New Lake County system speeds fine, fee payments to municipalities

The Lake County Circuit Clerk’s Office has a new program that speeds up the process to send fine and fee payments to municipalities.

Keith Brin, the Circuit Clerk of the 19th Judicial Circuit, said those funds are now sent directly to municipal bank accounts through the new electronic payment transfer system.

Previously, municipalities would wait up to a month to receive a paper check for fines collected by the circuit clerk’s office. Now, Brin said, the money collected is transferred monthly, similar to direct deposit payments.

“We looked at the current system and recognized there was a significant amount of time elapsed from when the money became available to the time when the municipalities actually had it in hand,” he said. “We knew we could shorten what was a fairly antiquated lengthy cycle and do a better, more expedient job of getting the municipalities their payments.”

Fines collected by the circuit clerk’s office range from moving traffic violations to misdemeanor violations handed down by judges, officials said.

After the fine payment is made, the money is collected, stored, and distributed electronically to municipalities at the end of each month.

Brin said all 51 municipalities in Lake County have signed up to start using the electronic money transfer.

“This initiative is a win all the way around,” Brin said. “We were able to help our municipalities get their money quicker, while saving taxpayers money by reducing the administrative component, reduce paper, and cut down on stamps and envelopes.”

Wauconda Mayor Frank Bart said his village has seen the time savings in receiving the money.

“It seriously shortens our collection cycle and administrative time regarding payments,” Bart said. “It’s a lot faster. It’s just like direct deposit. They send it and seconds later, it’s there.”