Budget - Court Services

Court Services is responsible for administration, courtroom support and municipal prosecution of the Provincial Offences Act (POA) offences as well as municipal bylaws within the City and County of Peterborough. The POA office ensures compliance with the Act, the Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of the Attorney General and the Inter-municipal Service Agreement.

The $1,618,908 budgeted revenues for Court Services is comprised of Gross Budgeted Revenues of $1,839,000 less the County’s share of Court Services Revenues, $220,092.

Court Services is responsible for administration, courtroom support and municipal prosecution of the Provincial Offences Act (POA) offences as well as municipal bylaws within the City and County of Peterborough. The POA office ensures compliance with the Act, the Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of the Attorney General and the Inter-municipal Service Agreement.

The number of charges issued is the primary driver of the POA Court system, however, the Court has no influence on the number of charges filed by enforcement agencies. The number of charges fluctuates and the composition of the dollar value of the charges impacts the revenue generated. POA revenues are only realized by the payment of fines.

Staff continue to pursue collections initiatives with the goal of increasing fine revenue. Net revenues are divided between the City and County of Peterborough based on the prior year's relative weighted assessment. Based on the 2024 figures, the County's share for 2025 is 55.3% and the City's share is 44.7%.

Defaulted fines include any fine where the defendant has failed to pay the amount imposed upon conviction by the due date. A fine is considered defaulted when it remains unpaid 15 days past the due date. Once in default, the City will start collection activity that may include Final Notices, orders to suspend driver licences and plate denials, addition of defaulted fines to tax rolls and legal proceedings.