The City of Saskatoon is planning to collect unpaid parking tickets issued over the last four years, amounting to over $6.1 million in outstanding fines. City administration is exploring a collections-based approach to obtaining payment for these fines. A report presented to the transportation committee discusses industry metrics related to the use of a collections agency and suggests that the city may decide to handle this in-house or outsource it to a third-party agency. As of April 2024, over 12,000 vehicle owners have two or more outstanding fines and may face having their vehicles booted, towed, and impounded.
If the city moves forward with involving collections, individuals with outstanding fines, especially out-of-town offenders, can expect to receive communication from the city or a third-party collection agency demanding payment. This initiative aims to target those who have not paid their fines and to hold them accountable for their violations. City administration anticipates sending out additional letters to out-of-town offenders to inform them of the outstanding fines and the consequences of not paying them. The city hopes to have a clearer plan for collecting unpaid tickets by the fall of this year.
The city’s director of community standards, Matt Graizer, mentioned that they are considering whether to handle the collections process internally or through a third-party agency. This decision will be based on the information presented in the report and the feasibility of each approach. By potentially tendering the collections process to a third-party agency, the city aims to expedite the collection of unpaid fines and ensure that individuals are held accountable for their violations. The goal is to improve the collection of overdue parking tickets and to address the issue of repeat offenders who have not paid their fines.
With the large sum of outstanding fines, the city is taking steps to recover these funds and enforce consequences for those who have not paid their parking tickets. Vehicle owners who have multiple outstanding fines are at risk of having their vehicles booted, towed, and impounded as a result of non-payment. The city administration is focused on maximizing collections efforts and exploring all options to collect on the unpaid fines. By considering a collections-based approach, the city hopes to increase compliance with parking regulations and hold individuals accountable for their violations.
Out-of-town offenders, in particular, may receive additional letters from the city or a third-party collection agency demanding payment for their unpaid parking tickets. This targeted approach aims to address the issue of non-payment among individuals who do not reside within the city limits. By extending collections efforts to out-of-town offenders, the city is taking a proactive stance in ensuring that all individuals who have outstanding fines are notified and required to pay their debts. The city’s efforts to improve collections on unpaid parking tickets demonstrate a commitment to upholding parking regulations and enforcing consequences for those who do not comply with them.
