All deeds, grants or conveyances made to any officer or person for the use and benefit of the county vest in such county the title as fully as if made to such county by name.

The county commission shall erect courthouses, jails and hospitals and other necessary county buildings, and such county commission shall have authority to levy a special tax for that purpose. Each county within the state shall be required to maintain a jail within their county.

In counties in which a circuit court has been or is hereafter authorized to be held in more than one place, the county commission may build courthouses in each place of holding court, and, in all counties wherein a circuit court is authorized to be held or may hereafter be authorized to be held in more than one place for six months or more during any year, the county commission shall erect a courthouse at each of such places where such court is held, such courthouses to be adequate and commodious for the business of such court and county at such place. In said counties wherein a circuit court is authorized to be held or may hereafter be authorized to be held in more than one place for six months or more during any year, the county commission may erect and/or maintain a jail upon any property owned by the county located within the county. The legislature, by local act passed subsequent to February 9, 1982, may provide for the location of such jail. This section shall not affect in anywise any local law heretofore enacted that is not in conflict herewith.

The county commission may levy and collect such special taxes as it may deem necessary, not to exceed one fourth of one percent per annum, for the purpose of paying any debt or liability against any county incurred for the erection, construction or maintenance of the necessary bridges or public buildings prior to March 23, 1915, or incurred for the erection of public roads since November 28, 1901, or that may be created for the erection, repairing, furnishing or maintenance of public buildings, bridges or roads after March 23, 1915.

The proceeds of special taxes authorized by section 215 of the Constitution, as amended, and levied for public building, road or bridge purposes in excess of amounts payable on bonds, warrants or other securities issued by the county may be spent for general county purposes in such manner as the county commission may determine.

When the courthouse of any county is damaged or destroyed or is undergoing repair so as to interfere with the sittings of the courts or the occupancy of offices therein, such courts may sit and such offices may be kept at such other place in the city, town or village where such courts and offices are required by law to be held and kept as may be provided by the county commission, or, in case of an emergency, such place as may be provided by the judge of probate, sheriff and clerk of the circuit court.

The county jail must be of sufficient size and strength to contain and keep securely the prisoners which may be confined therein and must contain at least two apartments, properly ventilated so as to secure the health of those confined therein: one for men and one for women.

It is the duty of the county commission, if there is not a sufficient jail in its county, to levy a county tax for the erection thereof and cause proposals to be issued for building or repairing the same within 12 months thereafter.

If any county commission fails to levy a tax to erect or repair a county jail when necessary, the persons composing such county commission are severally guilty of a misdemeanor and must, on conviction, be fined not less than $50.00, but any member thereof may exonerate himself from such fine by proving that he was in favor of levying a tax sufficient for the erection or repair of the county jail, but was overruled by his colleagues.

Whenever it shall be deemed necessary by the county commission of any county in this state to pay any debt or liability now existing against any county incurred for the erection, construction or maintenance of the necessary public buildings or bridges or that may hereafter be created for the erection of necessary public buildings, bridges or roads, such court shall have the power and authority to levy and collect a special tax upon the taxable property of such county, not to exceed in one year one fourth of one percent for such purposes; and such tax, when collected, shall be applied exclusively for the purposes for which the same was so levied and collected.

In all cases in which the county commission is directed or empowered to levy a special tax for county purposes, such levy shall be made by the county commission itself upon the assessment last made for state taxes.

Any securities issued by any county payable from or secured by a pledge of any part of the tax proceeds of the special tax authorized to be levied under the second proviso of section 215 of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, as amended by Amendment 208, and sections 11-14-10, 11-14-11 and 11-14-16, are hereby exempted from the laws of the state of Alabama governing usury or prescribing or limiting interest rates, including, without limitation, the provisions of chapter 8 of Title 8 of this Code.

