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Jill Atwood ReportingBreak the speed limit or run a red light and you'll be paying a lot more to the city in fines. Starting today a surcharge will be added to all traffic tickets and misdemeanor crimes. We're talking about 32 dollars, so instead of a $50 speeding ticket, you'll be paying $82 dollars.
Of course the obvious next question is, ‘where is the money going?’ Well in an age of heightened security, that's what you are paying for, to feel safe. It will pay for extra security in justice courts and juvenile courts statewide. County jails will also see a big chunk of that money, so your crime will pay for others in a sense. The money will help fund the cost of incarceration.
Richard Schwermer, Asst. State Court Administrator: "Primarily it's met to offset or account for the costs of municipalities sending offenders to county jails. The way it works now the county sends a bill to the municipalities for all of the jail bed days that they have used during the year and the municipalities tear them up and ignore them."
Here's a breakdown statewide on where that 32 dollars is going:
--20 percent goes back to the city where the ticket was given.
--50 percent goes to county jails
--20 percent goes toward security in juvenile courts
--and the remaining 10 percent goes to more security and training in the justice courts.
Also any convictions on class b misdemeanors going through justice court will see the extra charge. In total, the state hopes to bring in close to 9 million dollars a year with this new surcharge.
