abelle
11-24-2004, 07:26 AM
http://seattlemedium.com/News/article/article.asp?NewsID=50543&sID=4
Gossett Refuses To Balance County Budget On The Backs of The Poor
by Seattle Medium
The Seattle Medium
Originally posted 11/17/2004
Jail Booking Fees, Bus Fare Increase Removed from Council Budget Plan
Metropolitan King County Councilmember Larry Gossett, chair of the Council’s Budget and Fiscal Management Committee, announced that a proposed increase in bus fares and a plan to have people being booked into the county jail pay a fee will not be part of the budget proposal he presents to the full County Council on Nov. 22.
“The booking fee would have a direct impact on poor and working class people who are struggling to survive throughout King County,” said Gossett. “Making people who are already in trouble pay for the ‘right’ to be locked up is placing a financial burden on those who can least afford it, and its impact can affect the lives of their relatives and friends. I will not be part of a budget that places an unnecessary financial burden on our King County prison population.”
While there is pressure on Metro Transit because of a rise in oil prices, Gossett said right now is not the time to increase fares. “A quarter may not seem like much, but for many in our community, it can be the one obstacle which prevents them from being able to board the bus. We need to take more time to assess our needs before raising bus fares.
Both the booking fee and bus fare increase were part of the 2005 King County Executive’s Proposed Budget. Gossett is leading the Council’s Budget Committee review of that spending plan. He is scheduled to present his Budget Striking Amendment to the 2005 Proposed Budget on Nov. 18, and the full Council is expected to take final action on the 2005 King County Budget on Mon., Nov. 22.
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This was the earlier story:
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County Proposes To Solve Budget Problmes By Chargin Inmates, Families, & Friends
by Chris B. Bennett
Co-Publisher/Editor
Originally posted 11/3/2004
In his 2005 proposed budget submitted to the King County Council, King County Executive Ron Sims has proposed the implementation of a $75 booking fee for all individuals booked into King County jail.
It is estimated that the proposal, if accepted by the King County Council, will generate approximately $318,000 -- based upon and estimated $369,856 of new revenue minus the estimated cost of $51,630 to implement the new fee – that could be used to cover jail expenditures, and add one staff person to inmate booking.
State law allows counties to assess a fee up to $100 to individuals when they are booked into jail, however councilmember Larry Gossett believes that this is the wrong way to solve the County’s budget problems.
According to Gossett, the largest population groups in the jail are the poor, the mentally ill, the homeless, drug addicts, and alcoholics; and the average person coming into the King County jail has $5.36 on them at the time.
“This is a horrible public policy strategy to solve our budget problem,” said Gosset. “Charging people money that they cannot possibly afford to pay because they find themselves being booked in the King County Jail.”
“This is not the first time that the County has tried to get blood out of a turnip,” added Gossett. “Chris Vance put together and ordinance to charge people in jail $50 a day, so this has been tried before. It’s ridiculous to have people in jail pay for their stay like it’s a hotel.”
Critics of the ordinance don’t believe that it will generate the estimated revenue that the County is banking on, and believe that the ordinance is preying upon people who don’t have the resources to pay additional fees. Ninety-five percent of people booked in the King County Jail are eligible for public defense, and if history is any indication the County can hardly be expected that this booking fee will come close to generating the desired effect on the County’s budget.
When asked whether or not he thought that the County would raise the type of money estimated by the proposal Gossett said, “I doubt it very seriously. Right now we have 103,000 outstanding legal financial obligations (LFO’s - fees that have been imposed on people that have come into King County Jail that they are supposed to pay).”
According to Gossett, these uncollected LFO’s account for over $333 million already owed to the County, some of which date back 30 – 40 years.
However, in its proposal the County has made provisions to help them collect as much of the booking fee as possible from people locked up in King County Jail. Under the proposal, collection will take place at the time of booking based on the inmate’s available resources (money on-hand). Additionally, the County will keep fifty percent of any money given to inmates by family and friends to make purchases from the commissary, known as putting money on the books, during their incarceration until the fee has been fully paid.
“We’re going to take the money of their relatives and friends and use it to pay the booking costs,” said Gossett. “If they send them $50 the County will keep $25 that people are sending them to buy [toiletries and of necessary items] in the jail. They (the County) will take $75 of the money that comes in for support of individual prisoners.”
“This is a draconian piece of legislation and I’m confident that a majority of my colleagues will support me in removing it from our 2005 budget,” added Gossett.
It is estimated that 35 – 40 percent of the people booked into King County Jail are never found guilty of crimes and are released. However, according to the proposed ordinance all inmates are charged the $75 booking fee at the time of their booking, and in the case an inmate is not charged, acquitted, or has their charges dismissed, the booking fee will be returned after they send in a letter asking for their money back. For inmates who do not pay off the booking fee in its entirety while incarcerated, the county will not pursue other avenues of collecting the money.
