A US city started a new program that would cut unpaid parking tickets in half – the revenue generated will be donated to charity.
As of September 1, the city has over $850,000 in unpaid tickets.
A city is offering drivers the chance to pay half of their unpaid ticket balance until September 30[/caption]
The revenue generated from the program will be put into a grant for local non profits to use[/caption]
Drivers in Kansas City, Missouri are being offered a chance to have unpaid parking tickets discounted by 50% as part of a new amnesty program.
The program runs until September 30 and aims to relieve drivers with multiple unpaid parking tickets.
In one of the first of its kind, the city plans to donate the revenue generated by the program to charity in collaboration with a grant program from the Douglas County Community Foundation.
The idea is to incentivize drivers to pay at least half of the unpaid fines while feeling good about donating to charity.
Brad Harrell, the Parking Manager at the City of Lawrence, hopes to see drivers in masses.
“I hope people are in line waiting for Municipal Court to open on September 3,” he told FOX affiliate WDAF-TV.
“Currently the City has nearly $850,000 in outstanding parking citation debt.”
In order to fully qualify for the grant program, the city must pay at least 15% of the debt.
Once that goal is met, the grant program will donate $30,000.
Harrell is excited by the prospect of relieving debt and giving drivers a chance to do some good.
“We are excited at the opportunity to help people resolve their debt and also support the amazing local nonprofits that serve our community,” he added.
It can be especially handy for low-income drivers, Harrell said.
Kansas City is one of the first cities to pair donate part of the ticket revenue to charities.
To check for eligibility, a driver first has to call the eligibility with the municipal court.
Once the court determines eligibility, a driver can pay half of their outstanding balance.
How to fight a parking ticket
You can avoid being ticketed by following all posted laws and ordinances, but sometimes mistakes are made
Like any form of citation, parking tickets are preventable by reading and obeying posted signage. However, when visiting a new city, or state, or in a hurry, things can be missed and mistakes are made.
Suddenly there’s a ticket you weren’t prepared to pay for. If the ticket is a surprise to you, there are a few things you can do to help your case when appealing a parking ticket.
- Carefully read the ticket. Look for errors like incorrect street names, license plate numbers, vehicle make and model, time and date, etc. Errors would then make the ticket invalid.
- Take photos. Of the vehicle in the parking space, lack of signage, or other vehicles that weren’t cited for performing the same parking job. If the ticket involves parking too close to something like a fire hydrant, a photo showing a reasonable distance would help your case. Make sure metadata with the time and date are accessible. Signs that are obstructed by trees, or are on bent posts, or aren’t “obvious” are great things to photograph, too.
- Make sure the statute that was violated is listed on the ticket. If not listed, the ticket is not valid.
- Promptly follow the appeal instructions on the ticket. All legitimate tickets will have directions for appeal. Waiting until the very last moment weakens your argument and can result in late fees.
- When in court, avoid these phrases as they reduce your credibility and weaken your argument:
- “I didn’t know the law.”
- “I was on my way to move my car.”
- “I can’t afford this ticket.”
- “I’ve been doing this for years.”
- “I checked with the parking officer, who said it was OK.”
- Contact a lawyer. If you’re running into roadblocks and feel stuck, it may be best to reach out to a traffic lawyer in your area. Many have free case consultations.
Source: Reader’s Digest
Once the balance is paid, it’s collected by the DCCF and compiled into a grant program.
Nonprofits with a food pantry component can receive money collected through the amnesty program.
Other cities, like Las Vegas, have allowed drivers to have their parking tickets dismissed with a donation of school supplies or canned goods.
Austin, Texas has an annual program called Food for Fines.
The University of Cincinnati Parking Services hosts a Toys for Tickets program that dismisses parking tickets in exchange for toy donations in time for Christmas.
Donations must be worth over $20 and are donated to the United States Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots program.
