Unified Government joins National Effort to Reform Fines and Fees

Published on August 03, 2022

Brandelyn-k-nichols-brajkovic-150x150

Kansas City, KS – The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas is excited to announce participation in the second cohort of the Cities and Counties for Fine & Fee Justice (CCFFJ) program, a network of local government leaders dedicated to advancing fine and fee reform to address the disproportionate impacts they have across our community.

Led by the Fines and Fees Justice Center and the City of San Francisco’s Financial Justice Project, this national effort to reform local fines and fees will help address important equity issues facing our own residents. As one of the six jurisdictions selected, the Unified Government will receive customized technical and strategic assistance, which includes access to policy, research, communications, and data as tools to evaluate fine and fee reform.

“Burdensome court-related fines and fees have the ability to exacerbate inequity and unnecessarily results in insurmountable debt, poverty and hopelessness,” said Mayor Tyrone A. Garner. “With the support of PolicyLink, our goal is to diminish the impact of burdensome fines and fees for residents. Fines and fees should not be used as a budgeted revenue stream, but rather as an appropriate means of accountability for violators of minor infractions and should not cause an undue negative effect on the poor, working families, and people that have historically disproportionately and negatively been impacted by over policing.”

With this program, the Unified Government will be able to explore fine and fee reforms that include eliminating criminal justice fees (e.g. surcharges, penalties, and interest) which can “drive up debt and make even a traffic ticket unaffordable for people living paycheck-to-paycheck;” the high costs of incarceration (e.g. fees for phone calls, medical care, and commissary purchases) which are paid by people who are incarcerated and their families; and, right-sizing fines that exceed people’s ability to pay (e.g. ticketing, towing, and booting). The Unified Government is joining a cohort of six other communities, including:

  • Wyandotte County/ Kansas City, Kansas
  • Jefferson County, Alabama
  • Chatham County, Georgia
  • Miami-Dade County, Florida
  • Washtenaw County, Michigan
  • City of Wilmington, Delaware

“Looking at the unintentional consequences of how we operate is an important part of reimagining the Unified Government for the next 25 years”, said Interim County Administrator Cheryl Harrison-Lee. “We’re excited to be part of this cohort of communities and look forward to what is recommended for policy and procedural changes moving forward.”

“Our Court has taken an active approach to the broad spectrum of access to justice initiatives, including a more equitable fine and fee structure,” said Administrative Judge, Brandelyn Nichols-Brajkovic. “We are thrilled to be part of a cohort that will allow us to expand those efforts and share ideas with like-minded communities who also prioritize these initiatives.”

For more information about Cities and Counties for Fine and Fee Justice, check out their website: https://finesandfeesjusticecenter.org