Enact legislation that would strengthen the role of the municipal court to administer levies on municipal ordinances and to protect municipal court fees from being usurped by the State government as a means to generate fees for the State.

An increase to a City’s share for collecting State court costs needs to be increased from ten percent to thirty percent, and the State needs to increase the share for collecting the time payment fee from the current fifty percent to one hundred percent usage. This fee will allow the municipality to receive a fair reimbursement for the service provided for collecting these fees. Also, the maximum allowable fine for safety, zoning, or public health and sanitation, needs to be increased from $2,000 to $5,000, and for all other cases arising under a municipal ordinance, from $500 to $1,000. The maximum allowable fee is not serving as a deterrent at this time. By raising the amount of the fines, you create deterrence and allow the opportunity for a decrease in these code violations.