Small-town parking fines about to take big jump

Parking scofflaws beware — the City of Port Washington is raising the cost of a parking ticket.

Beginning next year, those distinctive bright yellow parking tickets will cost $25 instead of the $10 now in effect.

“I’m sure people will complain, but everything’s going up,” Police Chief Kevin Hingiss said.

It’s a significant increase, Hingiss acknowledged, but he said it’s justified for several reasons.

It’s been at least 15 years since there was an increase in parking fines, Hingiss said, adding that the cost of processing those tickets has also gone up through the years.

“The fine hasn’t kept pace,” he said.

The increase also brings Port into line with the fines charged by other nearby communities, Hingiss said.

The average fine in Ozaukee County is between $20 and $25, Hingiss said.

Both the Grafton and Cedarburg police departments said parking tickets there are subject to a $20 fine.

The Common Council last week approved a fee schedule that calls for the increased fine for parking tickets.

The only parking fine that isn’t going up is for handicap parking violations, which will continue to carry a fine of $150.

The cost of unpaid parking tickets increases over time.

Tickets issued today increase to $15 if not paid within three days, $20 if not paid within 10 days and $35 if not paid after 28 days — at which point the vehicle registration is also suspended.

But under the new fee schedule, tickets issued next year won’t increase unless they are unpaid for 28 days, at which point they will increase to $50.

At that time, the matter will be referred to the state tax refund intercept program.

Fifty dollars is the minimum to qualify for the tax refund intercept program, Hingiss noted.

Hingiss said he doesn’t know how many people don’t pay their tickets within a month, but said it’s “enough.”

In a normal year, he said, the city collects roughly $20,000 in parking fines, with about 10% of that coming from people who overstay the parking meters at the marina.

Parking fines collected by the police department don’t go into the police department coffers, Hingiss noted. Instead, they go into the city’s general fund.