Tell us again why Mr. Hamilton earned a permanent position from the otherwise very demanding Mayor and his Council?
Feh. Double-feh.

Give these bums a piece of the collected funds as part of their salary and Hamilton & Co. will make the Lincoln Park Pirates look like Cub Scouts.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Because: (a) despite our frequent criticism, he’s still doing a better job than his predecessor did; and (b) even with the raise that came with his permanent position, Hamilton’s comp is about 1/3 less than his predecessor’s. The Council may have more reasons, but those are the first two that came readily to mind.

Since your post of damn near 3 years ago, has the any member of the council or the Mayor brought this up for review at a COW?? Have they asked for open and transparent updates about progress on the 1 freakin’ million dollars owed the city?? If they have I am unaware of it.

I realize I am going to get the usual lecture from you on our form of government but I mean come on…..this was 3 years of, to use your words, a diddle fest and now we only hear about it?? If they new there was that much money out there why would they not ride the hell out of Hamilton for updates?? If I were the Mayor I would make it an agenda item at every single COW and have Hamilton report on progress.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Yeah, yeah, yeah…and if wishes were horses all beggars would ride.

First of all, we doubt that there is anything close to $1 million of COLLECTABLE fines outstanding, although the true amount remains unknown at this time so the $1 million must remain the operative number for the time being.

Second, we don’t know whether, or how often, the issue has come up during the past three years; or how closely the City Council has been following it. But if you don’t understand the City’s form of government by now and where the primary responsibility for day-to-day operations lies, we doubt another lecture will take any better than the previous ones did.

I do understand it. If I did not understand it I would now as you have explained it here ad nauseam. But the idea that you seem to think it is OK for our elected officials to virtually ignore an issue this large (which you seem to be confirming) simply because it is the job of the CM is just plain stupid. When this came up a few years ago there was outrage in the community with good reason. You would think that someone on the council or the Mayor would thin this might be something the would want to watch.

They hired him and only they can fire him. The only way they can decide to keep him or not keep him is by having a clue about what he is doing. It only makes sense that they should keep a microscope to see how he handles the big issues.

I would think you and I would agree this is a big issue. It plays perfectly into what we all feel in our guts which is that govt does not work. In your post you talked about it being well past time for butts to be kicked. I completely agree and would only ask why the hell did it take so long????

EDITOR’S NOTE: If we thought it was “OK for our elected officials to virtually ignore an issue this large” we wouldn’t have published this post.

But since this came up a few years ago, there has been little-to-no continuing “outrage in the community” that would compel the Council or the Mayor to “keep a microscope” on it – especially given the other issues about which people show up with torches and ropes at Council meetings.

A part of the reason there was no ongoing community outrage is that when something this stupid and outrageous comes up we assume (obviously incorrectly) that our elected officials are going to put this high on their list to watch and make sure it is corrected, if for no other reason for fear of embarrassment which is what they should be right now……embarrassed.

A CM was chosen by the Mayor and brought before the council and approved them. A absurd miscue was identified and written about in the local paper and in this blog and now three years, later it turns out that not only was little or nothing to done but diddling, but it appears our elected officials did not even think to follow up or hold his feet to the fire arter 6 monts….a year,,,,2 years????? Nope.

If the CM did nothing that is a problem that is a problem. I mean if this is a problem what does this mean about the various contracts he reviews with various venders and pricing we might get, for example? But if our elected officials are not watching this (and you seeming to think it is OK), MY GOD, that is why I hire them!!!! If they do not follow up on these big items how the hell do they even evaluate if he is doing a good job? I mean as a citizen I guess I am just naïve enough to think my alderman and my Mayor might just but a million dollar number on their “to do” list as a follow up item. But I guess that is just not the “City’s form of government”.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Yes, they SHOULD be embarrassed by letting this slip through the cracks – but not nearly as embarrassed as you seem to want them to be. Remember that it took 4 years (2007-2011) for the $1 million of outstanding fines to accumulate since then-mayor Howard Frimark, then-city manager Tim Schuenke, then-finance director Diane Lembesis, and a then-14 member city council awarded the outsource contract to Duncan Solutions.

When this problem was discovered in 2011, Jim Hock was city manager and Alison Stutts was finance director. Since then Hock has been replaced by Hamilton and Stutts by Kent Oliven, who left the position in August. Just all those transitions alone could be expected to slow any process for improving ticket collections.