Gossett Refuses To Balance County Budget On The Backs of The Poor
by Seattle Medium
The Seattle Medium
Originally posted 11/17/2004
Jail Booking Fees, Bus Fare Increase Removed from Council Budget Plan
Metropolitan King County Councilmember Larry Gossett, chair of the Council’s Budget and Fiscal Management Committee, announced that a proposed increase in bus fares and a plan to have people being booked into the county jail pay a fee will not be part of the budget proposal he presents to the full County Council on Nov. 22.
“The booking fee would have a direct impact on poor and working class people who are struggling to survive throughout King County,” said Gossett. “Making people who are already in trouble pay for the ‘right’ to be locked up is placing a financial burden on those who can least afford it, and its impact can affect the lives of their relatives and friends. I will not be part of a budget that places an unnecessary financial burden on our King County prison population.”
While there is pressure on Metro Transit because of a rise in oil prices, Gossett said right now is not the time to increase fares. “A quarter may not seem like much, but for many in our community, it can be the one obstacle which prevents them from being able to board the bus. We need to take more time to assess our needs before raising bus fares.
Both the booking fee and bus fare increase were part of the 2005 King County Executive’s Proposed Budget. Gossett is leading the Council’s Budget Committee review of that spending plan. He is scheduled to present his Budget Striking Amendment to the 2005 Proposed Budget on Nov. 18, and the full Council is expected to take final action on the 2005 King County Budget on Mon., Nov. 22.
_________________
This was the earlier story:
________________
County Proposes To Solve Budget Problmes By Chargin Inmates, Families, & Friends
by Chris B. Bennett
Co-Publisher/Editor
Originally posted 11/3/2004
In his 2005 proposed budget submitted to the King County Council, King County Executive Ron Sims has proposed the implementation of a $75 booking fee for all individuals booked into King County jail.
It is estimated that the proposal, if accepted by the King County Council, will generate approximately $318,000 -- based upon and estimated $369,856 of new revenue minus the estimated cost of $51,630 to implement the new fee – that could be used to cover jail expenditures, and add one staff person to inmate booking.
State law allows counties to assess a fee up to $100 to individuals when they are booked into jail, however councilmember Larry Gossett believes that this is the wrong way to solve the County’s budget problems.
According to Gossett, the largest population groups in the jail are the poor, the mentally ill, the homeless, drug addicts, and alcoholics; and the average person coming into the King County jail has $5.36 on them at the time.
“This is a horrible public policy strategy to solve our budget problem,” said Gosset. “Charging people money that they cannot possibly afford to pay because they find themselves being booked in the King County Jail.”
“This is not the first time that the County has tried to get blood out of a turnip,” added Gossett. “Chris Vance put together and ordinance to charge people in jail $50 a day, so this has been tried before. It’s ridiculous to have people in jail pay for their stay like it’s a hotel.”
Critics of the ordinance don’t believe that it will generate the estimated revenue that the County is banking on, and believe that the ordinance is preying upon people who don’t have the resources to pay additional fees. Ninety-five percent of people booked in the King County Jail are eligible for public defense, and if history is any indication the County can hardly be expected that this booking fee will come close to generating the desired effect on the County’s budget.
When asked whether or not he thought that the County would raise the type of money estimated by the proposal Gossett said, “I doubt it very seriously. Right now we have 103,000 outstanding legal financial obligations (LFO’s - fees that have been imposed on people that have come into King County Jail that they are supposed to pay).”
According to Gossett, these uncollected LFO’s account for over $333 million already owed to the County, some of which date back 30 – 40 years.
However, in its proposal the County has made provisions to help them collect as much of the booking fee as possible from people locked up in King County Jail. Under the proposal, collection will take place at the time of booking based on the inmate’s available resources (money on-hand). Additionally, the County will keep fifty percent of any money given to inmates by family and friends to make purchases from the commissary, known as putting money on the books, during their incarceration until the fee has been fully paid.
“We’re going to take the money of their relatives and friends and use it to pay the booking costs,” said Gossett. “If they send them $50 the County will keep $25 that people are sending them to buy [toiletries and of necessary items] in the jail. They (the County) will take $75 of the money that comes in for support of individual prisoners.”
“This is a draconian piece of legislation and I’m confident that a majority of my colleagues will support me in removing it from our 2005 budget,” added Gossett.
It is estimated that 35 – 40 percent of the people booked into King County Jail are never found guilty of crimes and are released. However, according to the proposed ordinance all inmates are charged the $75 booking fee at the time of their booking, and in the case an inmate is not charged, acquitted, or has their charges dismissed, the booking fee will be returned after they send in a letter asking for their money back. For inmates who do not pay off the booking fee in its entirety while incarcerated, the county will not pursue other avenues of collecting the money.