Diane Walden is reporting in The Columbia Paper the town of Ancram has seen a surge in its bottom line as a result of the additional revenue generated by the town court in 2016. The number of cases in the court increased 36 percent last year. Town Justices George Wittlinger and Robert Wilcox heard 383 cases in 2016, compared to 282 in 2015. The amount of money generated by those cases totaled more than $41,000; in 2015, that amount was $28,000. Town clerk Ruth Wittlinger noted an increase in the number of tickets written per traffic stop, saying a driver stopped for one violation is more likely to end up with multiple tickets. The majority of cases heard by the town court were for vehicle and traffic law violations. Administrative shift changes at the Sheriff’s Office, which cause more or less patrols at different times of day, could be the reason for the increase in tickets, Judge Wilcox told the paper. State police are responsible for writing approximately 40 percent of the tickets that end up returnable in Ancram Court, Wilcox said. He said although he has no formal analysis to point to, anecdotally, he thinks state Route 22 is the road where the most tickets are written in town. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.