Council approves electronic citations, adds $5 fee to support equipment and software

Lenoir City Council voted Dec. 9 to adopt an ordinance allowing police officers to issue electronic traffic citations and to add a $5 court fee to support the system.

City finance staff and police representatives told council the change will let officers complete citations on handheld devices, scan driver licenses, print a paper copy for the motorist, and upload records directly to the cloud. Finance staff said the city won a grant that covered much of the initial equipment cost; the $5 fee is intended to cover program-related expenses such as equipment maintenance, replacement and training.

Under the approved fee structure, $1 of the $5 goes into the city’s general fund; $4 goes into a restricted fund that may be used only for electronic-citation system expenditures. The council recorded that the fee and program are written to terminate after five years unless renewed. City staff said the handheld devices will use hotspots in patrol vehicles and that a printed paper copy will still be given to the person receiving a citation.

Council and staff discussed operational details: devices will store data in the cloud, officers can still issue paper citations for non-traffic city ordinance violations, and the court clerk will have tools to ensure the fee is charged only when appropriate (for example, the $5 is assessed when a defendant pleads guilty or no contest, not on dismissals). Staff said residents will still be able to pay citations online if their current software supports it; staff is reviewing software capabilities for clearer online payment displays.

Council approved the ordinance and associated fees on the recorded vote.

Direct quotes at the meeting came from city staff describing system benefits and funding rules.