HB 174: Centerville, City of; Municipal Court; charge a technology fee

This bill gives the Municipal Court of the City of Centerville authority to add a technology fee on top of fines paid for criminal and quasi-criminal offenses. The court's clerk would collect the fee, and the judge would set its exact amount, as long as it does not exceed $5.00 per fine. The money raised can only be spent on specific technology needs shared by the court and the city's police department, such as buying or maintaining computers, software, and equipment for scanning, faxing, printing, and communications. The funds must be kept in a separate account managed by the city's chief financial officer and the clerk of court, and spending requires direction from the city manager. The bill also repeals any conflicting laws.

• Authorizes the clerk of the Municipal Court of the City of Centerville to collect a technology fee of up to $5.00 added to criminal and quasi-criminal fines.
• Requires the court's judge to set the exact fee amount within that $5.00 cap.
• Restricts use of the fee revenue to technology purchases, leases, maintenance, and installation for the court and the city's police department.
• Requires the fee money to be kept in a segregated account managed by the city's chief financial officer and clerk of court, separate from other city funds.
• Allows the funds to reimburse the city's information technology department for services it provides to the court or police department.
• Repeals any existing laws that conflict with this new fee authority.

People who are fined in Centerville's Municipal Court for criminal or quasi-criminal offenses would pay the new fee. The court's clerk, the presiding judge, the city's chief financial officer, city manager, police department, and information technology department are all involved in setting, collecting, or spending the fee.

Anyone fined in Centerville's Municipal Court would pay a small additional charge, up to $5.00, on top of their fine. That money would be set aside specifically to fund computer and communications equipment for the court and police, rather than going into the city's general budget.

• Section 1(a) authorizes the clerk to charge and collect the technology fee as a surcharge on fines, capped at $5.00 and set by the judge's order.
• Section 1(b) limits use of the fee to purchasing, leasing, maintaining, and installing computer hardware, software, and related imaging, scanning, and communications equipment for the court and police department.
• Section 1(c) requires the funds to be kept in a segregated account by the chief financial officer and clerk of court, spent only for authorized purposes under the city manager's direction, with the option to reimburse the city's IT department.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2025-05-13Effective Date
2. 2025-05-13Act 135
3. 2025-05-13House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-07House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-02-12Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2025-02-12Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2025-02-06Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2025-02-05House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Bethany Ballard (R, HD-147)Primary sponsor
• Anissa Jones (D, HD-143)

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 5, 2025

   160 yea, 1 nay (14 not voting, 5 excused)

   Local Calendar: House Vote #15

2. PassedSenate voteFebruary 12, 2025

   52 yea, 1 nay (1 not voting, 2 excused)

   LOCAL CONSENT CALENDAR: Senate Vote #45

• municipal courts
• court fees
• local government funding
• Centerville Georgia
• police technology