Parking in the news: Unpaid tickets, LUKE and the rest of the story

Parking can be a complex and emotional issue for growing communities. Bellingham is no exception, and the city’s goal is to balance the needs of merchants, customers, downtown employees and the taxpaying public.

Most parking tickets paid

Parking fines and enforcement were the subject of recent Herald articles and editorials suggesting city officials were "doing nothing" to collect unpaid parking tickets. Here are additional facts:

If you don't pay a parking ticket, we turn it over to a collection agency that hounds you until you do pay - even years later!
People overwhelmingly DO pay city parking tickets. About 84% are paid without assignment to a collection agency.
When someone doesn't pay a parking ticket, we follow up aggressively. After warning letters and 90 days, we turn the account over to collections. This is the most cost-effective way for us - and many other cities - to collect.
We do not write off or give up on unpaid parking tickets. We continue to collect on tickets that are years old. The city receives every dollar owed, and the individual pays all collection fees plus interest.
Unpaid parking fines directly affect people’s ability to obtain credit. Someone trying to buy a house or apply for a credit card may be refused because of outstanding parking fines sent to collections by the city, which then affects credit report.
The Herald reported that three years of unpaid fines totaled $560,000. It is important to note that this is the total of unpaid tickets PLUS accrued late penalties. Almost 85% ($476,000) of that total is money owed the city for delinquent penalties incurred for non-payment, NOT the original fine amount (and not a windfall the city would receive if only these people paid their parking tickets on time). Thanks to the collection agency, most of this amount will be paid eventually.

Bellingham friendlier than the “boot”

We weigh carefully the consequences of using aggressive approaches to parking enforcement, such as towing and "booting". These techniques, carefully considered by city officials, require significant staffing and are cost-prohibitive for us. They also do not welcome people to our downtown in the friendly manner we prefer. (If you think LUKE made people mad, trying impounding their cars!)

WWU officials said they achieve a 95% rate of ticket payment, and we applaud their success. Without more aggressive and costly approaches, the city’s 84% rate of ticket payment - before engaging collection experts – seems comparably successful, especially considering the university has a “captive” parking audience. City officials must be more sensitive to drivers who can more easily take their business elsewhere.

We listen

City officials use fair, cost-effective approaches to enforcement and penalties, making changes we believe best serve multiple interests. And we listen when we try new approaches.

The LUKE pay stations tested on Railroad Avenue are an example. Considerable business and public outreach occurred before the pay stations were installed. We received significant feedback after they were installed.

City Council determined the benefits of LUKE on this block did not outweigh inconveniences to those affected: businesses and customers. We returned to individual meters and will install the pay stations to serve the city’s Depot Market Square.

With considerable citizen involvement, parking is addressed through a collaboration of the citizen Parking Commission, Police, Public Works and Municipal Court, with final decisions by City Council.

Community dialogue also tells us people don’t understand our parking system. Visit the city’s website at www.cob.org, and stay tuned to the Herald, for more information.

Meanwhile, pay your parking tickets. We’ll find you if you don’t!