article_snippet: Last September, the City Council repealed administrative fees imposed by police when overseeing the release of a towed vehicle, the mayor said.
article_snippet: the City Council also no longer has a specific offense for failing to appear in court, which eliminates certain additional fees and court costs, the mayor said.
article_snippet: By 2015, St. Louis County anticipated that fines and fees would account for 23% of the budget, or $3.09 million of $13.26 million in general fund expenses, the Justice Department found.
article_snippet: Just five years earlier, court fines and fees made up only 12% of the budget, or $1.38 million of $11.07 million in general fund revenues, the Justice Department found.
article_snippet: court fines and fees were among the highest of surrounding municipalities.
article_snippet: For example, area parking fines ranged from $5 to $100, but Ferguson's parking fine was $102.
article_snippet: A fine for "weeds/tall grass" was $5 in one nearby city, but Ferguson's parking fine ranged from $77 to $102, the Justice Department found.
article_snippet: Defendants have been required to pay an entire fine at once, regardless of ability to pay, The Justice Department's report said.