§50-3-4. Disposition of costs; magistrate court fund.

(a) All costs collected in magistrate courts in a civil proceeding pursuant to the provisions of section one of this article and all costs collected in magistrate courts in a criminal proceeding pursuant to the provisions of section two of this article shall be submitted on or before the tenth day of the month following the month of their collection to the magistrate court clerk along with any information that may be required by the rules of the Supreme Court of Appeals and by the rules of the State Auditor.

(b)(1) The special county fund known as the magistrate court fund established in each county by chapter thirty-three, Acts of the Legislature, 1976 regular session, as amended and reenacted in subsequent Acts of the Legislature, is hereby continued. The moneys credited to the fund may be used solely for the purposes provided in this section.

(2) The magistrate court clerk of each county shall pay the sum of $10 collected in magistrate court for each civil and criminal proceeding into the magistrate court fund during each fiscal year until there is paid a sum equal to $15,000 multiplied by the number of magistrates authorized for the county.

(3) A county may, in accordance with the supervisory rules of the Supreme Court of Appeals, appropriate and spend from the fund such sums as are necessary to defray the expenses of providing services to magistrate courts.

(c)(1) There is hereby created in the state Treasury a special escrow account designated as the Magistrate Court Surplus Account. The moneys credited to the account may be used solely for the purposes provided in this subsection.

(2) Beginning on July 1, 2000, all costs collected during a fiscal year in excess of the sum specified in subdivision (2), subsection (b) of this section shall be deposited in the Magistrate Court Surplus Account in the state Treasury.

(3) Beginning on September 1, 2001, and on September 1, of each year thereafter, in accordance with the supervisory rules of the Supreme Court of Appeals, funds from the Magistrate Court Surplus Account deposited therein as excess costs collected in the prior fiscal year pursuant to the provisions of subdivision (2) of this subsection shall be disbursed as a supplement to any county magistrate court fund which generated less than $15,000 per magistrate in the prior fiscal year in accordance with the provisions of this subsection.

(4) The amount disbursed to a county magistrate court fund from the Magistrate Court Surplus Account, when combined with the court costs generated by the magistrate court fund of the county in the prior fiscal year, may not exceed $15,000 per magistrate.

(5) The disbursements described in subdivision (3) of this subsection shall be made as follows:

(A) There shall be distributed to each county magistrate court fund that generated less than $9,000 in the prior fiscal year the sum of $9,000 less the amount of court costs generated by the county magistrate court fund in the prior fiscal year. To the extent that the funds available for this disbursement are insufficient to fully fund this disbursement, the funds available shall be disbursed to these counties on a pro rata basis.

(B) Any funds that remain available for disbursement after disbursements made pursuant to paragraph (A) of this subdivision shall be disbursed in equal shares to each county magistrate court fund that generated less than $15,000 per magistrate in the prior fiscal year. The shares to be disbursed to each county magistrate court fund are to be equal to the number of magistrates in the county. Any disbursement made under this paragraph shall be subject to the limitations specified in subdivision (4) of this subsection.

(6) Any funds that remain available in the Magistrate Court Surplus Account after the disbursements have been made pursuant to the provisions of paragraphs (A) and (B), subdivision (5) of this subsection shall be deposited by the state Treasurer into the General Revenue Fund of the state.