Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

578 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Honorable FM. Uslters County Auditor alvlth county Tyler, Texar Your request for ret Ok2926 of thlr department &ao oonrlderedby thLs departzaent. ?ollmr 1 "I *ant to thank mop moamxu. on aald ?~a, CL%%far the mema- the other for a hired farm rork- &vies sovord. h&red 'IUld' about100 he&d of blt?odedwttls livesjioakM&oh we fed and 1Wced after by hlmd labor:. Ea &her trotis, th6 Xkm is not ta utlllrs aonviat ls?mq tilde is done w vock- lag th%s an the aounty roabs.. ”-’ 579 &mor6ble E.T. Waltem, Psge 2 utili6lng aonviat labor, I M) very 6nxioua to pre- sent 6 alear picture to you of the propoaitlon ba- fore aon6ideririg my question properly worded and youropinionfln6l. 'Plea6e under6tmd 1 do not vast to appear u questioning your opinion, vhlah f 6m 6ure 16 cor- rect ln view of the manner in wblah my que6tlon ~66 pr666nted (6nd it my b6 aorzwat after tblr 6x- planatlon) but before 60% deeper into aonmora16.1 famslng, I wsnted to offer th%6 wldltloml lnfom- flora in the mttor. Wth this additional lnfonu- tlon before you your 4pinlon vi11 be flrml hoverer it may bo." Opinion Be. O-2926 halds that bulldlngr neaorw for * 6uaae66ful operation of the sountf f*nn, such 66 h0wlng for aaawiot6, guards, ovec8eer#, barns, do., aould bo built By the a~66lon6r6~ oourt) that alth0ugh S66tlom 5 OS Artk6lo 794, V. O.O.?'r, oontewlated tk6 u6e of oonriat lrbor on the oounty fur tht lfth e r l?oe rno e tluff1 01aanriot 0nt .J#a onbho ar dto me- 66a6f'ully apent the oounty farm the aoraie6ionemv 6ourt would ~316~0lthorlty to hire outride labor to ruke or gather oropr, eto. 0a the aounty farm neae66~'tor th6 ruaa666ful mmbgemnt of th6 aounty farm md th6t the ooami68loner8~ oourt under 6uoh olmumt6nae6 would have authority ta build a dvelllng QD the oouaty ram to houee 6uoQ hired h6nd6 if fib@ oonml68lowr6~ oourt detomlned that sama wan neoe6uwy for the 6uaos6af'ul aawgemnt urd0peml~0r the 00uutyfm, insitrding theutl~65tianor. o0nvlot labor. We oall your attention to Seations 2 6nd 5 of Article, 794, V.C.C.P., whioh read as follovrr "2. Buoh fan66 and workhou6e6 6hallbe under the aontrolandm6nBgem6ntOf the oomsl66loner6 eourt,and rridooustm6y6dapt6uehnile6 and regulatlaw not lnoon6l6tent vlth the law a6 they deem neoeseary ror the 6ua0686ful mr46g6m6nt 6.nd operation of laid in6titutlonr 6nd ?'ar o?Teotlvely utlli6lng 6aid Irbor. "5. TJwy 6h6ll be put to labor upon the publlo roads, brl e6 or othor publla vork6 of th6 oounty when their 9 abor a6nnot be utill6od ln ths.aounty vorkhou6e or a0untr farm.* Honorable B.T. Walters, Page 3 Under Section !TtArtlale 794, V.C.C.P., It 16 the duty Of the aOmmiSSiOneP6 aourt to utilize the labor of aon- viats on the OOuIlty farm or OOUnty YorkhOu66, if $66~ OM be utfll6ed, before placing 6uah conviat labor on the pub110 rondo, eta. ft. 16 only vhen the labor of such cronviats aan- not be effeotively utllited on the aounty farm and county workhouse th6t they should be plaaed to vork on the pub110 ro6d6, bridgor and other publia works of the aounty. Eov- ever, under Seatlon 2, Artiale 794, V.O.C.P., supr6, the oontrol6ndmaMgementof the wuntg farais ln the C-S- SiOIl6rS' oourt aud the court la eh6rged vlth the duty of sua- ue,66tul IIisnqementand OperatiOI3 of the county farm indhding tieffectlve utlLt6atlon o? oonvlot labor. We th.lnk the l6v olemly aontsqpl6tes th6t oonvlot labor vhen it am be effeotively utillxed should be used prl- marlly on the4 oounty fsm or aounty workhouse. Of oourse. the qUeStiOn Of effeotiV6 Utili66tiOn Of eOnViat labor i6 prlmrlly a Putter to be dooldod by the 0QIIPIs610ne~~ oourt, whlah deei6iOn would control In the abronoe of a alear abu6e Of diSOl'6tiOllUpOn the JW't Of the 0aPPli66iOIk62'6' WUPt. we mast assume hovever that the cromm.i66loMr6*~aourt vi11 follov the lav 6nd use all aanvlot labor vhlah oan be effectively used on th6 county farm in the 6uoo666f~ management and opentlon of the oounty f6m. Thi6dep6l'tWIltoPnnotp666 on the propo6itlon of vhethbr or not the convlats plawd on the oountyro6ds 6houldhsve beonptioed onthe oountyfiun 66 that vould invdV6 a f8ot 6ltWLtlon in oroh in6t6nw?~tO be deterrined by the comis61~er$* oourt in their sound dlS- aretlon and are not proper qu66tlou6 for this department to determine. Under all the foot6 stated ve thbk th6 QUSStiOn Of th6 building of the proposed dwelling 16 a 6mtter to be deter- mined by th6 aomi66iOWr6' oourt in their SOlUld dlsaretlon. We think bplnlon Ho. o&g26 16 oorreot and the SW 16 hereby confinned. VOTJr tlUly your6