(a)(1) In all juvenile, traffic, criminal, and quasi-criminal cases in the juvenile, district, circuit, and municipal courts in this state, a docket fee, hereinafter referred to as a solicitor’s fee, shall be assessed in each case. The fees, when collected, shall be distributed monthly as follows: Three dollars ($3) of the fees assessed in each case shall be distributed to the Etowah County Law Library Fund, as prescribed by law, and the remainder to the Solicitor’s Fund or District Attorney’s Fund in the county or to the fund that may be hereafter prescribed by law for the solicitor’s fee. The solicitor’s fee shall be in an amount equal to all docket fees or court costs which are assessed upon an adjudication of guilt in a criminal case and distributed to the Fair Trial Tax Fund.
(2) In addition to the solicitor’s fee, an additional fee of seven dollars ($7) shall be assessed as court costs in each case to be distributed as follows: Two dollars ($2) to the office of Sheriff of Etowah County and five dollars ($5) to either the Circuit Clerk of Etowah County for cases originating in the District or Circuit Court of Etowah County or to the clerk of each municipality located within Etowah County for cases arising in their respective jurisdictions.
(b) The fees prescribed in subsection (a) shall be collected in all criminal cases where the defendant is adjudged guilty, a bond forfeited, a penalty imposed, or where there is issued any alias or capias warrant of arrest. The fees shall be in addition to and not in lieu of any other fees or costs. The fees shall not be waived or remitted unless the defendant proves to the reasonable satisfaction of the sentencing judge that the defendant is not capable of paying the fee within the reasonable foreseeable future.
(c)(1) The solicitor’s fee provided in subdivision (1) of subsection (a) may be expended by the district attorney for the payment of any and all expenses incurred by the office or for any other legitimate law enforcement purpose. That portion of the solicitor’s fee earmarked for the Etowah County Law Library Fund may be expended, as prescribed by law, as directed by the presiding circuit judge.
(2) The additional fee provided in subdivision (2) of subsection (a) shall be expended as follows:
a. That portion of the fee allocated to the office of the Sheriff of Etowah County may be expended by the sheriff for the provision of courthouse security and for any other legitimate law enforcement purpose.
b. That portion of the fee allocated to the circuit clerk or to the clerk of the municipal court, as the case may be, may be spent as prescribed by law for the operation of the office.)
Last modified: May 3, 2021