\ 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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Soar slrt 

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and -itsceirr 3 hair ,pay d 

fhey‘t,)wi. A.. . _.. ‘, .,- ; .‘_ ‘..’ 

~%aoh of the above 

:.. boodti.whloh are approrrd b 

E 

the Comdr8loner8~ . :: 

Court aad--are rsqulroa to e 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 l a titled t0 r a 4 8 r Or .I . 
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Art1010 E340, ~emon*8 Hlaotatod Civil StntutoI,, 

grovldrr, la' psrt, ti8 rOllOW81 

** l ’ Eaoh o o a lfs8Io lla r shall cxrcate 

, a bond to be ripprcoed by the county Judge In 

the OUD of t!wreo tfwusand 40Ua~s; payable to 

tka oounty trecmumr, ooaditloard ror the faithrui prrior;uanou or the anti40 0r hlr 0rriO4, 

thtt he ~111 pay over. to hla county all aoaeys 

iii~~aiig paid t0 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 imIp36rtlally dleohbrge 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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grovldset 

irtlolr 5680, Yernon~o ianotated Clvll 3tat2ter, 

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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 Dollar8 to be rpprovod br tti Oom~f8aIonorr~ Court, 

ooadltiamd upon tha faithful and iopartld perroraanor 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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:- 776 

I Article W381, Vernon’ knnotbted Civil jtatutes, 

ia’ 011 followsr 

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 approved by the C;r+zilesionarr Court of hi6 county, 

for ash BU?L ae msy be tlrsote6 by 13314 Court, 

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 ofrloe, 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 preeoribsd by the Constltutlon, wbioh shell be indoreed on eaid bond, togetbar with the certffloste 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 ia 0ff1 0~sa; id b o nd l hhll 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 

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*Al orriofel bond8 or county ofricer 

&et ere requlrea by lasr to be eppxovod by the 

ooadssloncret owuxt, aad nhioh hevo been eo opgrove4, 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.~ 

.I mtlolo 5886, supra erpreesly provide8 t& tbe 

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. iiOV,QVQr, thle Statute 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 QXpressly provide who shall approve the bonds of justices bf the 

peace. 

Although the foregoing statutea regarding the offiolal 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. Theretore, 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. 

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Tours very truly 

ATTORNEY OKNEXL Of TTDXS 

4LiwdA 

BY 

Ardsll William 

Amistant 

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