Increasing booking fees

Since 1997, counties have been permitted to charge up to a $10 fee for each person booked for county jail confinement or released upon completion of the booking process.

However, Rep. Larry Haws (DFL-St. Cloud) said the fee does not equal the costs.

He sponsors HF1523, which would permit counties to charge an amount sufficient to cover booking costs. It was held over March 24 by the House Public Safety Finance Division for possible omnibus bill inclusion. A companion, SF1295, sponsored by Sen. Don Betzold (DFL-Fridley), awaits action by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“They’re using a public facility,” said Rep. Tony Cornish (R-Good Thunder). “It doesn’t mean they’re terrible people, but they should have to pay their dues.”

We look at it as a mandate reduction, said John Tuma, representing the Minnesota Inter-County Association.

Stearns County had almost 8,000 jail bookings in 2005, but took in only $26,000 because many incidents were book and release, which they cannot charge for, Haws said; nor does the county charge the fee to those who have no money. If people can’t pay, a judge could make the fee part of a sentence. If a person is found innocent, they get the money back.

“The fee was put in place back in ‘97 because of the significant amount of additional things we were asking for our officers to do at the moment of the book,” Tuma said.