A spring amnesty program for parking-ticket scofflaws proved so successful that at least one community plans to extend it. But others are warning drivers that the grace period is over and to look out for the boot — or a call from collection agencies.
Elk Grove Village racked in more than $58,000 from its recently concluded monthlong program, about $25,000 more than expected, say officials, who plan to start another round in June aimed at violators who live outside the village.
“It helps the taxpayers of our community immensely,” said Mayor Craig Johnson.
A number of northwest suburbs have experimented with amnesty programs, and more are likely to try, as villages and towns seek to increase revenue during tough economic times by going after money already owed them, experts say.
Arlington Heights, Crystal Lake, Palatine and Schaumburg have tried such programs.
Other communities, such as Wilmette, have not offered parking ticket amnesty, but they call collection agencies if a ticket isn’t paid within the three- to four-month deadline.
The number of unpaid tickets — most of them parking tickets — is surprisingly high, said Wilmette’s Deputy Police Chief Kyle Perkins. Unlike neighboring Winnetka, Wilmette doesn’t use the boot, which immobilizes vehicles registered to ticket scofflaws.
Amnesty programs, which usually forgive a portion of the outstanding fine, might not collect everything owed, but they take in enough money to make it worth while, say Johnson and other officials.
Mark Fowler, executive director of the Northwest Municipal Conference, said he was unsure how many of his group’s 48 members have tried ticket amnesty efforts, but he said the idea wasn’t surprising.
“In these times, it makes sense to pursue any avenue you can to pursue revenues owed to the town,” he said.
Here’s a look at what some northwest suburbs have done to try to collect unpaid parking ticket fines.
Arlington Heights
Residents and businesses with overdue tickets had until April 23 to settle citations without incurring additional fines. The amnesty allowed fines to be paid without the usual late fees.
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About 900 letters were sent to motorists with delinquent tickets. The Police Department was inundated with calls, said Capt. Nick Pecora.
“Putting some money back into the general fund of the village, I think, would qualify as a successful effort,” he said.
The community’s No. 2 scofflaw paid $12,434 on 309 tickets.
The No. 1 violator was a no-show, however, owing about $41,000 on more than 735 tickets. The driver could have cleared the books for about $31,000.
The unidentified offender could be a likely target for the boot. On May 1, police started handing out 21-day warning notices to those with five or more unpaid violations.
Lynnda Kleiner, who has cut hair 18 years at First Arlington Barber Shop downtown, said it’s difficult to understand why so many drivers risk a ticket.
“They built that beautiful parking area, but no one wants to park there,” Kleiner said, referring to a nearby parking garage. “Nobody wants to walk.”
Carol Matthews, of Arlington Heights, said she likes to shop downtown but understands the frustrations of finding a place to park.
“It’s just part of living in this community,” she said.
Elk Grove Village
The village initially focused on residents’ unpaid tickets, but almost twice as many outstanding tickets have been issued to drivers living outside the village, so officials plan to send out letters offering a chance for an amnesty from June 1 to June 30.
Some of the tickets for residents and nonresidents dated from the 1990s, the mayor said.
Palatine
The community collected $3,000 during last summer’s three-month amnesty program, but Deputy Police Chief Brad Grossman said the return was worth it, based on the positive response from participants.
From July 1 to Sept. 30, 2009, violators could pay half the fines to clear their tickets, whether for parking, animal control or vehicle stickers. The program was publicized through notices in water bills, the local newsletter and news releases to avoid extra costs, Grossman said,
Schaumburg
More than 500 tickets from 150 individuals were cleared up in a one-month amnesty program in March 2009. Fifteen people with five or more tickets avoided the boot by paying up. Violators were allowed to pay one-half of the total amount owed.
But with the end of the program, having only three tickets — instead of five — will bring out the boot.
Schaumburg received more than $19,000 and spent $900, mainly for postage to send out 2,000 letters to those with overdue tickets, said Sgt. John Nebl, public information officer.
The program helped the village collect needed revenue, he said.
Crystal Lake
Under the parking ticket amnesty program that ended last month, motorists could clear their records by paying half their fines. A total of 1,277 tickets were cleared up, raising about $28,050, officials said.
Still, there were roughly 6,800 outstanding parking tickets, totaling about $600,000.
The city will start booting vehicles with five or more parking tickets. Officials said they also plan to petition the Illinois secretary of state’s office to suspend the license of the registered owner of a vehicle who has accumulated 10 or more unpaid citations.
Starting this month, those with overdue fines face a charge of $150 a ticket, as well as another headache.
“We report you to the credit bureaus,” said Mark Nannini, the city’s director of finance.
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Freelance reporter Tim Kane contributed to this report.