COLUMBUS (AP) — The Ohio House has approved legislation aimed at stopping a tiny village from collecting extraordinarily large fines for traffic-related violations.
The Columbus Dispatch reports the measure approved last week would require municipal or county courts to collect fines and adjudicate tickets for small villages without mayor’s courts.
A one-person police department in Brice, near Columbus, has been using a civil violation system to aggressively ticket motorists after the Legislature in 2013 banned mayor’s courts for villages of fewer than 200 people. Brice has a population of around 114.
Rep. Cheryl Grossman (R-Grove City) says the average ticket for expired tags in Brice is $750. Democratic Rep. Hearcel Craig of Columbus calls Brice’s ticketing practices “abusive.”
People contesting tickets in Brice currently must seek a hearing with the village law director.