By Staff
List of offenses already included in municipal code
Leada DeVaney, Hartselle Enquirer
Hartselle police officers will soon have more leeway when it comes to handling certain offenses.
The Hartselle City Council has approved a change to the municipal code that would allow officers to write citations for certain offenses. In the past, warrants would have to be issued for the offenses, including such things as having improper house numbers. Now, according to Police Chief Ron Merkh, officers will write tickets for the violations.
The change, according to City Attorney Larry Madison, streamlines the procedure.
"This allows a person to come in and pay without appearing before a judge," Madison said. "Enforcing it (before the new policy) meant a person had to be arrested."
But that doesn't mean things will be cheaper. In fact, the new fee schedule does not include court costs, which sometimes run as much as $175.
Most of that money, however, goes to the state and not the city.
"Eighty percent of court costs are mandated by the state," Madison said.
The new fee schedule includes:
* Sale of fireworks – $250