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Committee approves municipal court fee changes to align with state law
Summary
A joint Finance and Safety Committee approved amendments to McMinnville's municipal code, increasing court-related fees by about $38.75 per case to align with Tennessee Code Annotated and MTAS guidance; the city will stop absorbing a $13 fee many other cities pass to defendants.
A joint meeting of the city’s Finance and Safety Committee approved amendments to Title 3 of the municipal code to update municipal court fees to current Tennessee Code Annotated (TCA) requirements and Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS) guidance.
City staff told the committee that court costs had not been revised since 2010 and that the proposed changes would increase the city’s take by about $38.75 per case. Staff said the change reflects recent state legislation that increased one fee from $1 to $2 and other updates recommended by MTAS. Staff also said the city has been absorbing a $13.75 litigation/access fee that most other Tennessee cities pass on to defendants; the amendment would stop that practice for the city.
The staff presentation included example monthly impacts based on recent ticketing: in one January sample of 17 tickets, the current fees produced $235 under the existing schedule and would total about $468 under the proposed schedule; staff said court-processing vendor charges (Courtware) increased from $2 to $4 per ticket and that is one driver of the change.
Committee members moved and seconded approval; the motion carried on a voice vote. Members did not record a roll-call tally in the minutes provided.
The committee adjourned after the vote.
