Upson County approves push for local legislation to allow magistrate court technology fee

The Upson County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 25 approved a resolution directing county staff to pursue local legislation that would authorize the Upson County Magistrate Court to assess a technology fee to fund court technology needs.

County Manager and the chief magistrate worked on draft language modeled on a prior local law used for the probate court and similar proposals in other counties. The resolution asks the county’s legislative counsel to prepare a local bill allowing magistrate courts to assess a modest per‑case fee for technology needs such as computer hardware and software, imaging and scanning equipment, audio/visual systems and related training and maintenance.

Under the compromise approved by the board, funds collected would be remitted to the county finance office. The magistrate judge would be authorized to appropriate the funds for technology purchases without seeking specific commission approval for each expenditure, but would be required to document purchases and provide reports. The board discussed an alternative oversight option that would route funds through an existing Criminal Justice Information Systems committee, but staff recommended the local bill approach to retain more direct county oversight and avoid the more complex statewide committee structure.

The meeting record shows commissioners debated whether the increment should be capped at $5 or allowed to go as high as $10 per case; staff said the draft language would be corrected to say "$5, but no more than that". The board voted to proceed; the resolution directs the county manager and attorney to work with legislative counsel to draft and seek introduction of local legislation in the General Assembly.

The measure requires action by the Georgia General Assembly to take effect; the resolution authorizes staff to pursue that legislative route and to submit the proposed bill for introduction.