During a business meeting at City Hall on Monday night, The Emerson City Council authorized city administrators to work towards adding a $5 court technology fee to all criminal and quasi-criminal fines.

The city requested that local delegates carry House Bill 1469 through the 2024 Georgia General Assembly to authorize them to institute the fee. The fee would be exclusively for the technological needs of the court and the city’s police department. Emerson needs a judge’s final approval to set the court technology fee.

The council also approved a resolution to retain Lance McCoy as the Municipal Court Judge on a two-year contract. This resolution follows House Bill 456 in the 2024 Georgia General Assembly, which requires municipalities to increase the term of municipal judges from one to two years. The bill also provides a means to remove a judge and other items.

The Emerson City Council will next meet on Monday, July 22nd, at 6 p.m. for a work session and 7 p.m. for a business meeting.