(a)
(1) It shall be lawful to provide in any highway charter for working the male county inmates of any county on the public roads and highways of that county.
(2) But if the county inmates are to be worked in any district which is not coextensive with the county from which they came, then the working of inmates shall have to be approved by the county court having jurisdiction thereof, which approval shall rest in the sound discretion of the court, irrespective of any vote or endorsement by the electors of the district.
(b)
(1) Every charter providing for working county inmates shall provide for the appointment of proper overseers, guards, physicians, and other officers and employees necessary and convenient for the control and well-being of the inmates.
(2) The overseers, guards, and other officers herein provided for the working of county inmates shall have the same powers and duties with reference to the inmates as sheriffs, jailers, or other peace officers have under similar circumstances.
(c)
(1) The expense of feeding, clothing, housing, and superintending county inmates shall be charged to the particular improvement district or county where they are worked according to the time they may be used in such district or county.
(2) Each county shall be credited or paid the amount of costs incurred in the trial of every inmate, and the inmate shall receive the same credit per day on costs and fine or penalty as is now provided by law.
(3) If county inmates are to be worked in any special improvement district, each county furnishing inmates may receive a flat compensation for their labor of not less than seventy-five cents (75¢) per day.
(4) All payments and settlements provided in this section shall be made in cash.