Today’s batch of burning questions, my smart-aleck answers and the real deal:
Question: I recently was ticketed for not wearing a seat belt (shame on me, I know). Upon reviewing my citation, I see that I am to be assessed $154.50 in “Court Costs.” How is this amount determined and why is it so high? How many cases per hour, per day are they processing at this amount? Where is this money going, and how much are court staff paid? This must be an enormous sum of money flowing in every week. When was the last audit on this court cost determination performed and who does that? Is there a vote or a review on this determination? Thank you, and buckle up.
My answer: I think in general, “buckle up” is great advice for 2022. Happy New Year, by the way!
Real answer: Clearly, this reader was asking for a lot of information on the local clerk’s office, and some of this more detailed information on salaries and “cases per hour” will take some more time to get. So, we’ll come back to those.
In the meantime, Buncombe County Superior Court Clerk Steve Cogburn was able to provide a good breakdown of the court costs and where all that money goes. He first noted the court cost for failing to wear a seatbelt in the front seat is set by the state legislature.
“The cost assessed is to be sent to the General Fund for the state,” Cogburn said.
Of the total, 95 cents goes to Legal Aid, while the rest goes to the General Fund.
“The seat belt cost is specific and does not follow the usual infraction cost, which adds Facility fees ($12), Technology ($4), law enforcement officer retirement and training ($10.50), indigent defense ($2) and service ($5),” Cogburn said. “If the charge is in Chapter 20 there is an additional Charge of $10.”
The North Carolina General Assembly sets all of these fees and costs.
“The clerk’s office in each county is responsible for collecting the costs and fees and depositing those funds with the state,” Cogburn said. “The courts are solely funded by the General Assembly, (which) sets all salaries for everyone, from the chief justice to judges and magistrates, as well as district attorneys and public defenders. The clerks’ salaries are also set by the legislature.”
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Every clerk’s office in North Carolina is subject to periodic audits.
“Each Clerk’s office is audited by the N.C. State Auditor, as well as the Administrative Office of the Courts,” Cogburn said. “These audits occur about every three years. The State Auditor also audits the rest of the state agencies.”
Cogburn noted that “the amount of money that flows from the courts to the general fund is sizeable,” but “the cost to provide court access is in excess of what the courts send to the general fund.”
Omni Grove Park Inn parking follow-up: My December 14 Answer Man column about the $25 parking fees at the Omni Grove Park Inn generated a lot of feedback online, both from local folks complaining about the cost but also from local nonprofits who benefit from a portion of the fees.
One reader chastised me for not asking the GPI specifically how much of each $25 fee goes to local nonprofit, so I followed up with inn spokeswoman Susan Rotante.
“Half of each $25 self-parking charge for day guests is donated to the Holiday Parking Partners,” Rotante said. “The hotel is currently anticipating donating over $100,000 this year to (these) recipients: American Legion Baseball Post 70, Asheville City Schools Foundation, Asheville Museum of Science, Children First/Communities in Schools,
Horizons at CDS, Meals on Wheels of Asheville and Buncombe County, United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County, YMCA of WNC Camp Watia Scholarships.
Mike Buchanan, with American Legion Post 70 reached out to me to say, “The $25 parking fee is put to good use, I feel.”
“As a member of American Legion Post 70, I am very grateful to Grove Park Inn for donations to help with our Post 70 baseball and softball programs,” Buchanan said via Facebook. “Without these donations, Post 70 could not field teams for young men and ladies to play summer ball. We at Post 70 are proud of our ball teams and would like to extend a big ‘Thank You’ to Grove Park Inn.”
Buchanan added that my article “made it sound as though Grove Park was against the local people visiting.
“I feel it is the opposite — that they are helping our local not-for-profits of our community,” Buchanan said.
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Camp Watia noted online the inn’s holiday parking program “has donated more than $25,000 to fund camp scholarships for hundreds of kids since 2018.” They thank the GPI and “everyone in the community who has supported this effort.”
Himanshu Karvir, who works with the Horizons Carolina Day nonprofit, said he’s local and 100% supports the Grove Park Inn’s work.
“As one of the local non-profits that gets support from the parking program, we have received over $30,000 from the Omni over the past years,” Karvir said online. “Even during the pandemic they supported our program. With the Omni’s support, we are able to serve children from underserved communities in Asheville and Buncombe County and provide them with math and reading skills during summer and tutoring year around.”
Debbie Sprouse, executive director of Meals on Wheels of Asheville & Buncombe County, Inc., said their organization has received $50,000 over the last several years, “including during the pandemic when we saw a huge increase in the number of homebound seniors who needed home delivered meals.”
As I mentioned in the article, I understand why the Grove Park had to switch to this model, as the hotel was seeing enormous visitation from locals and only has so much room. So while it’s a shame many local may miss out on seeing the gingerbread houses now, it’s a positive that local nonprofits benefit.
This is the opinion of John Boyle. To submit a question, contact him at 232-5847 or jboyle@citizen-times.com
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