Moreauville adds state fees to local fines

Fines for traffic and misdemeanor violations in Moreauville were increased, effective immediately, by a unanimous vote of the Village Council Feb. 12.

Police Chief Scott Lemoine told the council the increase is needed to offset the increase in fees the village must pay to the state on each fine received. He said Moreauville sent $21,945 to the state this past fiscal year, from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017 -- over 35 percent of the fines collected. It kept only $40,738 of the $62,683 in fines it collected.

“The state is collecting an average of $28 per violation,” Lemoine said. “That is for each violation, not each citation. Each citation averages two violations per citation. It is eating us up and comes out of our budget.”

The village issued 385 citations which included 770 violations last fiscal year.

The village could increase court costs from $76 to $122 to cover the state fees, Lemoine noted. However, any increase in court costs must be approved by the Department of Justice. The easiest way to offset the expense is by increasing the fines for each violation.

Councilman Kenneth Farbe said the village must recoup the cost of the state fees. Under the new fine structure, offenders must pay the fine for the violation, the court costs and the fees the state charges the village.

That fine structure went into effect for any violation incurred after the Feb. 12 council meeting.

In another matter, Lemoine informed council members that the cost to house municipal offenders has increased. The Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office still charges towns $6 a day to house their inmates, but only up to 30 days. After 30 days, the parish charges $24 a day.

He said the village averages four to six inmates remaining in jail for more than 30 days.

The additional cost is impacting the village’s budget, Lemoine said.

He said costs for coroner’s services, such as autopsies and responding to patients in need of mental evaluations, are also impacting the budget.

He and Mayor Timmy Lemoine both noted there is no way the village can recoup those costs, but they must be paid out of the budget.

The council will establish a line item in the budget for coroner’s fees.