Number
181630
Version
ORIGINAL
Reference
Sponsor
ALD. JOHNSON, COGGS, DODD, PEREZ, LEWIS, RAINEY, HAMILTON, STAMPER, AND BAUMAN
Title
An ordinance relating to payment of parking citations.
Sections
101-34-3-0 am
101-34-3-a am
Analysis
This ordinance increases the time for paying parking citations without a penalty from 10 days to 14 days.
Body
Whereas, The poverty rate in Milwaukee is estimated at 27.4%; and
Whereas, Many Milwaukee residents live from paycheck to paycheck, making it difficult to pay an unexpected parking citation within 10 days of issuance; and
Whereas, Failure to pay a parking citation within 10 days results in a late-payment penalty which may increase the cost of the citation to the point a resident living from paycheck to paycheck is unable to pay the citation in full; and
Whereas, The inability of a resident living from paycheck to paycheck to pay a citation within 10 days may trigger a vicious cycle of missed payment deadlines and increasing late-payment penalties, causing the cost of the original citation to spiral beyond the resident’s ability to pay; and
Whereas, Extending the grace period for paying a parking citation from 10 to 14 days would allow a resident living from paycheck to paycheck to be paid before the parking citation is due, making it possible for the resident to pay the citation in a timely manner and to avoid the cycle of late-payment penalties which can push the cost of citation payment beyond the resident’s ability to pay; and
Whereas, Extending the grace period for parking citation payments from 10 to 14 days is not expected to have a material effect on parking citation collections, and may reduce the number of unpaid citations submitted for collection through legal channels; now, therefore
The Mayor and Common Council of the City of Milwaukee do ordain as follows:
Part. 1: Section 101-34-3-0 and a of the code is amended to read:
101-34. Stipulation or Contestation Procedure; Nonmoving Traffic Violations.
3. PAYMENT AFTER [[10]]>>14<< DAYS. Except in circumstances where state statutes are applicable, the forfeiture shall be increased as follows, unless for good cause shown the city attorney, chief of police or his or her designee or the commissioner of public works, or the commissioner’s designee, extends the time limit:
a. If a stipulation is not entered into within [[10]]>>14<< days commencing at 6:00 p.m. on the day the citation is issued, the forfeiture shall be increased by $5.
LRB
APPROVED AS TO FORM
____________________________
Legislative Reference Bureau
Date: ______________________
Attorney
IT IS OUR OPINION THAT THE ORDINANCE
IS LEGAL AND ENFORCEABLE
____________________________
Office of the City Attorney
Date: ______________________
Requestor
Drafter
Aaron Cadle
LRB 173142 - 1
February 5, 2019