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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 were doing a true cost allocation, the rates would be based upon what does it cost the county and total expenses over the number of cases," she said.
She showed the board 2024 case and billing data: payments in 2024 totaled about $2.5 million and county operating costs represent the majority of expenses. Using last year’s operating costs (minus state and federal funding) divided by total cases would produce a per-case rate materially above current charges — Funk Baxter estimated an illustrative infraction rate of about $61.70 and a criminal rate of $219.94 based on operating costs, roughly double current rates.
"When we looked at it, we calculated for 2024 ... we would have collected about a hundred and $18,000 more in billings had we been at least updating the billings for CPI," Funk Baxter said.
Her proposal is to standardize the allocation method and to update contract language with the cities so rates are predictable and consistently calculated (for example, indexed to CPI). She asked the board for authorization to begin negotiating updated contracts and to provide the cities earlier notice for budgeting — contracts ask for a letter by October of the preceding year.
Commissioners discussed the potential budget impact for cities and possible phased approaches. Several commissioners said they favored the principle of each jurisdiction paying its fair share and urged staff to engage the cities, noting sensitivity to municipal budgets. The board directed staff to take the proposal to participating cities and return with contract language and options for a transition that would limit abrupt year-to-year increases.
