Bill > HB1178

This bill makes several changes to municipal and district court regulations in Arkansas. First, it clarifies that cities of the second class or incorporated towns that do not want to maintain a city attorney's office can now contract with an outside attorney for legal representation. The bill also modifies how district courts account for and distribute funds collected from various types of cases, specifically addressing how money from different classes of accounting records (such as misdemeanors, ordinance violations, and civil cases) should be distributed to the appropriate municipal or county treasuries. Additionally, the legislation provides a mechanism for towns and cities without a district court or police department to receive their appropriate share of collected sums, ensuring they can still be compensated for law enforcement and judicial expenses. The bill aims to create more flexibility for smaller municipalities in managing their legal representation and court-related financial distributions, with a mandatory requirement for written agreements between governing bodies when towns contribute to district court operational expenses. These changes are intended to clarify existing laws and provide more equitable distribution of court-collected funds among local government entities.

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https://arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/Detail?id=hb1178&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R