Folks caught speeding in Madison County will now pay $5 more thanks to a new fee.
Last Tuesday, supervisors approved a new e-summons ordinance. The ordinance allows for the assessment of a new $5 fee as part of the costs of each criminal or traffic case in which the suspect is convicted in the courts of Madison County. The fee will be collected by the clerk of the court and used to cover software, hardware and associated equipment costs for implementing and maintaining an electronic summons program. County administrator Jonathon Weakley said a Byrne Justice Assistance Grant was used to purchase the equipment for the e-ticketing system, but grant funds cannot typically be used to cover subscription fees. The annual subscription fee for the program is $21,000.
No one spoke during a public hearing on the matter, but Brightwood resident K. Leigh Purdum submitted comments by email opposing the fee. She said it disproportionately burdens low-income residents as court fines and fees have been shown to create poverty traps and affect lower-income communities more. She said court costs are already high and alternatives should be considered first such as non-court sources of funding.
A $20 court security fee is already imposed as part of the costs in local criminal and traffic cases in which the defendant is convicted.
The new fee does not apply to citizen complaints or actions by the Virginia State Police. It will go into effect July 1.
