Lambton County's court services department saw a decrease in charges issued last year.
Manager Darlene Coke says there were 473 fewer charges compared to 2014.
The value of new fines ordered, however, were up. They were valued at $1.2-million in the fourth quarter, which is a 371% increase from the year before.
"There was one fine imposed in particular in the last quarter of 2015 in the amount of $500,000," says Coke. "That related to an environmental matter and the fine was also paid in the last quarter of 2015, and that accounts for the difference."
The department ended 2015 with a surplus of $500,000, rather than $79,000 as predicted in the third quarter.
Coke says the fines collected help cover operating costs of the department.
