OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

## AUSTIN

Honorable

J

. c. cowdy County Auditor. Fiohita County 

## v;lohita Falls, Texas

Dear sir:



## Your

reqlletit $0, quostionsr

oera' salar

y 

## thin Departmat.

## 3:

HonorableJ. C. OOwdY. Pa@ 2

and blankets sutiioientfor the oclatort oi the prluoner,when there 18 no Jell in a county, the sherlrr Inay

rent a suitablehouse and employ guarb8, the qqmna~ to be paId by the proper oounty.*
Art.1010

6116, Retlaed Civil Statutesoi Texas, reads a8 

## r0umt

-Eaoh sherIrr38 the keeper 

## or the Jail 

## or’ his oouuty. Ha shall safely keep thereinall jrisonarsaommIttedthereto by lawful authority, subjeot to the order of the proper oourts,aad a&all be reeponelblefor the safe keeping of such prlsonbrs. The aherirrmay appoint a.jailor to take'uaara

oi the jail, **and** 8oppl7 the 

### wanta or thoao therein oonflned;but in all oaaett the sheriff ~&all oxaroise a supervIslon and.cumtrol over the jaIli*
Artlolle

1040, Code of O.rImInal Pmoedluy of Texas, mada an r0u0mtt

**nAllauattee to**  8herISf for prisoners. Fo* the 8afo kmeplsg, empport and malntenan~ of prl8onmt oonflned b jail or qdsr guard,thettherlff shall be aUwed the iolloring olmr@st
"1. **For** the **safekemp of**  eaoh prlscmr iOr eaoh day the SUIP



## or rirtn0n oente, 

## not to erow4 the sum or two hundred dollarspar mnth.
-2; 

### For support and mz&&enamm, **ror** maah ~lsoaer for eeoh da7 uuoh an mount a8 spry be rlxed by th8 6omIssIaaers aoort, &qwIasd the 8om shall be FcrasO?Mbly 6uffliSlant

for suoh purpose,an6 ltt

tto et(bqt ~sball it be lass than rorty osnt*~,par

day nor lore thmu iavetttpflva " cents per aa7 for 

## saohprlnottar,The 'notprorlts shall aonstltutwfees oioffIo41 and shd3.l be aooounteb for

by the l harZCi in his annW report as other rOes.?mu provided by law. The sherIft ahalL In suab report iamish an Sealzed verlried aOaOtW of all #xpandltnns made by hla for'fe*bEaga2t4~m2&mam+o of~prismots, aaooapattyltg

au8$:pepa* tith~r0eelpt8 and YOttOheX8 in IluppQrt or sue& ilieu Pr~..expend1tM, aIt6 theHonorableJ. C. Oowdy, Page 3

differmoe between euoh expenditures and the amount allowedby the oomnaiselonere aourt shell be deemed to constitutethe net profits for which said off:- aer shall aaoount es fees or offloe.
"3. For .neoeeeary medlael bills anC reesonable extra aompaneetlonfor attentionto a prleonep during slokuese,suoh an amount as the o~emleeIonere .aourt

of the countywhere the prisoner 18 oonfined may determineto be just end proper. "4. For reeeonablerunerel exneneee in aase of death."
Art1016 1041, Gods 

## or Criminal **Probeduro** 

## or reeds as tollowet

*Ouerde~

end matrons. The she&M eha&l be allowed i0r eaoh guard or matron neoeeeerllgemPloyed In the sare-kee are end Pltty Cents ('$ lug of prisonersTwo Dola.50) for seoh dayi 1po allowauoe&all be medo ror ths board or mob guard or matron, nor ehall any ell0uancebe made ror jailer 0r tUrnkey, except in oountleehe~ittg

a poptiatlonin oxoode or forty thousand (40,000) Inhebltents

aooording to the last prooodlng or any ruture Federal Cenaxs. In euoh ootmtIee ot Porty thousand (40,000)or more InhabItante, the.OommIselonere' Court may.allow eaoh Jail guard metron, jailer and turnkey **Four** Dollars end Fifty cent8 ($4.50)per day; provided that, in oountieshaving a poptiatlon in ofoeee of three hundred and fifty-fivethousand (358,000) inhabitants,

acaordlng to the last preoedlng or any future Federal Csnsu?, eeoh jail guard, matron, jaileraid turulcey shall be paid not less than One Hunbred and SnYenty-flpe ($175.00) Dollars per month.? 

