(a) Any owner of a vehicle charged with a violation of any parking offense as contained in this chapter, for which no penalty is otherwise expressly provided, shall pay a fine for each separate offense of ten dollars ($10.00) if paid within 72 hours, or twenty dollars ($20.00) if paid after 72 hours but within thirty days, and of fifty dollars ($50.00) if paid after thirty days. All times and dates for such graduated fines shall be calculated from and after the date on which a parking citation was issued. Whoever violates any provision of this chapter and fails to submit payment of the prescribed fine within thirty days from and after the date on which a parking citation was issued may be charged criminally with a minor misdemeanor upon the issuance of a Uniformed Traffic Ticket and subject to the penalty provided in Section 303.99, or such fines may be collected civilly by turning said citation(s) over to a collection agent. Such agent shall be entitled to add a collection fee, in an amount approved by Council pursuant to contract with the collection agent.
(b) Notice of the parking offense and unpaid fine shall be sent to the registered owner of the vehicle at his/her last known address if the fine remains unpaid for ten days. Such notice shall contain the following statement “Please note that if this fine remains unpaid for more than thirty days from the date on this notice, you may be subject to criminal prosecution or said fine may be turned over to a collection agent and a collection fee added to the cost”.
(c) When such fines are to be collected criminally, payment of the prescribed fine may be made in the manner prescribed on the issued traffic ticket. Such payment shall be deemed a plea of guilty, waiver of court appearance and acknowledgment of conviction of the alleged offense and may be accepted in full satisfaction of the prescribed penalty for such alleged violation. Payment of the prescribed fine need not be accepted when laws prescribe that a certain number of such offenses shall require court appearance.
(Ord. 06-12. Passed 7-17-06.)