Funds to aid domestic violence victims

The Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office and the Spokane YWCA have scheduled a public meeting Tuesday to receive ideas on how to spend a small fund for the benefit of domestic violence victims.

The YWCA is the only state-recognized provider of domestic violence services in the county, according to Debby Kurbitz, administrative attorney for the prosecutor’s office.

Kurbitz said the money in question comes from a state-imposed $30 surcharge that has been collected since July 2005 when people file documents in Superior Court seeking divorces, legal separations and “declarations concerning the validity of a marriage,” including annulments.

With the $30 surcharge and a similar $20 charge to support a family law court facilitator program, the filing fee for divorce petitions and related documents is $250. Of the $30 charge, $24 goes to the state for domestic violence services and $6 goes to counties.

The county portion must be used to help domestic violence with needs other than shelter.

Nan Spear, accounting manager in the county auditor’s office, said the yet-untapped local fund had accumulated $25,929 through last Friday, including $1,256 in interest.

“The statute didn’t give a lot of direction, so no harm, no foul, in having some community input on it,” Kurbitz said.

Tuesday’s meeting will be at 10 a.m. in the fourth-floor conference room of the Broadway Center Building, 721 N. Jefferson St.