Williamson County Initiative Helps Driving Offenders Avoid Fines

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TEXAS — Officials in Williamson County have launched a pilot program designed to allow driving offenders — those with no license or one that's invalid or having no insurance — to enroll in financial education classes rather than paying fines.

Williamson County Precinct 3 Judge Evelyn McLean explained the reasoning behind the initiative was a pattern she detected when first taking office in January. The judge said she was surprised by the number of cases coming before a JP court for the aforementioned offenses. Last year, her court alone had 1,341 cases of driving without a driver’s license and 1,176 cases of driving while the license was invalid.

“These people tended to plead guilty, but lacked the resources to pay the fine,” McLean said. “Then they continue to drive without a license, get another ticket and a larger fine. It is just a downward spiral from there that gets them further into debt to the court.”

That vicious cycle prompted McLean to look into ways to help provide financial education, instead of fines, for these types of offenders. She teamed up with Carol Urton of Experian who introduced her to the non-profit Financial Literacy Coalition of Central Texas (FLCCT). The FLCCT offers financial education programs to Central Texans to provide individuals the skills and knowledge to make informed financial decisions at various stages of their life.

After those talks, a $32,000 Experian grant was secured to start the pilot program.

“At FLCCT, we serve the under-served,” explained Lourdes Zuniga, executive director of FLCCT. “We focus on low-income communities with financial education and coaching, so we put together a course that offered general spending and budget tips along with the legal obligations and penalties for driving without a license or without insurance and the importance and cost of credit.”

Added Carol Urton, Experian’s director of corporate responsibility and sustainability: “Experian has a pool of grant money that can be used for projects with a focus on financial inclusion and serving the underserved in the community. As a part of Experian’s overarching sustainability plan we are focused on four pillars: working with integrity, valuing our people, investing in our communities and unlocking the power of data, so this pilot program was a good fit. As a company we are committed to creating a better tomorrow.”

No joke but a serious initiative, the pilot program began on April 1. The course is about one hour long and offered once a month at Williamson County’s Georgetown Annex, 100 Wilco Way, in Georgetown. First time offenders can plead guilty and choose to take the course instead of paying the fine. There is no charge to the defendant to take the financial literacy course.

The class has room for approximately 30 participants. If the defendant cannot take the class on the date offered at the Georgetown Annex, they can complete the course at another location offered by FLCCT. Either way, the course must be completed in 30 days and a completion certificate supplied to the court.

“I want to look for the underlying problem to resolve issues,” McLean explained. “Providing education for a mistake is a better service to the community other than just penalizing people.”