EDITORIAL
Give the counties their traffic violation dues

It's always seemed unfair that county law enforcement authorities do all the work when it comes to issuing traffic and parking tickets while the state gets all the money.

So we're glad to see a bipartisan push to get at least a portion of those revenues to the counties. A Senate committee has advanced a bill that calls for giving all fines and forfeitures collected for uncontested traffic infractions to the counties by fiscal year 2005. The counties would get half the money for the first two years, and all of it in 2005.

The bill comes on the heels of Gov. Linda Lingle's proposal to get counties all the revenues from uncontested traffic tickets within two years.

There is some logic in keeping a degree of separation between those who enforce the laws and those who reap the revenues from fines. One doesn't want traffic enforcement to become driven by revenue needs.

But merely allowing the counties to recoup what they spend seems only sensible. Honolulu, for instance, spends $10 million a year enforcing traffic and parking laws. According Randy Roth, Lingle's senior adviser for policy, about $6 million is collected annually from uncontested tickets.

We see no argument against passing this very sensible bill into law.