If there is a necessity, and delay until the regular meeting of the county commission may be of injury to the health of the prisoners confined in the county jail, it is the duty of the chairman of the county commission to appoint a day for the meeting of the county commission, of which, if practicable, five days' notice must be given to each commissioner, which notice must be in writing, signed by the chairman and must be served by the sheriff.

The county commission shall have control of all property belonging to the county and may, by an order to be entered on its minutes, direct the disposal of any real property which can be lawfully disposed, and direct the chairman of the county commission to make titles thereto and a conveyance made by the chairman of the county commission in accordance with such order invests the grantee with the title of the county.

Upon assembling, it is the duty of the county commission to make an appropriation of such an amount as is necessary for the purposes expressed in subdivision (1) of section 11-12-15 and, for the payment thereof, to order the issuance of a warrant payable to the sheriff, which must be paid by the county treasurer on the presentment thereof, in preference and priority of all other claims.

The appropriation having been made and the sheriff having received payment thereof, it is his duty, so far as such appropriation will enable him, to keep the jail supplied with wholesome water for drinking and bathing, to keep drinking water accessible at all times to each prisoner and to keep it comfortably warm in cold weather, at all times clean and free from offensive odors and provided with necessary water closets or dry earth, beds, bedding and clothing for the use of prisoners.

The chairman of the county commission and the probate judge are hereby authorized and empowered, once each week, without informing the sheriff or jailer of the time when such visit will be made, to visit and examine the condition of the jail, to make a memorandum in writing of such examination and to report under oath such examination to the grand jury.

Counties may acquire by purchase or by condemnation land necessary for drainage ditches and borrow pits, lime and stone quarries, clay and clay pits, sand and sand pits, chert and chert pits, gravel and gravel pits, together with any and all other materials of every character that may be necessary or essential or desired in the construction and maintenance of highways and bridges, and may tap and draw material from the same and acquire such road right-of-way as may be necessary for ingress or egress to and from such material. The reasonable market value, if any, of such land and material shall be paid for same.

The condemnation proceedings for such land and materials shall be as is now provided by law for condemnation of land for public use.

Any county in the state of Alabama now owning a waterworks plant and distribution system or portion thereof is hereby authorized to transfer or convey such plant and system or portion thereof, without the necessity of authorization at an election of the qualified voters of such county, to any municipal corporation situated in such county. Any such transfer or conveyance may be made with or without pecuniary consideration and on such terms and conditions as the county commission of the county owning such plant and system or portion thereof may determine, but only after such county commission shall have adopted a resolution authorizing such transfer or conveyance. It shall not be necessary to obtain any permission or approval from the Alabama public service commission or other similar regulatory body for such transfer or conveyance.

The county buildings are to be erected and kept in order and repair at the expense of the county under the direction of the county commission, which is authorized to make all necessary contracts for that purpose.

The county commission is hereby authorized, out of any road funds, to pay to the municipality in which the county courthouse is located, the reasonable cost of public improvements constructed by such municipality which benefit the property of such county; provided, that the consent of such county commission has been obtained before the commencement of the improvement.

The county commission is hereby authorized and empowered to appropriate county funds not otherwise appropriated or set apart by law toward a partial payment of the cost of public improvements made by a city or town to the sidewalks and streets around or abutting the lot or block occupied by any building belonging to the county, whether such improvements have been heretofore made or are hereafter made.

No appropriation made under the authority of section 11-14-6 for improvements hereafter constructed shall exceed the cost of such improvement; provided, that where the county commission of any county shall elect to pay the cost of such improvement in installments, the appropriation made may include interest on deferred installments at not more than six percent per annum.

The county treasurer or other person exercising the functions of county treasurer of every county who has heretofore paid county money to any city or town for public improvements around or abutting any lot or block occupied by buildings belonging to such county is hereby released, relieved and discharged from any and all liability for any and all sums of money so paid, and all payments heretofore made for such improvements by any county are hereby ratified and confirmed.

The county commission has charge of the courthouse and the sheriff, at the direction of the county commission, must prevent trespasses, and keep out intruders.