Upon the approval of the county, funds available for the purposes of this chapter shall be used for the costs of operation of approved programs. Not more than 10 percent of funds available for the purposes of this chapter shall be used to finance the administration of the program by a county with a population of 500,000 or more persons, and no more than 20 percent may be so used if its population is less than that amount. All moneys allocated for the purposes of this chapter shall be apportioned and distributed to programs in the county, taking into account the relative population and needs of a community as well as the availability of existing dispute resolution facilities offering alternatives to the formal judicial system. If any program receives funding from any other county fee enhancements collected for the purpose of funding alternative dispute resolution services, the county shall consider that fact in determining the appropriate level of funding for a particular program. The methods of payment or reimbursement for dispute resolution costs shall be specified by the county and may vary among programs. All such arrangements shall conform to the regulations of the advisory council.

(Amended by Stats. 1992, Ch. 685, Sec. 1. Effective September 14, 1992.)