And while it was Oliven’s finance department that was in charge of this project, his plate during the 20 months he was here may have been pretty filled with other equally-or-more important tasks, such as: (a) finding ways to save the city nearly $1.4 million in general fund expenditures; (b) working to ensure Park Ridge’s bond rating wouldn’t be downgraded to Aa3 thanks to the Uptown TIF; (c) saving the city an additional $1 million through bond refinancing; and (d) developing a software plan that will enable the City to move from paper to electronic records, and allow for things like online utility bill payments.

So he wasn’t just playing Parcheesi.

Sorry PD but this is you making, or is it building an alibi, after the fact. Of course their predecessors and preceding staff were involved but 3 years ago this was right in the middle of the radar. It was announced and discussed for all to see. They went away and did nothing. It appears they did not follow up and even ask for an update.

I have to say it is amusing as hell considering you spend most of your time lambasting staff and “bureaucrats” that you are now giving excuses for our poor overworked staff. Again I ask, what does this mean for contacts with vendors and other expenditures. There is a lot of money that is spend in city government. If not a sole is watching this big one what is your confidence they all those tree trimmers or rode pavers or other venders are getting the “fair” amount of cash??

You said….”despite our frequent criticism, he’s still doing a better job than his predecessor did…..” Now on the face of it I would agree with that statement but how do we really know that?? This event alone is evidence that none of our elected officials have enough contact with him to really know what he is, or make that is not doing. They should be embarrassed about that.

EDITOR’S NOTE: We aren’t building an alibi for anybody, we’re just looking at the situation objectively. And that means that we can lambaste bureaucrats when they deserve it but still recognize things they’ve accomplished or attempted.

From the inception of the Duncan Solutions outsourcing contract in 2007 there appears to have been no oversight program put in place. As a result, $1 million in uncollected fines built up between 2007 and when Alison Stutts discovered them in 2011. And as can be seen from the “Collection Update,” a lot of diddling has gone on since then. Should someone – staff or Council – have picked up on that? Certainly.

Under Park Ridge’s city-manager form of government, Hamilton is fully in charge of the day-to-day doing of the City’s business. If you want aldermen taking turns sitting on Hamilton’s windowsill watching every move he makes, however, you should lead a referendum drive to replace the current form of government – or reinstate the 14-member city council so that at least we have double the number of possible window-sill sitters.

But the fact that nobody – NOBODY (including the newspapers or yourself) – ever even popped up at meetings to ask what’s happening with ticket collections suggests that it dropped off everybody’s radars while all sorts of other things involving equally big or bigger dollars were happening. That’s not an alibi, that’s just a fact.

“But the fact that nobody – NOBODY (including the newspapers or yourself) – ever even popped up at meetings to ask what’s happening with ticket collections suggests that it dropped off everybody’s radars………..”

I am sorry PD. There are many things you push here that I agree with and even those things on which I would disagree, at least I get what you are trying to do. This floors me!!!

The above quote is nothing but a bunch of apologist crap. What ever form of government we have, the fact is that I elect people who choose to run for office to represent me. I elect to do and watch these things so that I do not have to. Does that mean I get to ignore everything and not participate……OF COURSE NOT!!!! But I should reasonable be able to expect that my elected officials follow up on something so blatantly stupid and embarrassing as this without having to show up a meeting and ask about it.

Beyond that, if all the issues you brought up about change in personal were a factor, was there any dialogue about that?? You act as if this were some conscious decision made by the CM (or someone) prioritizing resources on things more important yet on the other hand you say……….”enough bureaucratic incompetence and futility from November 2011 through June 2014 that it could almost be the script for a Saturday Night Live skit titled “Diddle-Fest.” It actually made us laugh…but only because the only other alternative would be crying”.

So which is it?

The juxtaposition of the last two threads creates a hell of a picture. On the one had you have the press being notified about a statement so the Mayor “calling out” a past alderman can be in the paper and on the other, we have an issue such as this going unaddressed (and unnoticed for years.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The well-known saying “The price of liberty is eternal vigilance” is appropriate here, as it is in addressing Mary Ann Irvine’s 11th-hour beef about the Library referendum wording. Simply put, just because we’ve got elected officials representing us doesn’t mean we are excused from paying attention to how they are running our government.

