JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The state auditor is demanding that a Mississippi Delta city clerk pay $106,000 to state government.
Auditor Stacey Pickering sent a letter Tuesday to Tchula (CHOO’-luh) City Clerk Annie May Horton demanding $78,000 in overdue court fees, plus nearly $28,000 in interest and investigative costs.
Pickering had warned Tchula and three other local governments in March that they hadn’t paid court fees due to state government. The Republican auditor says Raleigh, Shaw and Coahoma County have since caught up on overdue amounts. Court assessment fees collected from misdemeanor crimes and traffic violations are legally required to be deposited monthly with the state.
Horton has 30 days to pay. If not, Pickering says he’ll sue Horton in civil court.
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Pickering says his office continues monitoring fee payments from cities and counties.