Newport News, others push to raise courthouse maintenance fee from $2 to $10

Senate Bill 397, presented by Sen. Lamont Diggs, would increase the local courthouse maintenance assessment from $2 to $10 and allow localities to dedicate the revenue to construction, renovation and maintenance of courthouse facilities. Supporters told the Senate Courts of Justice Committee the current $2 assessment—set in 1998—falls far short of need.

"The total project cost at this point, not thinking about inflation, time value of money, is gonna be about a $175,000,000," Jerry Wilson, legislative liaison for the city of Newport News, told the committee as he described a planned consolidated courthouse project. He said the existing local courthouse-fee collections in some jurisdictions are minimal—"we're looking at ... $90,000" in Newport News—and far smaller than projected construction costs.

Sen. Diggs said the fee is a user-based mechanism targeted largely at civil and criminal matters where assessments are paid only in limited circumstances. He and supporters argued the modest per-case increase could give small localities another revenue stream to maintain court infrastructure.

Opponents including Anna Kurian of the Legal Aid Justice Center and Cammie Blatt of the Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis urged the committee to reject the increase or seek other funding pathways. Kurian said low-income Virginians already struggle under a web of fines and fees: "When you have trouble paying these fees like our clients do, they compound ... and it makes it really, really hard for people to move on with their lives." Blatt and others warned the measure shifts state responsibilities onto people who come into contact with the court system.

Committee members probed how much the change would raise in high-volume jurisdictions, and several noted the increase could produce large sums over decades. Sen. Stewart asked for a full accounting of existing assessments so the committee can weigh the equity impact. The committee moved to report the bill for further consideration.

Next steps: SB 397 was reported by the committee for referral according to committee procedure; any changes to the fee or further amendments would be taken in follow-up committee meetings or on the Senate floor.