In any case, action, or proceeding hereafter filed, whether at law or in equity in any circuit or district court in Hale County, there is hereby authorized to be charged a tax of two dollars ($2) which tax shall be in equity in any circuit or district court in Hale County, there is hereby authorized to be charged a tax of two dollars ($2) which tax shall be in addition to all other court costs heretofore authorized to be charged. The costs taxed under this section shall be collected as other costs in such cases are collected and when collected by the clerks of other collecting officers of such courts, including the register of the circuit court, shall be by them paid over to the treasurer or depository of Hale County for deposit in the county treasury. The sums so paid over to the county treasurer or depository shall be maintained in a separate fund in the county treasury, designated as the Hale County Law Library Fund. Such fund shall be administered by a committee composed of three members consisting of the judge of probate as chair and two members, one to be selected from the county bar and the other a resident of Hale County, one member shall serve a two-year term and one member a three-year term. Thereafter each committee member shall serve a three-year term. Such terms shall begin on January 1 and terminate on December 31, with the first committee member’s term ending on December 31, 1978. The initial committee shall be appointed by the district and circuit judges of the county. Thereafter each new committee member shall be selected by the Hale County Commission. The committee shall expend funds from the Hale County Law Library Fund for establishing, maintaining, equipping, and operating a law library in the courthouse of Hale County, such funds to be expended, in the discretion of the committee, to provide furniture, fixtures, supplies, and equipment for the library, and to keep the same in good state of maintenance and repair; to establish, enlarge, expand, and improve the library and its facilities and equipment, to provide books, reports, and periodicals for the library, and to pay the compensation of such personnel as may be necessary and proper, in the opinion of the committee, to operate the library. The committee shall be authorized to appoint the register or the clerk of the circuit court to be librarian or such other person as the committee deems qualified. The committee herein created shall draw warrants on the county treasury in making expenditures for the purposes contemplated in this section and shall indicate on the warrants the fund against which the warrants are drawn. The items of costs above referred to shall be designated as law library fees. On or before the tenth day of each month, the clerks or other collecting officers of the respective courts, including the register of the circuit court, shall pay over to the county treasurer or depository all amounts collected as law library fees prior to the first day of the month. The management of the law library is vested in the committee herein created, and all books, periodicals, reports, and personal property purchased with the funds produced by this section shall be the property of Hale County, Alabama; provided, however, that the committee may from time to time sell or exchange such books, reports, periodicals, and personal property as may be necessary to keep the law library up to date and apply the proceeds of the sale thereof upon the purchase of other books, reports, periodicals, and personal property for use in the library. The committee may accept any gift or loan of any books, reports, periodicals, and other property for public use in the library upon such terms and conditions as may be stipulated by the donor or lender thereof and as may be agreeable to the committee.
Last modified: May 3, 2021