Sullivan Seeks Hike In Litigation Tax

Sullivan County, Tenn., officials are seeking to raise the county’s litigation tax by $10 in order to expand their courtroom security efforts further.

The increase, which would raise the tax from $25 to $35, is contained in a resolution coming before the County Commission on Sept. 15. If approved, the proposed hike will be the second time the tax has been raised.

Local litigation taxes apply to any person who is convicted of a crime in a county’s criminal court or who files a lawsuit in the county’s civil court.

Sullivan County started charging a $10 litigation tax in 2000, said County Attorney Dan Street. Money brought in through the tax was used to pay for upgrades to the county jail and courthouse, he said.

Commissioners in-creased the tax to $25 on June 17, 2007, to pay for the county’s courtroom security efforts, Street said, adding that the first $10 of the tax still is used to pay for courthouse upgrades.

A major part of the county’s courtroom security efforts was the installation and staffing of metal detectors and X-ray machines at the entrance to all four county courthouses.

“People are used to it,” said Capt. Bruce Bullis, who oversees courtroom security with the county Sheriff’s Office. “It’s an accepted practice now.”

But even with the new machines, Bullis said, the county’s courtroom security efforts aren’t finished. Other steps involve putting cameras in courtroom lobbies and a fence around a private lot at the Blountville courthouse.

“Down the road, hopefully there will be money to do that,” Bullis said, adding he’d also like to install computerized key locks on courthouse doors and more permanent dividers at the existing courthouse checkpoints.

County Accounts and Budgets Director Larry Bailey said it costs the county about $300,000 per year to staff and operate its courtroom security equipment, and the current litigation tax brings in about $250,000 per year.

The proposed increase is expected to bring in another $100,000 per year, Bailey said, and the extra money could be used for some of the additional measures Bullis hopes to implement in the future.

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