“A lot of good has come from the consent decree for the people who live in Pagedale,” said Institute for Justice Senior Attorney William Maurer. “We are confident these changes are real and lasting. At the same time, we will remain vigilant, because the Constitution does not permit any city to turn its fines and fees system into a source of revenue on the backs of innocent people.”
The record shows just how dramatic the change has been. Since the consent decree took effect in 2018, Pagedale’s revenue from municipal court fines has dropped from $215,000 in 2018 to $56,666 in 2024, reflecting a sustained shift away from relying on ticketing and fines to fund city operations. Those reforms also brought structural changes to the city’s court and code enforcement systems, helping ensure that the city no longer viewed its residents as simply sources of income for the government.
| Fiscal Year | Budgeted Amount for Court Fines | Actual Amount for Court Fines* | Actuals % Change from Prior Fiscal Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $150,000 | $214,717 | Not Available |
| 2019 | $200,000 | $149,174 | -31% |
| 2020 | $200,000 | $110,910 | -26% |
| 2021 | [Data Missing] | $75,989 | -31% |
| 2022 | [Data Missing] | $57,739 | -24% |
| 2023 | $100,000 | $80,140 | 39% |
| 2024 | [Data Missing] | $56,666 | -29% |
| 2025 | $150,000 | [Data Missing] | Not Available |
The lawsuit began in 2015, when the Institute for Justice, along with attorneys from the St. Louis office of international firm BCLP LLP, sued Pagedale on behalf of residents whom the city had subjected to a staggering web of tickets, fines, fees, and threats for minor code violations. At the time, Pagedale had become a national symbol of “policing for profit,” issuing citations for harmless or absurd conduct and using its municipal machinery to squeeze revenue from its residents.
In 2018, a federal court approved a landmark consent decree requiring sweeping reforms. The decree required Pagedale to dismiss old fines and fees, abandon practices that punished people for failure to appear or inability to pay, improve notice and court procedures, revise its municipal code, and stop using informal and overly vague enforcement practices that trapped residents in an endless cycle of debt and punishment.
“This victory matters far beyond one St. Louis suburb,” continued Maurer. “The fight against abusive fines and fees systems is still very much alive, and we have cases pending across the country. Hopefully, Pagedale will now serve as a leader and a warning: cities can move away from these unconstitutional practices, and they should.”