Sheriff's fees changing

One new fee and increases in others are designed to generate an additional $42,000 in revenue a year in the Perry County Sheriff's Department. The fee study for the county clerk's office and the sheriff's department was performed by a company called Bellweather, Inc.

The Perry County board reviewed and approved the fees at its Thursday night board meeting. New to the schedule is an "eviction fee" of $55 when a landlord asks for law enforcement assistance during an eviction from a property. Sheriff Steve Bareis said those are rare and covers a deputy's average time on the property.

The civil process fee increases from $25 up to $51, The county jail work release fee increases from $12.50 up to $20. The weekend release fee is unchanged at $25. The new fee schedule helps cover the sheriff's department costs without being abusive to those who are affected.