COUNTYWIDE : County to Consider Booking Fee for Jail
County officials hope to raise an additional $1 million in revenue by charging cities a “booking fee” every time local police book someone into County Jail.
The Board of Supervisors has scheduled a public hearing Tuesday morning on the proposed fee, which already has city officials concerned.
Under a new state law, county governments were given the authority to collect booking fees from the cities, as well as fees from school districts for property tax collection. The legislation was designed to help counties offset cuts in state funding.
The county doesn’t charge a booking fee now. The proposed $120 fee for each person admitted into the jail would cover administrative costs at the jail.
The fee would be imposed on cities, special districts, colleges and universities. It would not be imposed on the California Highway Patrol, the FBI, the federal Immigration and Naturalization Service, the state Fish and Game Department, the California Youth Authority, the Ventura County Corrections Services Agency and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.
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