You argue that you should “be able to expect that [your] elected officials follow up on something so blatantly stupid and embarrassing as this without [your] having to show up a meeting and ask about it,” but HOW LONG are you supposed to be excused for burying your head in the sand about something that apparently means so darn much to you?

If you’re going to be asleep at the wheel, then you’re going to have to check your faux high dudgeon at the door and save your bluster for something you care enough about to be paying attention to it more frequently than once every three years.

no, you have to be appointed to a library board to sit on the lead dog’s windowsill and watch every move staff makes. If you’re an elected official, not so much. It’s consistent with the current administrations’ one-note value system that Hamilton was picked because he was the cheapest date they could get. At least that’s an explanation that we could understand. But you get what you pay for, as your clients must know. A million bucks in unrecovered traffic and other fines would wipe out the Library’s shortfall, restore holiday lights and leave some for the Center of Concern. Or just go into 1/55th of the sewer project kitty or 1/20th of the projected (or purported) Uptown TIF balloon payment. But it’s OK that this didn’t happen because turnover?
Feh. Double-feh.

EDITOR’S NOTE: You might want to try some linear reasoning the next time you comment. But as best as we can translate your comments, our response is:

First, who said Hamilton was the “cheapest date they could get”? Second, who said that the outstanding $1 million is even close to all being collectable? Third, if this matters so darn much to you, why weren’t YOU at City Council meetings over the past three years asking them to show you the money?

It seems like it should be simple enough to have a computer program that spits out a list of unpaid tickets daily, weekly, whatever. That list is then used to generate notices to the scofflaws. After the required number of notices, boot ’em! Why do we need Duncan to mishandle this? What a cluster $%^&*(.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Congratulations! You’ve just moved into the lead for the most intelligent comment to this post, although your competition is pretty limp.

You are right PD. Shame on me for thinking that after this issue was all over the paper 3 years ago our elected officials might be watching the CM to make sure this was addressed. Shame on me for thinking that a guy who has gone on and on about our budget woes at every opportunity in the press and the spokesman would have at least a passing interest in these kinds of uncollected fines.

Your logic is simply priceless. You essentially excuse the people I elected to (in part) watch and make sure staff and the CM THEY hired address these kinds of issues (or get someone who will) by saying “that is not the way our form of government” but then lecture me about not paying enough attention. So the people I elected to pay attention get a pass for not paying attention and yet I did not pay enough attention?!?!?! WTF!!

EDITOR’S NOTE: Since you won’t come out of the closet, we can’t judge your claim that you “elected”…(in part)” any of the elected officials who have been at City Hall the past 3 years. For all we know you are Howard Frimark or Larry Ryles, who most certainly didn’t vote for Mayor Schmidt. Or maybe you’re some whacko who doesn’t even live in Park Ridge and has never voted here.

And nothing in this post or the one from three years ago gives anybody a “pass.”

Of course…it’s your textbook response. Your anon and your must be a Frimark supporter.

EDITOR’S NOTE: It’s the only rational response to somebody who hides their identity but then wants us to believe they are whatever (taxpayer, Library user, voter who elected the mayor or a sitting alderman, elevator repairman, etc.) best legitimizes their argument du jour.

So come out of the closet…you’re a GENIUS…you’re WONDERFUL…you’ve got GREAT ideas…the public LOVES them…you owe it to the community to let it know just who you are!

Here we have, writ small, what’s wrong with How It Works. Rather than stay on the butts of nicely paid executives to make sure they’re saving and earning our “company” — i.e. the City — the money they’re supposed to, elected officials would rather gut funding for the simple services and everyday comforts that make our town a pleasant place to live. Mary Schurder (Center of Concern) and Jan Van De Carr (Library) — to name just two; one non-profit and one public service) are not Lara Croft, Tomb Raider. They and their organizations are easy prey, compared to making City executives and vendors do their jobs.
And in that same spirit, we cry poor-mouth, kill Food for Fines and funding for Meals on Wheels to make up for the halfbaked work ethic of the Guys Who Actually Matter. But by all means, blame the citizenry, not the executives or the elected officials.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Is this a new variation on the divisive “class warfare” argument, this time pitting certain City bureaucrats (Hamilton, Oliven) against other City bureaucrats (the Library director) and the operators of private corporations (Center of Concern)? Excellent! You’re another one of those who should come out of the closet of anonymity and let the public know who is providing these brilliant socio-political insights.

