7-6-4023. State grants to district courts -- rules. (1) To the extent funds are available after expenses provided for in 3-5-901 are funded, the state shall make grants to the governing body of a county for the district courts, as provided in this section.
     (2) The governing body of a county may apply to the supreme court administrator for a grant by filing a written request on forms provided by the administrator by August 20 for the previous fiscal year unless, upon the request of the county, the administrator grants a time extension. In its request for a grant, a county shall certify that:
     (a) all expenditures from the district court fund have been lawfully made;
     (b) transfers from the district court fund have not been or will not be made to any other fund; and
     (c) expenditures have not been made from the district court fund that are not specifically authorized by 7-6-2511 and 7-6-4022.
     (3) To the extent that funds are available, the state shall award a grant if the county's district court expenditures for the previous fiscal year exceeded the sum of:
     (a) the product of the maximum mill levy authorized by law for district court purposes, whether or not assessed, multiplied by the previous year's taxable valuation of the county; and
     (b) all revenue, except district court grants, required by law to be deposited in the district court fund for the previous fiscal year.
     (4) Eligible court expenditures for grant purposes include all costs of the county associated with the operation and maintenance of the district court, except building costs, costs for capital items, and costs for library maintenance, replacement, and acquisitions.
     (5) The supreme court administrator shall notify each eligible county as soon as possible of the state's intention to award a grant to that county and the amount of the award.
     (6) The grant received by the county must be placed in the district court fund.
     (7) If an audit conducted pursuant to 2-7-503 discloses that the county received a grant in excess of the amount for which it was eligible, the county shall repay the excess to the state. The supreme court administrator shall redistribute any repaid excess amounts to the other counties that received grants from the appropriation from which the overpayment was made, on the same basis as the original awards. A county is not eligible for a district court grant if it owes the state a refund of a prior year's overpayment.
     (8) The supreme court administrator, in consultation with the supreme court, shall prescribe rules and forms necessary to effectively administer this section. The administrator may require a county to provide any information considered necessary for the administration of the program.

     History: En. Sec. 23, Ch. 278, L. 2001.