City owed $539K in unpaid tickets

There were 15,168 outstanding parking citations as of Jan. 31.

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By Shannon Rosenberg, Contributing Writer Updated 4:46 PM Monday, February 13, 2012

OXFORD — More than a half million dollars is owed to the city of Oxford in unpaid parking tickets.

In 2011 alone, the city issued 19,846 parking tickets, representing possible revenue of $276,410, according to Chief Bob Holzworth.

Most of the violations came in the Mile Square, and many from unpaid parking meters.

“The city is not designed to handle as many cars as Miami students bring in,” said Sgt. Jon Varley. “People don’t want to walk anywhere, they want to drive.”

City planners have set a goal this year of encourage alternative modes of transportation so residents walk or bike short distances instead of driving a vehicle.

“It is hard to get a space anywhere Uptown,” said Jon Dierks, a junior at Miami University. “People will drive around in circles waiting for spaces to open up. It’s not surprising that Oxford has so many parking tickets.”

As of Jan. 31, there were 15,168 outstanding citations, representing $539,000 owed.

Depending on the violation, tickets can cost anywhere from a $5 to the heaviest fine of $250.

Police can locate drivers with unpaid tickets using an automatic plate reader, capable of scanning 100 plates in five minutes.

Vehicles attached to drivers with two or more unpaid tickets more than 15 days old can be immobilized. Last year, 430 vehicles were booted, Holzworth said. The device costs $100 to be removed for first-time offenders, $200 for the second time and $300 for the third, he said.

“This is certainly not our preferred method of collection,” Holzworth said. “It’s expensive and we know that.”

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