Fruit Heights could merge justice court with county

FRUIT HEIGHTS — Just as it will with West Bountiful in July, Davis County's justice court could take over hearings for class B and C misdemeanors, small claims, and city and county ordinance violations for Fruit Heights.

On Tuesday, the Fruit Heights City Council will discuss the possibility of merging its justice court operations with Davis County, which already handles cases for Farmington, Kaysville, West Point, Layton and Bountiful, as well as unincorporated Davis County.

No vote is expected Tuesday, said Fruit Heights city manager Brandon Green, but the discussion needs to happen.

"We're looking at ways to save some money without raising taxes," Green said.

If the council were to go ahead with the move, something Davis County has indicated it could easily handle, Fruit Heights would save money by eliminating contracts with the Davis County Sheriff's Office for a bailiff, county attorney for prosecutors and with part-time judge David Miller.

The tough decision facing the council would be what to do with the court clerk's position, a full-time job held by Linda Russell; and a part-time court employee.

In May, West Bountiful and Davis County finalized an agreement to transfer justice court jurisdiction to Davis County.

The county and city will take a 50-50 split in revenue from fines and forfeitures, expected to be about $200,000 by the end of this fiscal year, which ends June 30.

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