OFFICE OFTHE AITORNEYGENERALOFTEXAS

AUSTIN

Honorable Merritt ?. HLnea countyAttorney Nlalena county **WidhZld, %X88** 

**m8l' Sir:**  **-**

Your **request for**  **ou** aaptioned quentionha8 ter ea followrt thehem%nabove quote from Tour let-

**&I for**  **each**

aept in oouaties hs*lng II of forty tktm*tand(4O,- 8 eooaw to the lent pneadFederal Uensue. tn suoh oountles of forty thous8nd (40 0043)or more lnbabitantm, the Coolelssicmma~Qeurt ma7 al**low** ***8&l jail**  **guard, getron,**  **r and**  **tuml** key Four DoZlers and Oiity **Gent8** $4.50) per days 

### prbviabdthat, in oumutleshevbg P papa**l8tiOIl in**  **&xob#S of**  **three hWd~9.d** and 

### fiftyfive thoussnd (~VJ,OOO) InhablpUrOn,oooording 

### to %h0 **x8St** 9IWeOding;Or Uy fI&ture?e4hmalhonorrble Herrltt p. Hines, **Page** 2

census, each jai1 3118rd, OPtrOn, jailer 8ud turnkey shallbe paid not less than Oue huhdred and Seventy-five ($175.00)Dollars per month.

"MldlondCount-$

haa no jailer, jail guarti,

matron or turnkey,but all workdone in conueotlonwith the jail is done by the sheriff end his deputies.

**“ Art.**  1040. Allowhnae to sheriff Por prIsonera, provides in partr

'2. **For** support and maintenanoe. for each pl'iSOMP fOF e8oh d4y **SUCh &I**  **antotlnt 823**  may be **fixed** by the coxmlasiouers court,polovlded the aaue shall be reasonably eufPlclent **for** oubh purpose, and 91 no event sh8ll it b8 less than forty oents per day nor more th8h Seventy-five aente psr d8y for e8oh prlsoIIeP. The net profits ehall OOIB%tihrt8 **fee8** of office Bnd shellbe saoouuted for by the aherlff in his anut~&report 8s other f88a now provided **by** 18~. The sheriff shall In such coport Punish en it8mitedverified aacount of all expendituresmde by him for feedihg ahd melntenenoe oP prl8oner%. 8UeOllipasjiX143 such report with reoeipte aud rouahere in support ot 

### suah It- of expenditure, and the dif**fsrtncJe** betSfee?suah expenditure8 8ud the amount allowed by the ooml8sloneps oourt aha‘L1 be d88md to eOnat%tUte the net profit for whloh s8I.d

bftlaer shall account 84 f4e6 Of QffiC8.

"Th8Midland County jail 3.8 On the fOUFth 4:~; of the court house. The eheriff 8ud his

his WFf8 and two childrW# live I.JL 8n 8pp%r ment providsd for that YUrpoSe. oh the T'
saae P~OCIP,

adjacent the jail. The meals for the jsil 8re prepared In the sheriff~s kitchen, with equipuent th8t belongs to the vherlfiper- *on8lly. BloatOP the tlue the uheriff eznploys
a cook whose aelary le charged t0 expehse of OPfiC8, But thu sheriff'swife is always.p*eent to supepvlse the work, and **SOlU@tiEWS**does'Bonoreble llerrltt **F.** H&nor, **Page** 3

it herself. The sheriff snd his Pamlly eat their meals that me **prepared** from the same suppliesused in feedlng the prisoners. Chc profits from feed- the prisoners are **proper** ly **aocounted** for by hir.

?&II?, the comlssloners court desire the opinion **of hour**  department **on the**  **questlont** Shall the wals,, ths grooerles, oonsumedby the 

### 8herlff end his fully, el.80 be rcoounted for es profits end fees of offloe, es the oesh profit from the jail 1810'

Artlale 

### lob6 of the **Code** of CrlaiPal Procedow pro**vides** ar follors~



### ‘At eeahnipalar **term of**  

### the oomi81~lonor8 **oourt,** 

### the rheriffshellpawbent to 

### such **oourt** his meow&t verlfledby his aSttldavlt for the expense lnourredby him slnae the **last** eauount presented for the safe-keepingand malntenanoe of pHsoner8, lnoludiag gubrds employed, lf sny. 8ueh eaoouut ahell state the na&s of eaohprisoner, e8oh ltsu **of** IIpens8 inourred on eeeount of such prisoner, the 

### date of each item, **the** nue of eaoh guard e@oyed, the length oft- em9loyed **urd the**  p-se of such employment."

Artlole 1047 of the Code of CrS.ml.xi81 **Prooedum pro**  **vides** 88 **folloifsl**

*The aomls8loner8 oourt shallex~e swh eeoount end ellov the same, or so muoh thereof 8s 1s reeasoaeble and In 8ooord8noewith lev, and ahall

### order,8 **draft** issued to the sherlit upon the oounty t-surer 

### for the amount so **8llmed.** Such account n&l1 be filed **md kept**  in the office **of** such aourt."

Beotlon 2 of Article lOI)0 of the Code of 

### Orirlnll **Pro-**Bonorable Norrttt F. Xiner, Pege Ir

murt, uithin the lImitapresarlbed in 4aid se&ion, aon4titutes the net profits for vhieh the rhorift 4hall acaount 

