State high court upholds deputy sheriff pay fund

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The Missouri Supreme Court has upheld a state law creating a fund to boost the salaries of deputy sheriffs.

Lawmakers passed legislation in 2008 ordering Missouri sheriffs to collect an extra $10 to serve court documents, after a report found deputies' pay was so low that some qualified for public assistance.

The extra revenue was to move through county treasuries into a special state account for raising deputies' pay.

St. Charles and St. Louis counties challenged the law, arguing the fee amounted to a tax because the funds passed through its coffers. The Supreme Court rejected the argument Tuesday in an unanimous opinion.

The state treasurer's office says the fund has $5.3 million and that no money has been distributed from it.