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Finance director proposes standardized, CPI-based approach to district court billing; county to negotiate with cities
Summary
Cowlitz County Finance Director Kathy Funk Baxter proposed updating district court billing to a consistent cost-allocation method — using prior year operating costs divided by case counts and an annual CPI adjustment — and to amend long-standing contracts with surrounding cities; board directed staff to begin outreach.
Kathy Funk Baxter, Cowlitz County finance director, presented the Board of Commissioners with an analysis of district court operational costs and city contract billings and proposed a predictable cost-allocation method to replace an inconsistent, often-stale rate structure.
Funk Baxter told the board that current per-case rates for municipal cases — $36.39 for infractions and $115.41 for criminal filings — have not been uniformly updated since 2021 and that the county absorbed operating costs beyond what city billings covered. "If you…
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