### as fee4 

### of orrtce.

Under Artlole **1046,** 4upm, It is the duty of the 4horiff to file hia verified account for the exp8nne Inourredby him for the rafcrkeeplng**and**rlntenance of prI4oner4vlth the mm- ~l~~iOIltlTl4'

aonrt at 

### eachregularterm of,:msld court.

ArtFole 1047, 4upra. requIre4 the oaaat8410ner4taourt to examl.ne

rush amount and allow th8 8nme, 

### or 40mah **thereof** a4 14 rearonablemd In aaaordanoe vith lav.

You atate la your litter that “I318

### sheriff and hi8 iam (aon8imtlng of four people) eat their ma14 th8t 

### are **pm** 

### paredfrom the 8aa8 4uppllerwed In feeding the prI8oner4." You then **propound,** for **our** 4mver, the follovlng que4tIom '&all 

### themeals,thegrooerles,odmumed br the **8hertff** and hi8 faly, 818~1be aaoovnted 

### fora4 profit 

### fr.ar

the jell 18f'

profit4 and fee4 of offioe, 

### aa the oa4h

**Am**ve unde~atand the feat8 from your letter, the 

### #herIff buy4 all the grocer104 together, for the prleoners an4 al40 for hi8 family, and the 

### meal8 for each are then prepared from the8e grouorI.4. Zn **order** that the 4herIff rrap properly mcouut **for** the profits derived from the fmsding of the prirroxmwvhere the grocerlea ax-e80 **bought, only**  those groasrter aetuaUy ured in feeding the 

### prlmnera shouldbe aharged against the alloveme made by the aormnirolon%r8' oomt in **dete** the net profits to be aoaounted for In the mheriff'8 report. f thl818 done, "the profit4 **from** feedIng the prlmnme me properly recounted 

### for **br h&m,** 

**’** amrtated **in the**  **laat line**  of the next to the Iart psr4gr4* **of your**  **letter.** Xi th14 %a done. yourqueation ehould be mrvered in the negative.

fn vlev of TQIW que8tIon **and** froa the 1-e of four letter a8 a whole, homver, ve premume that the total oolt of the rooerIe8, including there aonrumedby the 8herlff' f4mf 3ic&ia- am an llmu of expe~e ogainrt the allovanoe Lde **by** the oonmimmioner8t court and the differeme or "profita" If thin I4 the OBBO, the amount reportedby the sheriffv refleot the **cornet** 4mcmnt of profits reqoised to **be rsportsd**  by the 4herlffunder Artlale 1040 of the Code of C~2mLn.41 Froaedtwe. The amount reportedvould be leas the amou%tu8ed to pfQ for thet part of the groaerlea COnswW~ the Ohed.ff end hi4 faM* This would be tantamount to the retention and failure to -portHonorable llorrltt **F.** Xi~er, Page 5

by the sheriff a part 0s hi8 fee4 In violation 0s the 4tatute. Under these facts, themfore, your question shouldbe msvered in the afrirm4tive.

In the oa8e of Hood, et al v. State, et al (Cir.App.), 

### 73 S. W. (26) 

### 611,error reruled, the oourt, In holding that the motion of the comissloners~ court in 

### approvinga 4herirf~saccount whereby he va8 alloved to 

### retainas port of hi8 fees 

### a portion of the mOneya paid him for the 4afe-keepingand **gubsiat-** ,enceof Federal prisoners in the **county** jail

### wasvoid, axidtherefore subjeot to oollateralattack, u8ed the follovlng language;

"It r0ihf8, therefore, that 4uah mney4 being prmlalon41 statutory r444 0s 0rrIc4, the c0mml4aIoner4~aourt 18vlth0ut power to rettlevith the 4herirr

### for M wunt 1448 than was reaeived,and Its &&Ion in approving the sherlfftsaaoount, and in boaopting for the **murky** the 

### (2,500rrrd

s2,000, zwspectively,

### vas vholly void, henae 8ub cot to,the ooll4ten1 attaok. Cameron County v. Fox (Tex.Corn.. App.) 2 S. W. (2d) 433."

In vlev of the **foregoing** authorltler,you 

### are respectfully adriaed that It 18 the opinion of thio department that, under the fbots stated, the 8herlff should either deduot only the oort **of** the groaerles 

### l otually **18ed** in feeding the prisoners rr0lathe allovancemade for the 

### feedingand wlntemraae 0s the prlroner8 md report the dlfferenoe 44 r444 0s 0rric4, or, he should deduat the total costs of the grooerlea fme the allovenoe made by the ao4mlsslonerr~court sad report the 

### bli~erence w the cost of the **groaerler** conswnedby the sherIrf~e femlly aa fees 0s orrioe.

What ve have said above 18 based **upon** the prerumptlon that the officer4 of 

### Hidle.nd County are compensated

### on a fee ba814.

In vlev 

### of the statemmt mede iu your letter that mMo8t
or the tiae the sheriff e14~loys a cook vhoee salary 14 oh4rged to expense of 0fric4",ve vloh to point out that 4uoh expenditure does not conetltutean expenoe of office snd shouldnot be charged
as such. The expense of employing a cook to prepare food for the prisoners shouldbe charged egslrmt the allove.nce mudo by the Cornmls4ioner4t c0twi for the feeding and eiainteaance 0s the PrisO-r4 1.nthe 044~ 4uumer aa the coat of the **groceries** are ahargedBgainrt

### HonorableRerrlttF. Hines, 

### Page6

saidallovanoeindetemlnlng whetherthe sberlfflute 

### ma46a net profittobe reportedas **fees** 

### of officeunderArtiole1040,Code of CrisinalPfionedure.SueStatev. Cr:rnee, et al (Civ.App.) **105 9.**  **w. (26)**  **397, at**  

### page **460.**
**Very truly**  yours
**ATTORREY**

**QERERhL**

**OF l** **’ lU.ha** 



### RP:RS