Are you complaining about certain “nicely paid” City bureaucrats and distinguishing them from certain other “nicely paid” City bureaucrats solely on the basis of their involvement (or non-involvement) in this ticket collection fiasco? Seriously? If so, why don’t you ever complain about all those the “nicely paid” D-64 teachers with their six-figure salaries for only 9 months/year, or those even more “nicely paid” D-64 school administrators, whose schools slog around in ISAT mediocrity compared to the better districts in the Chicagoland area? There’s way more six-figure salaries, totally and proportionally, at D-64 than in the City.

And if you want CofC, Food for Fines, Meals on Wheels, etc. to get taxpayer money from the City rather than from those taxpayers directly through their private charitable donations, tell those private corporations/organizations to sign contracts with the City that specify exactly what services the taxpayers will be getting for each dollar of their tax money the City gives away.

Why hasn’t anyone asked the question “Why the heck is the city writing AT LEAST $1,000,000 of tickets and fines in the first place?”

That’s very conservatively $100,000 a year. A for example, $100.00 per ticket, that’s 1,000 tickets a year, or roughly three a day, that uncollectable.

What sort of tickets is the city writing that three people a day look at these tickets and say “WOW, that’s BS, I’m not going to pay it?”

Are these things like putting your trans bins in your yard more than 24 hours before pick up (I got a warning for that!); or grass that’s too tall? Or my favorite BS ticket in this town was the $50 ticket for backing my car into a parking space rather than pulling in! There was a tiny little sign 100 feet away from where I parked that said “backing in subject to fine” or something like that. It took me five minutes to even find the sign after I got the ticket to realize I did something wrong.

Lord knows what other offenses are subject to fine in Mayberry.

I know that building a hideous mcmanion is legal. but putting your garbage can out 25 hours before pick up is.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Once again, somebody hasn’t been doing his/her homework. A lot of that balance is fines on fines: the doubling or tripling, etc. of a fine when it isn’t paid when due.

Since you didn’t even have that basic knowledge, we’re going to ignore your other comments and hope you can figure them out for yourself.

Whether Hamilton and the Council are both doing there jobs will be judged by how they respond to this latest revelation. If they get this sorted out and on the right track in the next 3-6 months, I’m good with that. If they don’t, staff should be fired and the mayor and aldermen held accountable. If it’s not $1 million but only $500K, they need to say so, explain why, and collect the $500K. Diddling around is no longer an option, and I thank the Herald Advocate and PW for highlighting this problem.

EDITOR’S NOTE: That sounds about right.

While this matter has come up very occasionally over the last few years there is no doubt that the Council lost sight of it. And while the Council should take its lumps for that the City Manager and staff need to be held to account for the continuing lack of oversight and progress on the whole matter. This is really nothing more than the basic blocking and tackling we all should expect from those who are very well paid to make the wheels of our government turn every day.

So this is fixable and it will be fixed. And to insure that I’ve called for the City Manager to take immediate action on this issue and to update the Council on progress monthy going forward in an email I sent to him recently.

No matter what we are able to collect or have to write off for whatever the reason it’s simply unacceptable that there has been no apparent progress. Those who complain about the lack of progress on this matter while we decry the poor state of our finances and the need for an increased tax levy to service the increasing TIF burned are justified. This must and will be addressed.

My email to the City Manager, sent this past Wednesday, follows:

++++++++++

Shawn,

Having allowed the discussion from Monday night on the continuing accumulation of tickets and citations, municipal and parking to sink in I am writing to ask you to take immediate action to address and resolve the issue. If I could demand and force action I would but as the City Manager that is your job.

At this time when we are heading into taking action on the City’s tax levy in December, estimated to possibly increase at a double digit pace due to demand from the Uptown TIF, and considering our constant refrain about the fragile state of the City’s finances it approaches being irresponsible not addressing this matter immediately and head on.

I believe you have the authority to expend the funds and secure the resources necessary to address this matter now. I think you should and, as I made clear, if I could order it I would.

We need to know as soon as practical what amount of what was presented to us this past Monday night as nearly $1 million in outstanding tickets and citations is valid and collectible. For that which is not we need to disposition it immediately.

