Booking Fee Studied to Cover Jail Costs
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The Gardena City Council is considering a plan that would force those arrested for a crime to pay a booking fee for being jailed.
The council has proposed adopting a $177 booking fee to cover time and expenses involved in transporting, fingerprinting and photographing suspects. Based on an average of 475 arrests each year, City Manager Ken Landau said, the fees would generate an estimated $85,000 annually. Landau said the fee will probably be adopted next Tuesday, which would allow the city to begin charging suspects July 10.
The fee will be dropped in cases in which suspects are not convicted.
A budget deficit of $1.5 million has forced the city to impose several fees. Officials have voted to assess a fee for towing and impounding, as well as paramedic services. Plans are being developed to charge commercial trash haulers a franchise fee.
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