Pay off those parking fines in Valley Stream

Have an outstanding parking ticket in Valley Stream? Now is your chance to pay it without much penalty.

For the first time in seven years, the village is holding an amnesty program to collect money on unpaid parking tickets. The program runs from Oct. 15 to Nov. 15 and is designed to help people clear their records, said Village Justice Bob Bogle.

Bogle said a parking ticket that was originally $35, if unpaid could become $150 or more with late fees after a year. With the amnesty program, all a violator will owe is the original fine plus a $20 administrative fee. It does not apply to speeding tickets or other moving violations.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had an amnesty program,” Bogle said. “There are many tickets that have piled up.”

Bogle said the village issues between 30,000 and 35,000 parking tickets each year, plus a few thousand given out by Nassau County Police. Typically, he said, 90 to 95 percent of tickets are paid, but that still leaves about 3,000 unresolved violations each year. “Five percent every year adds up,” he said.

About 20,000 notices have already been mailed out to the registered owners of vehicles with unpaid parking tickets since the beginning of 2004.

The village will contract with Fundamental Business Services to administer the amnesty program. The company already handles the regular processing of tickets for Valley Stream. FBS will be paid a maximum of $41,794 for the amnesty program, depending on how much revenue it brings in.

The last time the village did an amnesty program, Bogle said, the village made about $70,000 after the service fee was paid. He said the amount could be even higher this time because ticket fines have gone up since 2003.

However, Bogle said, the purpose of the program is not to raise money for the village. It is to help people comply with the law. Bogle said that most people do want to follow the rules, but financial situations often prevent them from being able to pay off a parking ticket. He said because of the difficult economic times, he decided it would be a good time for another amnesty program to help people out. The village board agreed, approving the program at its September meeting.

“The village does make some money,” he said. “We don’t make a king’s ransom. As a judge, my primary concern is never money.”

Village Clerk Vinny Ang said any money that the village receives will go into the general fund. With other revenues down, such as the sales tax and mortgage tax, any additional money helps, he said, noting that unpaid parking tickets are of no value to the village.

Ang said outstanding parking tickets can affect someone’s ability to re-register their vehicle.

Bogle said the amnesty program is good for the village, but especially for vehicle owners. “It is really a win-win situation,” he said. “People have a chance to get that ticket off their backs.”