Anyone who has received a ticket from a police officer, speed camera, red-light camera or for a toll violation may be surprised at the cost. 

For someone caught by a speed camera traveling 11 mph over the posted limit, a $20 fine quickly climbs to $74.50 after a per-mph surcharge ($11), Transportation Trust Fund surcharge ($15.50), Fund to Combat Violent Crimes fee ($15) and Volunteer Ambulance Company Fund fee ($10) are added on. 

But what are these extra fees, and what is their purpose?

Fund to Combat Violent Crimes

The Delaware Fund to Combat Violent Crimes is funded by a $15 penalty assessment levied on individuals convicted of crimes or offenses. The idea is that offenders contribute directly to counteraction efforts.

It is attached to nearly every traffic ticket, criminal citation and electronic safety violation (E-ZPass, speed cameras and red-light cameras) issued in the state. 

The penalty was created in 2011 through House Bill 143, which received near-unanimous support before being signed into law by then-Gov. Jack Markell. 

One-half of the fund, about $2.15 million, is distributed to the Department of Safety and Homeland Security to cover salaries, overtime, equipment and operational expenses for Delaware State Police troopers and related personnel. The other half is distributed to local police agencies for localized anti-violence and crime-reduction activities.

The fund is capped at collecting no more than $4.25 million annually. If there is a surplus at the end of the year, the leftover funds are deposited into the state’s General Fund.

Locally, according to budget documents, Lewes receives $33,000 to $36,000 annually from the fund. Rehoboth Beach typically budgets to spend about $24,000 received from the fund. This year to date, Milton has received about $28,000; it had budgeted $25,000.

Milton Police Chief Derrick Harvey said he’s used the funds to purchase non-lethal deescalation devices, to help fund body-worn cameras and to pay for overtime for extra patrols for large events. For 2027, he said he plans to use the funds to purchase armored ballistic shields.

Dewey Beach Police Chief Constance Speake said the money received can fund a variety of things outside the town’s budget.

Most agencies use the Fund to Combat Violent Crimes grant money to purchase equipment and fund overtime for supplemental patrols on the road, and community events and parades, she said.

“The money helps agencies purchase things that they need that are not in their budgets,” she said.

Speake said the money is used for vehicle equipment, weapons, body armor, flashlights, K9s, training, ballistic shields and helmets, and other things.

According to guidance provided to police departments by the state, a requesting agency must provide a detailed description of how the requested funds will be used to combat one or more offenses classified as a violent felony.

Eligible police agencies are allocated a minimum sum of $15,000 in addition to any per-officer allocation. 

Lewes Police Chief Tom Spell said his agency was approved to receive $36,591 for Fiscal Year 2027. He plans to use the funds to purchase a police drone, handguns, cold weather jackets and handgun lights. The rest will be used for overtime. In the past, he said the funds have been used to pay for patrol rifles, tasers, ballistic shields, tourniquets, flashlights and other items.

Funds cannot be spent until the application has been approved by the committee that oversees the fund. Among those serving on the committee are Department of Safety and Homeland Security Secretary Nathaniel McQueen, Delaware State Police Superintendent Col. William Crotty and Attorney General Kathleen Jennings. Membership also includes the Delaware Police Chiefs’ Council, the Delaware State Lodge Fraternal Order of Police and the fund’s program coordinator.

Money from the fund may not be used for routine training, police basic training school, office lease/storage space rental, building maintenance and repair, laptops and more.

Any funds that go unused within 12 months must be returned.  

Volunteer Ambulance Company Fund

The Volunteer Ambulance Company Fund is supported by a $10 fee attached to all moving violations, red-light and speed camera violations, and highway toll violations. The fund annually distributes about $5 million to volunteer emergency services across the state.

It was created in 2014 through House Bill 315, which the General Assembly passed with only one no vote. It was signed into law by then-Gov. Markell.

The law was introduced following findings by a state task force that highlighted a steep financial shortfall for basic life support services. Stricter response-time standards required volunteer companies to hire more full-time, paid EMTs, heavily straining their traditional volunteer budgets.

The funds, managed by the Delaware State Fire Prevention Commission, are paid out to certified volunteer ambulances companies on a biannual basis. The money is distributed proportionally based on each company’s total number of approved ambulance runs, which is tracked through the Delaware Emergency Medical Reporting System.

According to a recent presentation by the Lewes Fire Department, about $155,000 was received from the state in 2026 in a combined line item for the Ambulance Fund and Fire Prevention. That equates to about 3.4% of the department’s revenue. The department also received a $350,000 state grant, about 7% of its annual revenue. 

Also, the state through grants-in-aid allocates about $10 million annually in support for fire and ambulance companies, and $16 million for paramedic operations. Sussex County provides $6 million annually in funding to aid volunteer fire and EMS companies. 

Transportation Trust Fund

The Transportation Trust Fund is Delaware’s dedicated financing vehicle for all transportation expenditures. It was created in 1987 through the Trust Fund Act. The goal was to establish a predictable, stable and unified method to handle all of the state’s transportation investments.

The money is used for capital projects like building, paving and repairing state roads; replacing bridges; and improving transit systems. Funds are also used for day-to-day operations such as snow removal, the Division of Motor Vehicles and the Delaware Transit Corporation/DART.

In addition to surcharges added to traffic violations, the fund’s revenue sources include tolls, motor fuel taxes and DMV fees.

The state’s motor fuel tax remains steady at 23 cents per gallon, and it hasn’t changed since 1995, resulting in lagging revenue due to the emergence of electric and hybrid cars as well as more fuel-efficient vehicles. The state collected $129.7 million in Fiscal Year 2026, all of which goes into the Transportation Trust Fund.

Similarly, 100% of the money collected from tolls goes to the fund. However, DelDOT must pay to operate the E-ZPass system. It contracts the operations to a private company called TransCore. As part of its agreement, TransCore keeps 100% of a $25 administrative fee added to the fine. Once the total reaches $1.5 million, the fee is split 50-50, with the state’s portion deposited back into the Transportation Trust Fund.