ASOTIN - The future of Asotin County District Court has been fuzzy for several months, but officials say it's coming into focus.

Clarkston is probably going to stick with Asotin County for municipal court services, but the city of Asotin is leaning toward setting up a courtroom at city hall.

Asotin County Commissioner Jim Fuller and Clarkston City Councilor Terry Beadles have been working out a tiered-rate system, and both say the issue should be resolved soon.

"At this point, I'm very happy with Clarkston," Fuller said. "They did their homework and came back with a realistic proposal that is in the ballpark."

Fuller notified both cities last summer about a fee hike for court services, scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1. He said Asotin County was paying $215 per case filed with the court, but the fees for city cases were considerably lower.

"The numbers hadn't been touched in years," Fuller said, "and we feel every entity should pay their fair share. We're trying to make it simple."

For more than two dec-ades, Clarkston was paying $40 per case, based on an agreement from the early 1990s, and Asotin was paying $20 per case.

The county's initial proposal called for a fee of $130 per case for all three jurisdictions. Both cities balked and began exploring what it would cost to set up a separate court. Asotin County came back with a $99 flat rate, but Clarkston officials wanted an adjustment because traffic infractions do not require as many court appearances as misdemeanors.

The compromise for Clarkston is a tiered system that calls for a $30 filing fee for traffic infractions and $135 for criminal offenses.

Beadles said he and Clarkston Police Chief Joel Hastings plan to meet with City Attorney Todd Richardson to discuss the fees before a final decision is made. The matter is on the agenda at the council's next meeting set for 7 p.m. Monday.

"Based on past discussions, I believe the council is in agreement about staying with Asotin County District Court," Beadles said.

The city of Asotin is moving in the opposite direction. The Asotin City Council is considering the purchase of a recording system and software that would allow the city to start its own municipal court in the council chambers one day a month. The council will discuss setup costs when it meets at 5:30 p.m. Monday.

Asotin Mayor Vikki Bonfield said the city offered to pay a $30 filing fee to continue using Asotin County District Court, but the county never responded.

In the future, Bonfield said she plans to hand-deliver letters to the commissioners and get on the county's agenda to ensure such issues are discussed in open meetings and the city of Asotin is in the loop.

State law requires a year's notice if the county decides to terminate court services. The law also calls for arbitration if an agreement cannot be reached.

Fuller said he's hoping the issue can be resolved before arbitration is necessary.

The fee changes are based on what it costs the county to provide District Court services, Fuller said. According to his figures, approximately $290,000 has to be covered by the three entities.

"It alarmed me to find revenues weren't covering the costs, and we were going in the red," Fuller said. "A lot of it is out of our control. The state takes a big chunk of the fines and fees that are collected, and the judge's salary is set by the state."

The District Court judge is paid $133,993 a year to preside over a variety of cases. The court handles misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors for cases that originate in the county and both municipalities. The most common criminal charges are domestic violence assaults, thefts and DUIs. In addition, traffic infractions, small claims and civil cases are also on the docket.

In 2013, District Court handled 211 cases that were generated in Asotin, 784 from Clarkston and 1,930 from Asotin County, which includes citations issued by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Washington State Patrol, the Washington State Liquor Control Board and Asotin County Sheriff's Office.

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Sandaine may be contacted at kerris@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2264. Follow her on Twitter @newsfromkerri.