Tell County Board "No!"

It is time for voters in McHenry County to stand up to the County Board and tell them not to impose higher court fees. The fees are already outrageously high.

When you go to court in McHenry County, you will hear some of the judges inform those present in the courtroom that they don't set the court costs. They tell those present that they (the judges) only set the fine and, when the convicted person gets to the payment window, "Don't get mad at the window clerk. Your County Board and State legislators set the court costs." Get mad at them!

Well, it's time to get mad at them.

The State of Illinois has mandated at "drug court." Of course, the State didn't allocate funds to pay for it. It's up to McHenry County to figure out how to pay for the judge ($200,000?) and the staff (another $200,-300,000?) and courtroom space, computers, etc.

So the County Board will ponder the recommendation of the Law and Justice Committee's 6-0 vote yesterday to approve a $5 fee on every convicted person in McHenry County - drug-related or not.

A program of intensive court supervision and drug treatment for non-violent offenders benefits everyone in the County. Take the expense out of the general fund. The sheriff's department is raising $10,000,000/year with its immigration wing; take it out of that.

Next time you are at the courthouse, ask for a copy of the "court costs" schedule. The clerks may still try to avoid telling you any specific estimate of court costs for your ticket, for example, but exert a little influence. You should be able to call ahead of time to learn that your $50-75 ticket is going to cost you $150-200 in court costs.

The $103 total of "State and county fines and fees in cases of guilty verdicts and court supervision" (mentioned in today's Northwest Herald article) is somewhere between $50-100 low. Take plenty of cash or means to pay, when you go to court. It's a wonder they don't have paramedics standing by to calm upset people, after they learn just how high their "bill" is.