Athens City Code

1. (1) All penalties and costs shall be imposed by the city judge and recorded by the court clerk on the city court clerk docket in open court.
2. (2) In all cases heard and determined by the city judge, the city judge shall impose court costs in the amount of one hundred twenty dollars ($120.00). From the court costs, two dollars ($2.00) shall be forwarded by the court clerk to the state treasurer to be used by the administrative office of the courts for training and continuing education courses for municipal court judges and municipal court clerks in accordance with Tennessee Code Annotated § 16-18-304.
3. (3) Defendants who are designated to appear in court and fail to do so shall be imposed an additional court cost of twenty dollars ($20.00).
4. (4) A state privilege tax on litigation of thirteen dollars and seventy-five cents ($13.75) shall be imposed in accordance with Tennessee Code Annotated § 16-18-305(a). This tax shall be collected by the municipal court clerk, remitted to the State Department of Revenue, and included in the total court costs.
   
   1. (a) When a defendant pays fines and costs before appearing in court this payment is treated as a "cash bond." If the defendant fails to appear, the bond is forfeited. In such cases, instead of the standard litigation tax, a "Cash Bond Forfeiture Fee" of $13.75 is collected. This fee is reported separately to the Tennessee Department of Revenue and is distinct from the litigation tax.
      
   2. (b) If a defendant appears in court and is found guilty the standard litigation tax of $13.75 is imposed. This tax is collected by the court clerk and remitted to the Tennessee Department of Revenue.
      

(Ord. No. 1015, § 1, 2-19-2013; Ord. No. 1028, § 1, 6-17-2014)