The Arkansas Court of Appeals has affirmed a circuit court ruling in favor of Independence County in the county’s lawsuit against the City of Batesville regarding unpaid fees related to housing municipal prisoners in the county jail.
Based on increasing detention center costs at the time, the county passed an ordinance in 2015 that set rates for housing municipal prisoners in the jail — a rate of $150 for the first day and $44 each day thereafter. According to the county, cities would pay 30% of the collected district court fines to help defray operation costs of the jail.
Months later, a dispute between the City of Batesville and the county developed on how general fine money from the district court would be collected and distributed and whether an official agreement between the city and county regarding allocating the fines had ever existed.
The county eventually filed suit against the city in 2020, seeking payment from the city for housing its municipal prisoners in the jail.
A 2021 bench trial presided by Circuit Court Judge Holly Meyer found in favor of the county, with the circuit court awarding $174,682 in damages to Independence County.
After the city appealed to the Arkansas Court of Appeals, the court affirmed the circuit court ruling on Wednesday.
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