more then six moather 

No Q@r$On ine1lglble ‘to hold OSriCO ahall Over have 

hle name placed upon tho ballot et any goners1 Or 

spooial ohotion, or nt nny primary olaotlon whma 

oandidatas bra aoloota6 under primary eleotion 1ewO 

or thie State! and no auoh ineligible oandldato Ohell 

aver be voted upor~, nor have voter oouzatad iOr bin, at 

any auoh ganaral,~rpeoiel, or Qrtiry d~OtiOE." 
482 . 

xcm. c. D. Yirl$ht, pass 4 

ArL'2928, V. A. C. S., provides as tollowfirr: 

*r;elthsr the Seoretary or state, nor any oounty 

judge or thle Skte, nor any other authority authorlead 

to issue oartiriostes, 85all issue any oertltlcatee or 

'eleotlon or appolntnent to any person elected or appointed to any ffloe la this ststs, who Is not eligible 

to hold suoh OS f- lee under the Oonstitutlon of this 

Stab and undrr the above artiolei and the name oi no 

ineligible person, under the Constitution snd I8we OS 

this Stats, shall bb certified by any party, oommlttes, 

or any authority authorized to hare the names or oandldstes plaoed upon the prlmarg ballots at any prLmary 

l leotion in this state; and ths nazm ol n&3 ineliglblc 

eanbldate under the Constitution au4 laws of thlr Stats 

8hd.l be pla064 won the btillot Of any 4onsral or 

speolal eleotlon by any authority wh~ss duty It 18 

to place ntuses of candidates upon offlola ballots." 

Under the above oonatltutlocal and statutory provtsione a 

county oomaisaloner; after 5s has been duly oleoted or a?polnted, 

is re;;uired to reside In his oo:mty only rather than in the 

preoinot in whio5 he was eleatad or agpoistsd. arom this we 

sre not to bs understood as holding thst a county 001381~a~oxier 

CM mslae OutdIe the pmd.aOt l.~ whloh he is oleotsd or appointed at the the OS his eleotion or appointnent. In the 

absenoe of oonstitutional and stetutory provisions rquirlng 

a county oommleslonur to reside In his preolnot, after he has 

been eleoted or appointed, we are oonstralned to hold that he 

tcsy melde anywhere in his oounty. 

In the ease o? Lhllnger at al VS. tienkin, 29 9. 3. 240, 

chief Justloe yishsr said1 

". . .me provieioii 0r the constitution ts 

expmso in deolerlng that oounty orricers shall 

renlde within their cOUitle8. This pfovirlon 

evidently ueans that the county sentloned is the 

county in *ioh tts orrioer was eleotea. Then 

roliowa the dsolamtlon, in efreot, that the 

rc1l.w to SO reside in sal4 oounty ahalL vaoate 

the orrioe. The oonatitutlon 1s express upon 

this point. It deolares, i.ia erreat., that ralh-e 

to 00~ply with its terms wit5 rsrerenoe to rrsldrnae will bring about a taoanoy in the OrriOS. 

u an orgio&r&oves from the bounty,anU estabs5 8 a r sidenoe slscwhers, thl8 is a fsot that, 

rtason 80f the provision of the oonstitution 

guoted. vaaates t5e offioe to whloh he *es eledted 

. .I1 (Underscorlnk3 
. ’ 

483 

I ‘\ / 

Hon.‘C..‘D. Wright, &15e 5 

. . 

A oount~~comlssloner rho removea from thr preolnot, Ln 

rhloh .h6 was 018otSb and ha8 qUallil.ed, intO an adjolnlng 

preoinot ln the aaoe oounty is not lnaluded in the class of 

;;f;;~;‘:“l~~;h~v~; 

from their oountiss and establish reel.- 

In vle~ Oi the a b o ve l uthoritlea, you am advised that 

-it 1s the opinion of this bepartment that ths Commissioner 

whon you inqulm about, did not vaoate his oifloe by remov- 

. . ing iron ths CoMmlaslonersl QmslnOt, fm whloh he was eleOte4, 

into an l djolnlng pm¬ in the same county, 

From what we have ral4 w8 4rem it unnooossary to anmer 

your other questions. 

We truat that above satiaraotorlly answers your lnqulrles, 

Your0 very truly, 

ATTOLXZY OUL.!lAL OF TiXAS