We need a collection policy in place ASAP. If this is a barrier to our taking action it needs to be removed immediately.

We need to put in place, whether internally or with the assistance of Duncan, PAM or our third party collection agency, a process where we have regular follow up on outstanding citations and tickets, move them through the process and to outside collections via an agency or other means immediately.

We need regular monthly reporting at Finance & Budget COWs on this starting immediately. The lack of this regular follow up allowed for this to be something of a surprise recently and that’s simply not acceptable.

There’s probably other actions we need to take but you should get my drift and, as City Manager, it’s your responsibility to get this issue organized and addressed so we, the Council, and the residents of Park Ridge are confident this is being addressed immediately and in a sustained fashion.

If resources are an issue, and I assume they will be, you should determine what they are and get them. If you need Council approval you should ask for that but I assume, as said earlier, this is within your authority.

Thank you.

ALDERMEN AND OTHER ELECTED – DO NOT REPLY ALL

djk

4:02AM:

May I inquire, why is it that you feel it appropriate to judge them on how they react to “this latest revelation” rather then the one that occurred 3 years ago?

I mean the comparison people always love to reference is public vs private sector. Is that the way it would work in the private sector?? A HUGE issue comes up that leaves egg on peoples faces, virtually nothing is done for three year while the whole situation is not being watched, the issue comes up again and so the market judges them on how they react NOW??? What about how they did not react for the last 3 years??

To quote you directly, “diddling around is no longer an option”. Why was it an option in the first place?? It may have at least a little to do with your willingness to give them a break for the last three years.

EDITOR’S NOTE: 4:02 AM can speak for him/herself should he/she choose.

Until then, however, we will suggest that if a private sector business went through 3 CEOs, 2 CFOs and got 3 (of 7) new board members in less than 3 years, a number of things would probably get overlooked during all those transitions. And that’s the kind of turnover the City had since then-finance director (CFO) Allison Stutts discovered the uncollected fines in November 2011.

City mgr Jim Hock (CEO) was sacked 6 months later, leaving deputy city mgr Juliana Maller in that role for a couple of months before she left and Shawn Hamilton was hired as acting city mgr in August 2012. Stutts left in December 2012, succeeded by Kent Oliven until July 30 of this year. And Ald. Mazzuca was appointed in June 2012 to replace Bernick, while Alds. Milissis and Shubert took their seats in May 2013 succeeding DiPietro and Raspanti.

That even more and bigger balls weren’t dropped during that many transitions is probably more noteworthy than that this one ball was.

Maybe you don’t know what you’re talking about. Fines don’t triple. They double. And the usual fine for parking for example is $50.00. Which doubles to $100.00. That’s why I estimated $100.00 per ticket. I’ve been working in municipal law all over northeastern Illinois for 20 years and $100 is a pretty good estimate for a fine. You’re getting old, obstinate and old and the world is starting to pass you by. It’s sad to see.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Of course we believe that you’ve “been working in municipal law all over northeastern Illinois for 20 years.” We’ll also believe you if you say you’re the Easter Bunny every spring. Or Chuck Norris’ stunt double. Or even Howard P. Frimark’s dentist.

And you must have missed the memo: 62 is the new 47.

PubDog, I’m with you on what we get for what we pay to D64 and 207, especially to the administrators. And I’ve said so more than a few times on this blog, albeit anonymously. I am also with you on having the non-profits submit proposals to the City in order to get funding, and I think I’ve said that at least once — although I fear folks of your persuasion would block such funding if even one non-Park Ridge resident would benefit. Accountability is everything — my point is, it’s not just for the meek. It’s for everybody. There will be more money to do what matters if we plug most of the money leaks in this country, not just the ones caused by the lame and halt.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Only if folks of “your persuasion” would continue to refuse to understand the difference between taxes and private charity and continue to try to misuse tax dollars.

We’ve always been against welfare for the well-off – or for the greedy rather than the truly needy – whether it be corporate welfare or social welfare. Which is why we were strongly opposed to corporate handouts like the City’s facade subsidy program and the Taste of Park Ridge subsidy.

not sure why the mayor — or the city council as a whole — can’t “order” the staff executive to do his job.

EDITOR’S NOTE: You can’t be serious! Order an employee to do his job?!?!

There are only two ways to deal with an employee who can’t/won’t do his/her job: encourage or fire.

