KP-0271
Ken Paxton
Summary
The sheriff’s “exclusive control” of commissary funds under subsection 351.0415(b)(1) of the Local Government Code and his or her authority under subsection 351.0415(c) to “use commissary proceeds only” for statutory purposes gives the Hunt County sheriff the authority to initially determine whether an expenditure is authorized, subject to administrative review by the Commission on Jail Standards and judicial review under an abuse of discretion standard.
A court would likely conclude that an expenditure of commissary funds under subsection 351.0415(c) is not arbitrary if the amount of the expenditure is reasonable in light of the performance of the authorized activities.