## TBIBS,

Artlole 39X%, Seotlon 3, Revised Qlvll Statute Texas, reads es iollowet

"In all oases where the O0nimlssIotisre* Court shall have determinedthat the erty oifloere or preoiaot offloere in duoh oouut es s shall be oompeneated for their aervlaee **by** the,payment,of an annual salary,neither the 8tete of Texes or axq county shall be oherRedwith or my to any of the otflaerti

80 oom3mneated.any fee or oomdseion for the perfomieuo0 Of any OS aU. Of ths dutiee Og IS orHonorebla J. CI oardy, Page 4

their ofrloee,but tiuoh ottIoSr8 shall reoelvo eelh salary In lieu of all other ises, oommlealone end oompeneatlone irhloh they would otherwise be authorizedto retain;provided, however, that the Aeeeeeor and Oollootorof taras Shall oontlnue to oollsot and retain for the benefit of the offloers seler f fund all runde herelnafter rovlded for al Ii fees and oommlSelone whloh S is authorlesd.under law to oollootJ end .lt shall be his duty to aooount for and to p8y all euoh moneys rtiaolved by hirm Into the iuude created end provided for under the provisions of thle sot'

1 provided further, that the provlelons of th s'aot shall not affeot the payment of ooste'ln ol~ll,

oaeoe by the.Stetebut all euah ooete 80 paid Shall be aooounted for by the aftloere oolleotlngthe aems, as they are rsqulred under the provision8of this mot to aooount for 2888, oommieeloneed ooete oolleoted Srom privatepSrtles.W Artlalo 1659, BevIeod-Ol~llStatute8 oi Taxas, made

**as roiioret**  aBuppllesof every kind road end bridge material, or any other mats&l, for the UPS or said oount~, or any or lte offloere,dopertmerits, or Inetitutlone

must be ptirohaeed on oompstltl.vS

bide, the oontrnote to be awarded to .the party who, ln the judgmentof the Gemmleelonere*Oourt, has submittedthe lowest ena beet bid. The oounty auditor shall advertise for a period of two weeks ln at least one dally newspnper,publl8hedand OfroulatSd in the oounty, for suah eupplloeand materiel aocording to rpSoIrIoetionS, giving in detail what be neebed. &oh advertleemonttihhall statswhors the s Salrioetloneire to ba found and ehall give t he time and pleoe for rooolv~ng euoh~bltle. All euoh oompstltlvebide ehall be kept on f'llo by the oounty auditor a8 n pert or the XSoorde of his offloe, and shall be eubjsot to lnepeotlon **by** anyone dealring to see them. Uoplee or all bide reoelved Shall bS furnishedby the county auditor to the aounty judge and to the CommiselonSre*

Court; end when the bids rsaelvo6 are not satlsfeotOry to the Seld judge or 0Wnty ~oommlelllonere,

the auditor shell rejeot eeld bide and re-advSrtlsefor now bide. In 0aSoe of emergsnoy,purahaere. not in Sxeese of OneHonorableJ. C. Gowdy, Page 5

Hundred and Fifty Dollars ($150~00) may ba made upon $bequlsltion

to 36 approvedby tha 

## COIIUUISaloners*Court,without advertisingior oompetltlve bide."
Thl6 departmentheld on Yaroh 4, 1938, In en opinion written by HonorableJ-es & lpsff, Assistant Attorney tinoral: that the sheriff:

shouldbuy'food used in feeding prisoners **oonfined in**  **county** jail; that it **walr** the duty of tha Commlssloners'Court:

to furnlah the oounty jailerwith mattresses and blankets and that auoh mattressesand blankets should be bought on ooiapetltive bids as providedby Artl.ole 1559, Revised Civil Statutes of TBICII..

This 

## department

held **on** December 3, 1937, in an **opinion** written by HonorableJams H. Xafi, AesirtantAttorney Mmral, that where a 

### aherifi Is oompansatsdon a ralarp 

## baa16 the Commlssloners* Court la unauthorltedto allor a sheriff a apso'ifio mm for the boardlqg oi t rlaoaere; that the rhsriffwas not. entitled to fifteen oen s perrday,for safe keeping of prisoners;that the eharlff rhonld ba allowed only the aotual expanse0 Lnourredby him in fss@ng prisoners in his oust&y; that it was the duty of tha ahe.ritf Do providemeals for the prleoaereoonflned in hi6 **jatlJ** that the C~mmfsslbnsre* Court was~wlthoutaanth~rlty to OOIItraot with a third party for **feedin&** prle&nersoonflned la the aounty Jail. Ue.snoloseherewith a oopy of this opinion.

