Unpaid Court Fines, Fees Can Get Your Water Shut Off

Stateline: The city of LaGrange, Georgia, has a practice of shutting off the water to homes when residents fail to pay unrelated court fines or fees. In Miami Beach, Florida, an unpaid Airbnb fee similarly got the water turned off in a million-dollar luxury home. And in about 40 states, overdue traffic ticket fines can get your driver’s license suspended.

As cash-strapped cities and states look to raise revenue without increasing taxes, efforts to collect fines and fees are ratcheting up, according to the Progressive Policy Institute.

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