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It seems too good to be true – a cheaper speeding ticket actually benefiting both the community and traffic offenders. Over 60 cities across the state have begun handing out ‘discounted’ speeding tickets.
In Mound, officer Amy Swanson now has a choice when she pulls over a speeder.
"Instead of issuing a county ticket, I issued what's called an administrative citation. It’s half the cost of a county ticket," she explained.
This year, Mound Police began issuing ‘Administrative Penalties.’ They join more than 60 other Minnesota departments who give their citizens a break.
"When they get a $140 or $160 citation, all you do is anger them," said Mound Police Chief Jim Kurtz.
He believes the fines for state speeding tickets are too high. Right now in Hennepin County, a speeding ticket costs violators $142, of which $72 goes to the state. Three dollars is part of a law library fee and after the remaining $67 base fine, the city gets less than $14.
"It cost us more money to run traffic than what we get back in revenue," Krutz said.
Now, when Mound issues one of its own speeding tickets, the city keeps the entire $72 fine.
"And it does not go on your driving record and does not affect your insurance rates," said Swanson.
In most cases, administrative tickets are voluntary. But if a driver refuses to take it, they will likely receive a state ticket so that they can challenge it in court.
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