It was observed that in the absence of a local ordinance, “expenditure of fines levied from police tickets remain at the discretion of the local mayor or town council.” It was then concluded, “Thus, it is the opinion of this office that a local government is not required under state law to release funds generated by ticket fines to the chief of police to use exclusively for law enforcement purposes.” The operating funds of the police department are not proportional to the fines collected, but instead are budgeted by ordinance as the governing authority decides. AG Op. No. 05-0096 (Dec. 8, 2005)

If the city adopts an ordinance to designate a % of funds deposited from traffic fines to the police department, the city must be careful to avoid creating a quota (formal or informal) for traffic tickets.