(A) The expenses of establishing and maintaining the document storage system in the office of the Circuit Clerk of the county shall be defrayed by collection of a document storage fee in the amount of $15 by the Circuit Clerk of the county.
(B) Such fee shall be paid at the time of filing the first pleading, paper, or appearance filed by each party in all civil cases, or by the defendant in any felony, traffic, misdemeanor, municipal ordinance, or conservation case upon a judgment of guilty or grant of supervision. No additional fee shall be charged if more than one party is represented in a single pleading, paper or other appearance. This fee shall be collected in the same manner in which all other fees and costs are collected.
(C) The Circuit Clerk shall charge and collect a document storage fee of $5 on any traffic case satisfied without a court appearance pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 529.
(D) The Circuit Clerk of the county shall commence collecting such fee under the provisions of this section upon receipt of written notice from the Chairperson of the County Board, along with a certified copy of this section.
(E) The fee authorized herein shall be in addition to all other fees and charges of the Circuit Clerk and may be waived only if a judge specifically provides for such waiver.
(F) The fee shall be remitted monthly by the Circuit Clerk to the County Treasurer, to be retained in a special fund, designated as the Court Document Storage Fund. This fund shall be subject to audit by the County Auditor, and the County Board may make expenditures therefrom in payment of costs related to the storage of court records, including hardware, software, research and development costs, and the cost of personnel related thereto, provided such expenditure is approved by the Circuit Clerk. The fee shall not be charged in any matter coming on a change of venue, nor in an administrative review proceeding.
(Prior Code, § 6-7-1) (Res. passed 1-17-2006)