Court service cost going up for Lacey

The cost of providing district court service to the City of Lacey is going up – -way up.

Lacey doesn’t have its own district or municipal court and contracts with Thurston County to provide such service.   In 2009 Lacey paid Thurston county $220,000 to provide judicial services.   A similar amount plus  cost of living was set for 2010.  But in 2011, the county proposed a rate of $484,000.

City officials balked at the 100 percent increase in costs and proposed a six-year schedule of $300,000 for 2011 and climbing through 2016 when the cost would be $500,000 plus cost of living increases based on the Seattle CPI.  Both the county and the city have agreed on the new six-year contract.

When Lacey first incorporated in 1966, it had its own municipal court.  But when the judge retired, the city opted to contract out judicial services.

It costs Lacey $44 for every traffic ticket, $37 for every parking ticket (although Lacey doesn’t have any parking tickets), $276 for a DUI, $205 for a non-traffic criminal offense, and $240 for a daily jury fee.

The city’s negotiated price with the county also includes $29,000 for court security and $14,000 for processing those on probation.