You can add collection agent to the other unflattering names city officials have been called.

At Friday’s Finance Committee meeting, Gaffney Administrator James Taylor pointed out that Gaffney, as well as other municipalities around the state, serve as collection agents by remitting a portion of the fines collected by its Municipal Court to the state.

For example, Municipal Court collected $348,549 in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009. Of that total, the city kept $133,564 and remitted the remaining $193,521 to the state.

Taylor said each year fines and fees go up, but said that money finds its way to Columbia to make up for budget shortfalls at the state level.

“Citizens do get upset over the amount of the fees and fines, but we don’t keep that much,” Taylor told finance committee members and Mayor Henry Jolly. “About 60 to 66 percent of the money collected is sent to the state to help offset budget losses.”

Accountant Ben Kochenower said some magistrates have balked at collecting the state’s share of the fine or fee but the state has billed the city for its portion anyway.