Mayor Plans Easing Terms For Parking Ticket Payment Plans
For years, the City of Chicago has offered payment plans to drivers with substantial outstanding parking ticket and red light camera debt.
However, in many cases, some motorists just couldn’t afford the hefty down payment that was required to initiate the payment plan.
Now, in an effort to induce more drivers to enter into a payment plan and speed up the collection of millions of dollars of outstanding parking ticket and RLC debt, Mayor Rahm Emanuel introduced an ordinance last week to make it more affordable for some drivers to begin making payments.
In a statement from the Mayor’s press office, Emanuel recognized the need to make it easier for lower income individuals or people with financial hardships to take advantage of the city’s payment plan program.
“However, we understand the economic hardships many are facing and want to make it easier for them to enter into a good faith agreement so they can begin paying down the debt they owe to the City,” said Emanuel.
Current law requires drivers with outstanding debt to pony up 25% of the total before they can enter into a plan to make monthly payments–an amount the city admits was difficult for some people and inhibiting participation in the program.
“Currently, the down payment requirements are stringent and are a deterrent for those who wish to enter into a payment plan, but cannot afford the down payment,” said City of Chicago Comptroller Amer Ahmad. “The Department would like to encourage more debtors to come into compliance and pay their debts by offering lower or no down payment options for qualifying hardship participants.”
As in an example offered by the Mayor’s office, as the ordinance now stands, a person with $1000 in ticket debt would have to cough up $250 before they can qualify to make monthly payments against their debt.
Drivers who qualify, instead of having to come up with a down payment first, would be able to immediately begin making monthly payments.
The Department of Finance, which has recently absorbed the Department of Revenue which used to administer the program, believes the city would see a 10% increase in drivers enrolling in the payment plan resulting in collecting an additional $2.5 million in revenue from past due parking tickets and red light camera tickets.
If passed, the ordinance would allow many ways to qualify for this new plan by being eligible to participate in or be already participating in one a long list of low-income programs.
This includes:
- Illinois Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (L.I.H.E.A.P.)
- Housing Subsidy Program For Renters
- Supplemental Security Income Program (S.S.I.)
- Medicaid
- Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps)
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
- Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants & Children (WIC)
- Any federal or state unemployment compensation system
- Being 65 years of age or older
- Claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit for the most recent tax year
- Currently receiving worker’s compensation income benefits
- Declared bankruptcy or is in foreclosure
- An active military duty service member, Reservist or a member of
the National Guard while on active duty
The proposed ordinance was referred to committee and at the earliest, could see a full vote in the City Council next month.
does anybody know if they are ever going to make the parking payment plans easier to get on ? without the huge down payment
on your article it says at the end of the month the city council is suppost to debate this issue with the parking ticket payment plan and i am waiting to see if i can ease this burden on me
I dont know what to do about these red light/ traffic ticket the hardship is much to high i dont have a place to live and know my car have been taken to the pound And with no job i havent got the $965.47 to get my car out of the pound before they crush it and i still have to pay the tickets do have any suggetion
Lovie,
Go down to a Department of Finance location and talk to them about a payment plan. That’s the best advice I can give you. They are trying to work with people who have financial hardships.
I was informed once, that if a person qualified for the hardship program, the outstanding parking tickets total would be reduced by half; is this not true?
Maurice,
I do not know that someone who qualifies for the hardship program would have their outstanding debt cut in half to be true. I have NEVER heard of that before. The city now allows for people to pay less upfront and sometimes extends the time to pay, but never reduces the total amount. If that happens, it must be in very rare cases.
Well…they fail to mention in this story that since March, the city now allows the outside agencies/ law firms that handle these payment plans to tack on a 22% administrative fee, in addition to your tickets. I.E. 100$ ticket to add to setup/add to your payment plan= $122.00 now. Granted you can still finance the tickets, but now it puts people having a difficult time to make their payments, in even more debt.. THERE IS NO WAIVER. The pre-Emanuel Payment Plans required the down payment of 25% or 50%…THEY STILL DO require down payments. I fail to see any changes that have been in the interest of the financially insolvent, instead, it’s become more difficult to pay!!!
All good points Michael.
Municipal Fines/Fees/Outstanding Debit should NEVER be outsourced to a collections agency.
For @$^%$#@ sake….We have a dedicated Collections Agency for the city already…
Department of Finance/Revenue.
