Funding the Arkansas Judiciary Annual Repor 1994-95
FUNDING OF THE JUDICIARY
Arkansas courts are financed through state, county and city
appropriations. The degree of funding from each source depends
upon the level of jurisdiction of the court being funded. State
government is the sole funding source for the Supreme Court, Court
of Appeals, appellate court support staff, and the Administrative
Office of the Courts. In addition, the state funds the salaries
and costs of travel and educational assistance for circuit and
chancery judges, and the salaries for court reporters. The state
also pays for one-half of the salaries of juvenile intake and
probation officers who serve the judges of the juvenile division of
chancery court. Four case coordinators who work for multiple trial
judges are employed through the Administrative Office of the
Courts. State government has budgeted $19,329,679 for these costs
for fiscal year 1994-95. The operating funds apportioned to the
courts at this level represent only .25% of the total state
government operating appropriation which totaled over $9 billion in
1994-95. This amount includes all state and federal funds
appropriated by the state. A survey by the U.S. Department of
Justice places Arkansas 48th of the 50 states and the District of
Columbia in the percentage of total state and local expenditures
dedicated to justice and court activities.
County government is the funding source for the salaries of
all circuit, chancery and probate court support and clerical staff
and for all supplies, equipment, utilities and facilities within
each judicial circuit. Each county within the circuit provides
funding according to its pro rata share of the district-wide court
expenses and is solely responsible for the costs of facilities and
utilities within the county. County government pays all expenses
of the county court, court of common pleas, and justice of the
peace courts. The county government also shares with city
government the cost of the municipal court. The county share is
usually 50%, but there are numerous exceptions to this pattern in
a variety of locally negotiated arrangements.
City government is responsible for the remainder of municipal
court expenses not provided by county government and provides the
sole support for city and police courts.
A major change in the way the state judiciary is funded has
begun with the adoption of the Uniform Court Cost Act and the
creation of the State Administration of Justice Fund. The
structure has now been put in place which will allow for the
gradual shifting of funding for the courts from the city and county
level to the state level.
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Last updated on February 6, 1996.
Tim Holthoff, Jackie Wright (arsclib@arkansas.gov)