Excerpt: Jackson County will take on the state in its own game of cuts by keeping traffic citation money from going to Madison.
The move announced Monday would be the first time in the state where the circuit court and district attorney’s office will openly work to regularly amend state traffic charges to county ordinance violations. The process would allow more money from fines to stay local instead of being divided with the state.
“This move would be kind of in-your-face with the state,” said Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Lister.
The change in procedure is an attempt to counter anticipated cuts coming from the state as the county already struggles in some areas to make budget. Lister said the county stands to gain $121,000 annually instead of allowing the state to collect it.
Traffic citations issued by the Wisconsin State Patrol would be the main tickets the court system would look to amend to county ordinance violations. Traffic citations from a trooper are based directly on a state statute, and half the base deposit goes to the state common school fund and half goes to the county where the citation was issued. When a municipality has a traffic violation ordinance — which typically adopts a state statute and has the same fine — that municipality keeps the entire base deposit.
Lt. David Pabst with the State Patrol’s Bureau of Field Operations said he could not comment on Jackson County’s move because he wasn’t familiar with the matter. However, he said it will be looked into whether the county can implement the process.
“This is something totally new that they’d be taking on,” Pabst said. “I’m not even sure they can do that.”
The Jackson County Clerk of Courts Office sends about $908,000 in traffic deposits, fees, surcharges and assessments it collects to the state while the county keeps just $300,000.
Link to Constitutional Highlights: The Common School Fund. (See paragraphs 3 & 4 under the 'history and purpose' section.)
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