A bill making its way through the Iowa Legislature would add a five-dollar surcharge to speeding tickets and other moving violations, with the money going to county treasuries. County officials say their deputies are forced to ticket speeders while much of the money from the tickets goes to the state. Cerro Gordo County Sheriff Kevin Pals says he has long supported such a bill that funnels money specifically to the counties. Sheriff Pals says a five-dollar surcharge would be very beneficial to the county, adding over ten-thousand dollars a year to the county treasury. Pals says the decrease in the number of state troopers due to budget cuts has shifted the burden of patrolling the county’s roadways from the state to the counties.Pals says his office has been forced to patrol several of major roads more frequently with the lack of state trooper help. Money from troopers’ tickets goes to the state, while the money from tickets written by city police are split.
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