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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05 REV BAIL SCHEDULE 03-02-98NO. 5 3-2-98 DATE: MARCH 2, '1998 Inter-Com TO: FROM- SUBJECT: WILLIAM A. HUSTON, CITY MANAGER COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT REVISION OF BAIL SCHEDULE IiSUMMARY:,: This amendment Would create a comprehenSive bail schedule including I Pr°visions cOrresponding to recently adopted code amendments and increased bail amounts l asrecommended by the Tustin Police Department. RECOMMENDATION That the City Council approve the amended Bail Schedule (Exhibit A) to establish appropriate fines for certain violations of the TUstin City Code. FISCAL IMPACT There are positive fiscal impacts associated with the adoption of the bail schedule. The- City collects a portion of any fines that are imposed which partially offset administrative costs. BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION Prior to 1991, citations with fines were limited to certain vehicle related violations only. In 1991, the City Council implemented the Southwest Neighborhood Improvement Program which included a component to allow certain designated staff members to issue citations for violations related to zoning, property maintenance and other related code violations. A bail schedule was. adopted on August 5, 1991, which identified a 'corresponding bail amount. This comprehensive bail schedule included 275 separate violations, including one provision which could be used as a catch-all for violations not specifically listed. The bail schedule is an addendum to the Parking citations bail schedule previously adopted by the City Council and used by the courts when collecting fines on behalf of the City for parking and other vehicle related violations. The current bail schedule (AttaChment B) was adopted in 1995 and reduced the number of specific violations listed from 275 to 37 in an attempt to simplify the citation City Council Report Revisions of Bail Schedule March 2, 1998 Page 2 process for the enforcing officers and the court clerks. The subsequent two years served as a trial period to determine the effectiveness of the new bail schedule. During this time it has been found that the drastically modified bail schedule has resulted in a considerable amount of confusion with the' citing officers and the court. The Community Development Department and the'Police Department propose that the bail schedule be expanded to reflect the original comprehensive format to eliminate the source of confusion created by the abbreviated version. This will enable the processing of citations in a more efficient and timely manner than has been the case for the last two years. The format of the bail schedule will not change but will include an expanded list of violations and some increased fine amounts. The new bail schedule will reflect new violations to correspond with recently enacted City Codes and recurring code enforcement concerns' including, shopping cart violations, maintenance equipment noise, animal nuisances, uncontainerized trash, weed nuisances, nuisance vehicles and snipe signs. The Police Department has recommended including increased bail. amounts for certain violations such as indecent exposure, drinking in public and discharge of firearms. As well as identifying common Tustin City Code sections, the bail schedule identifies the following: Degree - The Tustin City Code specifies a number of civil action remedies for violations (misdemeanor, infraction). All code sections not specified in the Tustin City Code may be enforced by the City as either a misdemeanor or infraction. Bail Amount - The bail amount has been determined by a survey of neighboring cities, County practice and the recommendation of the Tustin Police Department. Penalty Assessment- The County requires an additional processing fee to be levied for each violation at the time of posting bail. In addition to the designated. fine amount, the defendant must pay the current County penalty assessment of $17 for every $10 of City fine or portion thereof. Bail Forfeiture - Bail forfeiture permits the alleged.violator to plead guilty and pay the designated fine without going to trial. (Most traffic citations are handled in this manner.) Proof of Correction - The proof of correction requires the alleged violator to correct the violation prior to court acceptance of bail forfeiture. City Council Report Revisions of Bail Schedule March 2, 1998 Page 3 Mandatory Appearance- The Tustin Bail Schedule requires some repeat offenders to appear in court (designated by a 2' or 3). Also, first time offenders of some of the more serious criminal violations are immediately required to appear in court (designated by a 1). In the interest of maintaining positive public relations, Code Enforcement staff will. continue to pursue most code enforcement issues through the current practice of issuing a warning notice. Only as a last resort will staff be authorized to issue citations to uncooperative violators. In most cases, recalcitrant violators are forwarded to the City Attorney and a civil or criminal complaint is filed. If the Council approves the proposed bail schedule, it will be'forwarded to the City Attorney who submits the bail schedule to the court for judicial revieW and approval along with a request that the court utilize the recommended fines and penalties stipulated with the schedule as approved by the City Council. No formal hearings or presentations to the court are needed. Once the bail schedule is submitted to the court, the presiding judge will assign an effective date. The City Attorney has reviewed and approved the proposed bail schedule as to content Cole~_~ement O-ff~er Attachments: Exhibit A -- Proposed Bail Schedule Exhibit. B.-- Existing Bail Schedule Elizabeth A. Binsack Community Development Director X X 0 0 0 0 ~ 0 0 q3 0 C:) 0 0 0 0 ..Q 0 -,--I 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 :z: 0 0 0 0 O3 "U O3 ,---I 0 r-I N 0 0 L~ 0 L~ C~ ,--.i 0 00o ~ 0 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 0 0 u~ L~ 0 0 0 ~ 0 t.~ 0 r~ 0 ('~ 0 -,--I X. 0"0 ;> ¢) 0 L) ~-, 0 ,--I 0 ~ ~,C) 0 U ~ 0 ~r,.) 0 0 ~0 .0 0 ~-~0 O~ n~ 0 0 0 0 O..Q gO., 0 -,-I E: O~ 0 O. O0 0 o 0 0 0 I ~ o 0 0 0 0 ,-~ 0 E O 0 0 0 0 0 0~ 0 0 0 o~ o~ O O 0 03 0 0 0 n~ ~ 0 ~ 0 OD Oh 0 jz~ 0 -~1 ~J 0 ! 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