Title
Ordinance amending Chapter 35, Section 35.23 Court Automation Fee by increasing the fee collected by the Circuit Court Clerk from $12 to $20 effective December 1, 2017.
Staff Summary
* Lake County currently assesses a court automation fee of $12 to litigants in all civil cases and to defendants in felony, traffic, misdemeanor, municipal ordinance and conservation cases upon a judgment of guilty or a grant of supervision.
* The recommendation is to increase this fee to $20.
* The maximum fee allowed by State Statute, 705 Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS) 105/27.3a, is $25.
* Increasing the fee will assist in paying for current and future expenses related to the establishment and/or maintenance of automated record keeping systems in the Circuit Courts and the Circuit Clerk's Office. The fee increase is anticipated to generate an additional $660,000 annually.
* The Chief Judge and the Circuit Court Clerk jointly oversee the Court Automation Fund.
Body
ORDINANCE
WHEREAS, Lake County currently assesses a court automation fee of $12 to litigants in all civil cases and to defendants in felony, traffic, misdemeanor, municipal ordinance and conservation cases upon a judgment of guilty or a grant of supervision as allowed by Illinois statute (705 ILCS 105/27.3a); and
WHEREAS, 705 ILCS 105/27.3a, allows county boards to authorize the Circuit Court Clerk to charge a court automation fee of up to $25; and
WHEREAS, court staff has determined that an $8 increase in the court automation fee is appropriate to offset ongoing and future expenses in the court automation fund; and
WHEREAS, the Chief Judge and the Circuit Court Clerk, who jointly oversee the court automation fund, have no objections to the proposed fee increase; and
WHEREAS, it is therefore recommended that the court automation fee of $12 be increased to $20 effective December 1, 2017.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED, by this County Board of Lake County, Illinois, that the court automation fee collec...
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