District attorney requests $12.50 court-cost increase to fund DA's office

Mister Reagan, speaking for District Attorney Ray Crouch, asked the Dickson County Commission to forward a proposal to add $12.50 to court costs on misdemeanor and felony cases (excluding nonmoving violations) to the regular session for consideration. He said the charge stems from a statute passed last year and is intended to provide additional funding to the district attorney's office to balance an existing fee that benefits the public defender's office.

"This is a request that comes from District Attorney Ray Crouch," Mister Reagan said, describing the $12.50 as an effort to "balance that out" with fees already collected for public defense. He told commissioners that the new fee would substitute for some court costs the legislature eliminated this year and that the categories are not an exact match, though there is some overlap.

Commissioner Spicer moved to advance the proposal to the regular session; Commissioner Petty seconded. By voice vote the commission advanced the item for the regular meeting agenda.

The transcript references "a statute that was passed last year" as the legal authority for adding the fee but does not name the statute. Commissioners did not take a final vote on the fee at the work session; the matter was only moved forward for formal consideration at the regular meeting.