Community Corner

City Council Approves Parking Ticket Fine Increase; More Tickets Will Be Issued

People who fail to pay parking tickets after 30 days will now be required to pay a fee equivalent to 35 percent of the cost of the fine. The new rule may go into effect by July 1.

If you have outstanding parking tickets in Imperial Beach and want to avoid additional charges, you may want to pay up soon.

Though some City Councilmembers showed concern with residents' ability to pay a new fee and the volume of parking tickets that may be issued, the Imperial Beach City Council unanimously approved a plan Wednesday to change the way tickets are issued and fines are collected.

Drivers who fail to pay parking tickets after 30 days will be charged a collection agency fee equivalent to 35 percent of the cost of the ticket.

A contract with the City of Inglewood to collect fines for outstanding parking tickets going back eight years and and process tickets in the future may go into effect as soon as July 1, said Public Safety Department director Tom Clark.

To pay old tickets or find out if you have outstanding tickets contact the city's Administrative Services Department at City Hall.

"We're asking for that 35 percent cost recovery portion in the ordinance because otherwise if we were going to go after the back debt we would have to pay for that ourselves at the city," Clark said.

IB used to share a common parking ticket computer system with the City of Chula Vista, Clark said, but when Chula Vista changed to a new system in 2005, IB city staff started processing parking tickets. Since then a backlog of tickets has accumulated worth more than $700,000.

Clearing the backlog of tickets could bring the city $100,000, Clark said.

New handheld devices will be purchased for $55,000 to issue tickets quicker than old written tickets. Pictures will be taken of cars in case appeals are made.

The new collection agency approach and way to issue tickets may bring the city an additional $90,000 a year, Clark said. 

Councilman Bobby Patton said he's worried the new machines could mean "a frenzy of tickets" are issued. 

The reason some people may not have paid past-due tickets could be because they can't afford the charges. Some people don't have money for the additional collection agency charge, he said. 

"We need to follow the rules," he said "but we have a lot of people in this community that if it's not a $50 ticket, that's dinner and some pants on their kids."

After late charges, the new collection agency charge could turn a $53 ticket into a $156 ticket.

A ticket for parking in a handicap space would go from $424 to $572.

Councilman Ed Spriggs also expressed concern that new devices to write tickets faster may mean more tickets are issued and about "the affect that might have on visitors, IB citizens etc."

"That's not our intent," Clark said. 

The idea behind the new system and a contract with the City of Inglewood is not to issue more parking tickets but to make members of the sheriff's department who write tickets more efficient, he said.

Today parking tickets are primarily written by three sheriff's Community Service Officers, Clark said. The new system may allow them to work faster but writing tickets is only part of a CSO's duties. 

"So our ticket volume may increase slightly but we estimated approximately 5,000 tickets a year [under the new system]" he said.

4,452 tickets were issued in 2012. 

5,708 tickets were issued in 2011.

6,596 tickets were issued when the city had four CSOs working in 201. 

Additional staff to write tickets could be hired in the future, Clark told IB Patch.

Change is needed, said Councilwoman Lorie Bragg. The current system doesn't work.

"That's why there's this backlog. And I really have to commend you," Bragg told Clark "because one of the tasks we asked you to do was to create and look for ways to create revenue. This is revenue that, it belongs to us." 

No matter a person's income, if a driver parks properly and follows the law they have nothing to worry about, Bragg said.

Clark said he sees no downside to the new system.

Warnings will be sent to drivers twice before a collection agency charge is applied. Drivers can pay fines over the phone, online or at the Administrative Services Department at City Hall. Fines cannot be paid online under the current system.

The new system will also allow the city to collect fines issued to drivers from outside California but not Mexico, Clark said.

"Ideally it would great to not have any parking revenue but we are going to," Clark said.

Following public meetings with residents last fall, the Imperial Beach City Council is expected to consider proposed changes to parking restrictions near the beach at a meeting next month, Clark said. 


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