North Dakota cities should not have limits on their revenue from traffic fines, the state House decided in defeating a bill originally introduced to bolster the cities' right to charge what they pleased.

Limits on fine collections, which help to pay police expenses, could force up local property taxes to cover the revenue shortfall, said Rep. Stacey Dahl, R-Grand Forks.

"I don't think any of us want to go back to our citizens and say, 'We potentially raised your property taxes,'" Dahl said. "Don't you think that the offenders should pay part of the cost of law enforcement, rather than shifting it to a property tax revenue source?"

Many of North Dakota's larger cities set their own fines for traffic offenses, including speeding, running a stop sign and failure to yield, as part of their home-rule charters, which bestow limited power of self-government.

Fargo lawmakers recently introduced a bill to give home-rule cities explicit authority to set traffic fines beyond what the state charges for the same offense.

Running a stop sign in a rural area where state law prevails carries a $20 fine. In Fargo, it is $100; in Grand Forks, $71, in Bismarck, $50; and in Dickinson and Minot, $40.

The legislation was changed to limit cities' benefit from traffic fines to twice the state rate.