Pleasantville council adopts new mayor's court fee schedule; council reclaims fee-setting authority

The Pleasantville council adopted a new mayor's court fee schedule at its Dec. 30 special meeting, approving an ordinance to establish local charges and to clarify how state- and county-mandated portions of fines are allocated. The ordinance was presented as returning fee-setting oversight to council rather than leaving unconstrained authority with the mayor's court administrator.

Mayor Henderson explained that much of a listed fine is taken by state and county fees and that the local portion is being adjusted. "It's not to make money; it's to make sure people understand the importance of not speeding in our village," he said, adding that many of the local fee components are being increased by roughly five dollars across categories in order to get people's attention.

The presenter said the new schedule breaks speeding offenses into smaller increments (five-mile-per-hour bands) and ties local fines and court costs to those bands. The record shows the council voted to adopt the fee ordinance; the transcript records the approval but does not provide a complete, sequential roll-call breakdown of individual votes.

Council also reviewed a draft notice for residents that staff (Sam) will send to explain the new charges and to compare Pleasantville's fees with other nearby jurisdictions. Council members were asked to submit comments on that draft to staff.

The ordinance was recorded as approved in the meeting minutes; staff will publish the final fee schedule and distribute resident notifications.