Committee approves ordinance change to raise municipal-court technology fee to cover vendor costs

The special commission voted to approve an amendment to the municipal-court technology fee, raising the assessed fee from $2 to $6 per transaction to match vendor pricing.

Finance presenters told the committee the vendor that operates the courts ticketing technology charges $6 per ticket, while the ordinance currently allows a $2 technology fee. "When we reviewed the budget this year, it was discovered that the vendor cost is actually $6 per ticket," a finance presenter said, adding that the mismatch produces an additional cost to the city of about $1.8 million.

Council members asked operational questions about how the change would interact with new meters and kiosk systems and whether resident-facing ticket amounts would rise. Presenters said the underlying ticket amounts would not change and that the amendment covers only the technology surcharge charged per transaction.

A committee member moved to approve item 8 and the motion was seconded; the committee approved the motion. The motion text as stated in the hearing was to "entertain a motion on item number eight," and the motion was recorded as approved; the transcript does not include a roll-call tally.

The finance staff said the ordinance amendment would be drafted to update the fee to $6 and that the court administrator has relied on the software to increase transparency and case management in municipal court.

Next steps: staff indicated the ordinance language will be finalized for committee/record and that any technical integration with parking meters and kiosks will be coordinated with the vendors and city IT before implementation.