Arrests Form Financial Bedrock Across St. Louis County Towns [View all]
By Tim Jones Sep 10, 2014 12:01 AM ET
The lifeblood of the tiny St. Louis suburb of Beverly Hills is lawbreakers, whose traffic fines account for more than half the annual revenue. In nearby St. Ann, 39 percent of the general-fund budget comes from court fines and fees.
In north St. Louis County, a predominantly black area where the U.S. Justice Department is investigating the Aug. 9 shooting of an unarmed teenager by a white police officer in Ferguson, penance for crimes and misdemeanors pays to fix streets, pay workers’ salaries and pick up trash. In places once sustained by jobs at auto and aerospace factories, towns and cities that have been losing population rely on scofflaws for funds.
“It’s a reflection of the economy,” said Beverly Hills Mayor Myrtle Spann, whose town has dwindled to 570 residents. “It’s not a money grab -- this is a basis for us to stay abreast of what we need to do.”
An examination of annual financial reports and other sources showed four communities in northern St. Louis County drew at least 20 percent of their general-fund revenue from fines, while another four collected between 10 and 19 percent.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-10/arrests-form-financial-bedrock-across-st-louis-county-towns.html
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