Drivers caught speeding in the Atlanta suburb of Holly Springs soon will have to pay an extra $12 to cover $4-a-gallon gas costs for the police officers who stop them, reports USA Today. The City Council passed the fee hike to offset fuel prices that have eaten up nearly 60 percent of the police 2008 fuel budget, Police Chief Ken Ball says. He expects the fee increase, which applies to all moving violations and can be rescinded if gas prices fall below $3 a gallon, to generate up to $26,000 a year for the town of 7,700. “I was hearing that Delta (Air Lines), pizza deliverers, florists were adding fuel charges to their services, and I thought, why not police departments?” he says.
Atlanta’s City Council approved a proposal to add a $10-$15 surcharge for motorists convicted of speeding and other moving violations. Holly Springs’ Ball says, “I’ve heard from at least a dozen police chiefs and half a dozen city managers. They want to know how we did it, and could we send them a copy of the ordinance.”
Link: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2008-06-18-speedingticket_N.htm