KINDER — Officials here agreed Monday to raise the registration fees for sex offenders and child predators living or moving into the town.
An ordinance unanimously adopted by the council increases a one-time initial registration fee from $60 to $400 for newly convicted offenders and those moving into the town. The annual renewal fee will also increase from $60 to $100 for all offenders.
The fees are the same set by the Allen Parish Police Jury last month and similar to recent increases imposed by Lake Charles, Sulphur, Westlake and other municipalities. Reeves is considering adopting a similar fee structure, according to town attorney Michael Holmes.
State law sets the annual fee at $60, but allows municipalities to increase the costs for monitoring, tracking and other services.
“The goal of the ordinance is to actually collect enough registration fees and renewal fees to cover the anticipated costs of registering and monitoring these individuals,” Holmes said.
If the Police Department reports that it is costing more to track and monitor the offenders in the future, the council may consider increasing the fees again, he said.
About 40 registered sex offenders live in Allen Parish. Of those fewer than a dozen live in Kinder.
Under the measure, offenders would face misdemeanor charges and a $500 fine for failure to pay the fee. Additional penalties ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 could also be charged for those providing false information, failing to notify officials of an address change and failing to notify the community of their residence.
The state requires sex offenders to register with the Louisiana Sex Offender and Child Predator Registry, update their information more often and provide officials with new details of their whereabouts.
The offenders have three levels of registration periods — 15 years, 25 years and lifetime — depending on the severity of the offense committed. ..Source.. by Doris Maricle
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