Court fees in McLean County are going up again. County Board members have approved hiking the fee supporting the Children's Advocacy Center from $15 to $16.50. Justice committee chair and retired judge William Caisley argued against the hike, saying court fees are already too high.
Caisley says McLean County is already among the top four Illinois counties when it comes to fee dollars supporting the CAC. He argues for what he calls a fairer approach.
Justice committee member Erik Rankin says there currently isn't enough political will on the board to hike property taxes to replace the fee dollars. Rankin says the court fee is a true user fee since it wouldn't apply to people who plead guilty and pay their fine without going to court.
The Children's Advocacy Center uses a network of mostly volunteers to support children going through the court system.
