County considers phased increases to district-court billing rates for cities; staff to meet with cities

Cowlitz County finance staff outlined three options to phase increased district-court billing rates charged to cities to recover operating costs that have not been adjusted since 2021.

All three options would phase an increase over two years to reach a target allocation (presented as $61.70 for infractions and $219.94 for criminal cases). Option 1 phased the full increase in two equal parts over 2026–2027. Option 2 assumed the county would carry a base share (for example ~15% of total cost) and then allocate the remainder by case numbers with a capped first-year increase (no more than 25%), phasing the rest the following year. Option 3 proposed applying cumulative CPI increases first (roughly 20–22%) and then moving in a second year to the full cost allocation, which would make the second-year increase larger in percentage terms.

Staff said city negotiations will begin immediately; the first meeting was scheduled for the following day with the City of Kelso. Staff and commissioners discussed that the county already carries fixed base costs (judicial and staffing costs) and that case-count allocation will not remove base overhead. Staff said they plan to provide final numbers to cities in summer so municipalities can include changes in their upcoming budgets.

Ending: Staff will meet with cities, present the three phasing options and associated numbers, and return with recommended allocations and an implementation timeline to give cities sufficient lead time for budgeting.