Each official reporter shall be paid such compensation as shall be fixed, after recommendation by the judges of the judicial district involved, by the legislative authority of the county comprising said judicial district, or by the legislative authorities acting jointly where the judicial district is comprised of more than one county: PROVIDED, That in judicial districts having a total population of forty thousand or more, the salary of an official court reporter shall not be less than sixteen thousand five hundred dollars per annum: PROVIDED FURTHER, That in judicial districts having a total population of twenty-five thousand and under forty thousand, such salary shall not be less than eleven thousand one hundred dollars per annum.

Said compensation shall be paid out of the current expense fund of the county or counties where court is held.

In judicial districts comprising more than one county the council or commissioners thereof shall, on the first day of January of each year, or as soon thereafter as may be convenient, apportion the amount of the salary to be paid to the reporter by each county according and in proportion to the number of criminal and civil actions entered and commenced in superior court of the constituent counties in the preceding year. In addition to the salary above provided, in judicial districts comprising more than one county, the reporter shall receive his or her actual and necessary expenses of transportation and living expenses when he or she goes on official business to a county of his or her judicial district other than the county in which he or she resides, from the time he or she leaves his or her place of residence until he or she returns thereto, said expense to be paid by the county to which he or she travels. If one trip includes two or more counties, the expense may be apportioned between the counties visited in proportion to the amount of time spent in each county on the trip. If an official reporter uses his or her own automobile for the purpose of such transportation, he or she shall be paid therefor at the same rate per mile as county officials are paid for use of their private automobiles. The sworn statement of the official reporter, when certified to as correct by the judge presiding, shall be a sufficient voucher upon which the county auditor shall draw his or her warrant upon the treasurer of the county in favor of the official reporter.

The salaries of official court reporters shall be paid upon sworn statements, when certified as correct by the judge presiding, as state and county officers are paid.