Benton Harbor Considers Municipal Civil Infractions Bureau

City aims to better manage minor violations in-house rather than through county courts.

Published on Mar. 8, 2026

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The city of Benton Harbor is exploring the creation of a new Municipal Civil Infractions Bureau to handle minor violations of city ordinances. Currently, when residents are ticketed for such infractions, the cases often end up in county court, sometimes resulting in a criminal record for the individual. The proposed bureau would allow residents to pay tickets directly to the city, keeping the revenue local and avoiding the county court system for more minor offenses.

Why it matters

Benton Harbor officials have expressed concerns about fines paid by residents going mostly to the county rather than staying within the city. Establishing a local infractions bureau could help the city better manage and enforce its own ordinances while providing a more streamlined process for residents to address minor violations.

The details

Under the proposed plan, the Municipal Civil Infractions Bureau would handle things like parking tickets, noise complaints, and other minor city code violations. Residents would be able to pay their tickets directly to the city, rather than having the cases go through the county court system. City Manager Alex Little said this would enable the city to enforce the ordinances while avoiding the potential for a criminal record for the resident, "especially if the person is willing to correct what's going on."

  • The Benton Harbor Legislative Committee discussed the proposal during a meeting this week.
  • The matter has been referred to the city's Public Safety Committee for further review.

The players

Alex Little

Benton Harbor City Manager, who proposed the creation of the Municipal Civil Infractions Bureau.

Sharon Henderson

Benton Harbor City Commissioner, who raised questions about the logistics of implementing the proposed bureau.

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What they’re saying

“Especially for some of the more minor things, the idea here is to create a Civil Infractions Bureau that will enable many of these things to still be enforced, but as opposed to a person having to — especially if the person is willing to correct what's going on or whatever, they can come here and pay the ticket in city hall and the money stays with the city.”

— Alex Little, City Manager (moodyonthemarket.com)

“Like how? Who would be the person? So it would be the inspector's office that they would go to, the window on the side? Those kinds of logistics I think is important.”

— Sharon Henderson, City Commissioner (moodyonthemarket.com)

What’s next

The proposal for a Municipal Civil Infractions Bureau will undergo further review by Benton Harbor's Public Safety Committee before any final decisions are made.

The takeaway

Benton Harbor's effort to establish a local infractions bureau highlights the city's desire to better manage minor violations and keep fine revenue within the community, rather than having cases processed through the county court system. If implemented, the bureau could provide a more streamlined and resident-friendly approach to enforcing city ordinances.