Nobody should have any consideration given to financial circumstances when it comes to driving/parking fines. Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time. If us working slobs receive no leniency whatsoever when we get parking tickets, the non-working shouldn’t either.
I’m OK with payment plans (with appropriate interest added) but never should someone’s fines be forgiven or reduced just because of their financial situation.
I agree with Micheal, the CITY OF CHICAGO has now started loan sharking the poorest people. It is sad and shameful that a city would implement a plan to take more from people who are less likely to pay. There should not have to vote on a measure to help citizens to pay their tickets. Better yet GIVE CITIZENS AMNESTY, and you will collect the revenue quicker. Now that is giving Chicago residents with outstanding tickets a break. Let’s vote on that.
I received a notice in the mail informing me that I owe $1176.00in tickets. One is a red light ticket the other 2 are for no sticker vehicle.My sticker was stolen twice from my vehicle and I filed a police report informing them of what happened. I had to purchase another sticker for half price. Now I am still being charged for both for someone breaking into my vehicle and stealing my sticker. They slapped 2 tickets on my vehicle one for $400 and one for $488. So now I have to pay for these tickets or my license will be suspended and that I cannot get on a hardship payment plan. Where is the justice. You work hard but have to pay when thieves steal from you. I am a senior citizen what can I do!
The mayors plan does sound reasonable but as a long time resident of Chicago these plans are not what they seem.
Carmen,
Your license cannot be suspended unless you have more than 10 tickets. So, don’t worry about that for now.
I would advise, with 3 tickets now, that you pay off at least one of the tickets–the least expensive, so you only have two outstanding tickets. With 3, your car can get booted and you don’t want that.
With 2 remaining tickets, you have about a year to pay them off before having to fear the boot again. Pay the debut off a little every month or week.
How long does your car sit in the pound,Befor the city take it……and if my car has been impounded for almost a year how do I find out how much I owe cause its to much……
Taurus,
If your car has been in the auto pound for almost a year, then it probably got crushed into a big pile of scrap metal at this point.
I think the auto pound keeps the vehicle for 30 (perhaps 60) days and then, if it isn’t recovered by the owner, the car is either sold at auction or crushed.
I would be shocked if your car is still there.
Geek, there might be a different rule for RLC tickets since they qualify as a Moving VIolation
No, red light camera tickets are most definitely not a moving violation. They are basically the same as a parking ticket, in that they do not affect one’s driving record. The city just wants the money.
Learned something new today then.
Never had an RLC ticket…so didn’t know.
Pete is correct on RLC tickets. They are not considered moving violations. Cell phone tickets have been changed from moving violations to administrative violations like RLCs and parking tickets and don’t go on your record either.
These moves are more about revenue than anything else. It’s the same reasoning behind making possession of marijuana an expensive administrative ticket and not a traditional felonious violation of the law.
DoR, I’ve never received a red light camera ticket either. I believe it to be a small miracle considering how much I drive, how many RLC intersections I go through in a day/week/month/year and how many darn parking tickets I’ve picked up in my lifetime. It’s shocking really. Makes no sense.
It’s ashame hear in such a great city we have this typ of parking ticket condition to pay fine . I am not saying we shouldn”t pay a fine but there should be some consideration for the low – come and the elederly .San Francisco Ca has project 20 program to help pay off tickets and is still collecting reverue fo their city , so why can’t we .The city of Chicago is just low down on poor people .
I have been driving since I was 17 years I have had an very very good. driving. record, but the parking tickets has stop me from driving and after loosing several cars to the city and thousands of dollars trying to clear up this matter I find myself in the same boat. Please find a plan to help us get out of debtinstead of a plan to keep us down
Jahawk…
Enforcement by its nature MUST be Equal and Impartial.
If I ticket in the Gold Coast…I have to ticket in Austin or Little Village or Englewood.
Unlike the Police Department….Department of Finance Parking Enforcement Aides are not ALLOWED to pick and choose…though a large majority are lazy and violate the policy every day by claiming “Oh I didn’t know we could write that.”
Why dont the mayor do parking ticket amnesty
Is there any payment plans being offered if your license are suspended due to parking tickets. The city would make more money if they made payment plans more reasonable. Its very hard being on a fixed income working two jobs and to pay for parking tickets.
Yolanda,
The city has a few different payment plan options for parking tickets. Check the Department of Finance website or call 312-744-PARK to get more info.