§ 16-21-701 - Expense allowance.
16-21-701. Expense allowance.
(a) (1) The Prosecuting Attorney for the Second Judicial District shall be allowed the expenses of his office, including telephone, telegraph, postage, printing, office supplies and equipment, automobiles, office rent, and other expenses which, within the discretion of the prosecuting attorney, may be a proper expense of the office, and also including necessary expenses in connection with any proper investigation instant to any criminal law violation or trials before any grand jury or any court within the judicial district, coming within the duties of his office.
(2) The expenses provided for in subdivision (a)(1) of this section shall be borne by the counties comprising the Second Judicial District as follows:
(A) Clay County ..................... $2,300.00;
(B) Craighead County ..................... $8,500.00;
(C) Crittenden County ..................... $8,500.00;
(D) Greene County ..................... $2,703.96;
(E) Mississippi County ..................... $8,500.00; and
(F) Poinsett County ..................... $3,735.96.
(3) The expenses provided for in this subsection shall be paid on a monthly or quarterly basis by each county.
(b) (1) (A) The Prosecuting Attorney of the Second Judicial District may appoint one (1) or more deputy prosecuting attorneys for Crittenden County at a combined salary not to exceed one hundred seventy thousand dollars ($170,000) per annum, and in such amounts within the total amounts provided in this subsection as may be designated by the prosecuting attorney, plus a combined contingent expense allowance in the amount established by the quorum court not to exceed fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) per annum.
(B) The salaries provided for in this subsection shall be paid by the county court in twenty-four (24) semimonthly installments from the county general fund, and the expense allowance shall be paid monthly in an amount necessary to provide office rental, postage, printing, office supplies, equipment, stationery, secretarial assistance, automobile operation, and other proper expenses supported by written itemized claims filed by the deputy prosecuting attorney with the county judge and subject to the approval of the county judge.
(2) (A) Expenses actually incurred by the deputy prosecuting attorney or attorneys in Crittenden County in excess of the contingent expense allowance provided for such attorney or attorneys shall be paid upon itemized claims filed by such deputy or deputies.
(B) The expense and allowances provided in subdivision (b)(1) of this section shall be in addition to any necessary expense incurred in connection with any proper investigation incident to violations or alleged violations of the criminal laws or any hearing or trial before a grand jury or any court, including expenses of obtaining evidence and securing attendance of witnesses from within or outside of the State of Arkansas and any unusual travel expenses incurred in connection with the duties of his office, which shall be paid by the county from the county general revenue fund upon the filing of a proper claim by the deputy prosecuting attorney or by the person or firm entitled to compensation therefor and having the approval of the deputy prosecuting attorney, the prosecuting attorney, or the court in which such matter is pending.
(3) It is not the purpose of this subsection to repeal any laws now or hereafter enacted fixing the fees collectible as prosecuting attorney's fees, but rather to update and make possible a more efficient administration of justice and county government. All courts shall collect the fees heretofore provided by law as prosecuting attorney's fees and all such fees collected shall be paid into the county treasury as required by law regarding funds belonging to the county. It is the explicit legislative intent to provide the salaries and expense allowances set forth in this subsection without regard to the amount of prosecuting attorney's fees and emoluments earned or collected in the counties affected by the subsection. However, nothing in this subsection shall be so interpreted as to preclude Crittenden County from paying additional expense allowances in addition to those enumerated in this subsection upon proper action of the appropriate quorum courts.