I may (or may not) be at variance with Alderman Knight. It is my understanding that most of the uncollected fines are now nearly impossible to collect. I would take exception to spending scarce taxpayer resources in a vain attempt at collecting that which cannot be collected. But, if the City Manager and the Council determine the collectable revenue would exceed the cost of finding it, I would support them.

EDITOR’S NOTE: As would we. But no matter what they choose, they need to get a pragmatic policy in place to stop the goat rodeo that this outsourcing program appears to have been since then-city mgr. Tim Schuenke, then-ass’t city mgr. Juliana Maller and then-finance director Diane Lembesis sold it to then-mayor Howard Frimark and the then-14 member city council, which voted on the original contract with Duncan Solutions on March 19, 2007.

But outsourcing is so much cheaper and more efficient than public sector employees!
And in the “you must be kidding” department, really? “Encourage or fire” are your only choices?
You must not be the managing partner at your firm.
One would think a six-figure salary and fabulous benefits for life would be “encouragement” enough. But perhaps only in the private sector.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Only when done right, and this outsourcing appears to be screwed up from its inception.

Yeah, instead of “encourage or fire” you could try 12 months of executive coaching. Or maybe 12 months of Harry & David fruit of the month club membership.

Yes, one would think so – but the six-figure public employees still depend on the competence of the five-figure employees.

Wasn’t Duncan called on the carpet 3 years ago? If we have continued to pay them, what is payment based on, empty promises from them? There may be a contract, but if they haven’t lived up to their end of the deal can we demand a refund and declare the contract with them void? Or is someone on our end not supplying Duncan with the information needed for them to do their job? There’s obviously a breakdown somewhere, question is, where?

EDITOR’S NOTE: Read the “Collection Update” – both the lines and between the lines – and you should be able to judge for yourself.

I commend Ald. Knight on responding to this post and these comments, and doing so in his own name while risking abuse from anonymous commentators (just like I commend Mayor Schmidt for doing the same).

I do not think it should be all that difficult to come up with a policy for the city dealing with unpaid fines. And after 7 years, should not the Duncan’s contract go back out for bid or RFP?

EDITOR’S NOTE: So do we.

And, yes, given how poorly this outsourcing has gone, there is no reason for the City to be wedded to Duncan Solutions – even if a significant portion of the blame falls on City Hall.

Alderman Knight:

I too appreciate your post. I just wish, that on an issue this big (all over the papers and on this blog), and on in issue that so perfectly reflects peoples opinion of our government as a whole at all levels, the mindset reflected in your post would have been there 3 years ago.

Your expectation would be that this should be something that is basic blocking and tackling and I agree. But my expectation is also that when HUGE blocks and tackles are missed (like the Bears lately) the council is enough on top of it to notice in a reasonable timeframe. I am sorry but 3 years is not a reasonable timeframe.

“So this is fixable and it will be fixed. And to insure that I’ve called for the City Manager to take immediate action on this issue and to update the Council on progress monthy going forward in an email I sent to him recently”.

I am glad these steps are being taken but I guess my response is…….about time!!!

You say the CM needs to be held accountable. I AGREE!!!! If he is not doing his job as it sure appears he did not on this issue, I would expect you and the council to hold him accountable, all the way to replacement if you deem it necessary. But I have to say my confidence level about how much you all really know about the job he is doing has gone down a few levels based on this whole fiasco.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Your extreme concern and lost confidence – after you awoke from your own 3-year nap on this issue – was addressed in our EDITOR’S NOTE to your 11.01.14 at 7:35 am comment. But since this troubles you so, so much, why not show up at City Hall this Wednesday night and tell the Council just how disappointed you are in it and Hamilton?

If the state would withhold renewing privileges for your drivers license and tag renewal until all local and state fines where taken care of, this would not be nearly as big an issue. But there is NO incentive to pay these fines if there are really no consequences for not paying them. I remember getting pulled over in stone park back in the day and I had to follow the cop back to the police staton and pay the fine on the spot or I was going to get my drivers license confiscated until I did pay it. I’m willing to be they didn’t have many uncollectables……

EDITOR’S NOTE: The City appears to have been totally derelict in prosecuting, collecting and following up on these tickets and fines until former Financial Director Stutts discovered the backlog. The longer collection is delayed, the lesser the chances of collecting.