Algood is increasing its court costs by $1 to help cover money owed to the Tennessee Department of Safety.
Algood Court Clerk Anna Walker said currently, $1 of the court costs goes to the Department of Safety for the Municipal Training Education Program. Walker said Algood will now pay $2 each court costs to the program due to a new state law that requires municipalities to contribute more funding to the program. Walker said the training helps court clerks and judges further their education within the legal system.
“Annually, there’s a class that us court clerks have to go to, and then there’s also another annual conference for judges,” Walker said. “And I think the judges’ portion of it is really important that they keep up to date, you know, with all the TCAs and the guidelines, which are ever so changing.”
Walker said the new law takes effect July 1 for the state. However, the change will not take place in Algood until late July, and the city will have to cover the increase for the time being.
“We have to wait for, you know, for the ordinance has to be read a second time and with a public hearing, and then it would be 14 days after that second reading that if it gets approved that it would go into effect. Any citations that are wrote you know, from July 1 until that date that I am allowed to, essentially, we would have to eat that extra dollar cost on those citations.”
Walker said covering the cost for a few weeks will not make a significant impact on the city’s fund balance.
“You know, it just depends,” Walker said. “I’ll be honest with you, we have court on a monthly basis. Our court, being a municipal court we see traffic violations and stuff like that, but anything more than that we can’t see.”
Walker said the city’s litigation tax will remain at $13.75 per court case. The city will read the court costs increase and the litigation tax rate proposal on second reading at its July council meeting.