OpinionNor Q-339 of this department hold6 that the 

## sheriff and not the Cammlssloaers' Court should eIupervire the purahaee of~food and feefling of prlaonera. With ixferanoeto your first quastlon,you are reapeotfullyadvised ihst it **15** the opinion of $hiF dspartment that In your oounty the sheriffhaa authorityto feed and .purohase

food nsoes,sary for the amlnteuanoeof prisoners In the ootmty jail. You are furtherreepeotfullyadvised that It is the'opinionof this departmentthat In your oounty the Conmiseloneraf

Court would have authottty to prrrohasa Or authorizethe pwohame of other suppliesneoeaeary far the malntenanoeof prisoners,!andsr the provisionsof Art1018 1059, Revised CLvil Statutesof Texas, tauprar

In answer to your easond quaetion,you are reepeotfully **advi?,~:J.** that it is the opinion of thie department thatHonorable J. C.'Gowdy, Page 6

in your oollnty,

your ComIfIia8iOner8' Court would not be suthoriced to ooatraotwith the sheriff aa outllaad~by Arti0le 1040 of the Code of Criminal**Prooedure** and allow him a apeoiflad awn MI! the safekeeping, feeding and malntenanoeof prisoners. You are further respeotfully advised that it la the opinion of this departmentthat in your oounty the 8herltP. **Gould** only bd allowed his aotual expenaea lnourred in the feedlag of prlaonera,and that if there wera any profit in same, then the sheriff nhould deposit suoh profit, ii any, In tha Offloera' Salary Fund.

With refaranoeto your third questionregarding the oompeaaatlon

of "baIlIffa*

waiting upon the courta,we raspaotfullyadvise you that the only oharaoteroS%alliffa~ provided for ln the Texsa atatutea.are the walking and rldlng grand jury balliffa~prooided ror In Axtlols 1058, Code of CrlmlnalProoedure of Texas, and the balllrfa for the Oourt of Civil Appeal8 providedfor in Art.1018 LObSa, Code of CriminalAooedure of Texas.

However, the term Rballiffnia oommonly and frequentlyapplied to the aherltr or hia deputywho Fait8 upon the Dlatrlot or Couaty Court unbar Artlola 9955, Rovlaed Civil Statute8 of.Texaa, and we believe that you have thla in mind. rith referenoato your question+

Artiole 39'99,

Rdiided CIvilStatute of Taxaa, l.n part, read8 as follow8:

Vor every day the Sheriff or his ~depu$y shall attend ,the

dlatrlot or oounty o0urt, he ahall redeive four dollar8 a day to be paid by the oounty for eaoh day that.the sheriff by himself or a deputy shall attend said oourtP This de artmentheld on August S5, 1932 in an 0pin-r ion addraaaed to ii

onorableA. B. Chapman, Pounty Attorney, Diokena,~@&l@, mitten **by** Honorable Soott Gaines,Aaaiatant Attornef&i&al, that.warranta Issued to sheriff under Artlole 3933 in dttendanaeon'dlstrlotor oounty oourt are payable out of the General Fund and not out of'the Jury Fund.

You are reapeotfully advised that It la the opinion of this de 8rtment that the fee8 allowed to sheriffs under Artinla 30 fs

3, for uait.ina

on the diatriot and 0Ounty oourta. --- ----- in oountlea%heii thi~ih&lrf la oomgeaaatedon a f&e basis, are payable out of the GeneralFund of the, oounty.Honorable J. 0. Gowdy, Page I

You are rurtherreapeatfully advised that in your county,wharo the sheriff 18 oompensated on a salary basis, the, eherlffwpuld not be entitled to any feea from the county for hia aeryloeaIn waiting on the dlatriot and oounty courts **under** Artlole 5933, beoauae Seotlon 3 of Artlole 3918e, Revised Civil Statutes of Texas, prohibitsaame~

Truetlng that this aatiafaotorily answersyour inquiry, we **are Very**  truly roux-8
**ATTORWEY**Gb’ERAL OF TEXAS

BY et<! l . Asal at ant 

# WJFtGo,

ATTORNEY GENXt+ OF TEXAS