At an Erie County Council finance committee meeting, members discussed a proposed $30,000 general-fund supplemental appropriation to create a new central booking fee line item intended to offset LiveScan fingerprinting costs used by local police departments.

The committee heard that the fee is a statutorily authorized court cost that the county is implementing following an order from President Judge Walsh and approval of a plan by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). County staff said the revenue will be collected from defendants’ court costs and distributed, likely twice yearly, on a pro rata basis to departments that use LiveScan, including the Erie Police Department, Northeast Police Department, Mill Creek Police Department and the Erie County Sheriff’s Office.

The proposal prompted extended comment from Councilman Drexel and others about the fee’s economic effect. Councilman Drexel said the fee is intended to make users pay for the technology instead of taxpayers and explained procedural steps, including the PCCD review and the president judge’s order. Drexel said the fee was developed by the county’s Criminal Justice Advisory Board and that money collected will reimburse departments for equipment, maintenance, training and connectivity costs.

Council member Horton, speaking in opposition, warned the fee could disproportionately burden low-income residents and defendants of color, calling it "troubling" and urging sensitivity in implementation. Horton asked whether the fee would function as a revenue generator and whether defendants would be able to petition the court if they cannot afford the fee. County staff responded that there are procedures enabling defendants to petition the court for relief based on inability to pay, and that the fee is assessed only upon a guilty verdict.

County staff said the committee selected a modest fee level to avoid excessive hardship; the presentation said a $2.50 figure was chosen as a compromise after discussion of a statutory cap of up to several hundred dollars. Staff estimated the reimbursement Northeast Police expects to receive under the program would be in the range of $10,000–$12,000 annually; the county would reimburse each department on a pro rata basis based on the number of prints processed.

Several committee members sought clarification on operational details: whether the state would obtain any of the fees (staff said no), how the county will account for maintenance versus per-use charges, and what happens when fingerprints are already on file or cases are handled by state police (staff said summons cases and those fingerprinted by state police generally would not be assessed the fee). The presenter reiterated that district justices and the courts retain discretion to waive the fee for indigent defendants or otherwise order that it not be assessed in a given case.

No formal vote or roll-call tally on the appropriation was recorded in the meeting transcript provided. Committee members said they would continue the administrative steps necessary to create the line item and to implement the court order and reimbursement process.

The item remains under administrative review; staff said implementation will follow the president judge’s order and PCCD guidance and that further administrative details will be provided to council members before final appropriation or adoption of the line item.