‘I can’t believe it,’ says furious housewife sentenced to pay $1,500 in parking fines – she doesn’t even own the car

A CITY has asked property owners to pay for alleged parking violations they did not commit.

Owners said the city sought thousands of dollars for previous fines incurred by other drivers.

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Homeowners in an Illinois village have been asked to foot the costs of parking violations, according to Chicago-based ABC affiliate WLS-TV.

The owners negotiated the price but remained upset.

“It’s not worth staying in the Markham community,” one of the owners, Dale Bragg, told the station.

“That’s another thing that would put investors off.”

Several drivers rented one of Bragg’s renovated homes – the renters incurred a series of fines.

The drivers were caught parking in the wrong location, driving a car with expired registration and using an “abandoned” vehicle, according to city hall documents.

When Bragg tried to rent the house to another renter, the fines haunted the owner.

The city rejected Bragg’s bid for a residential rental license until the fines were paid.

The fines totaled $5,200.

Markham has begun enforcing an ordinance that helps the city collect “any and all debts owed to the City of Markham, which includes any police fines associated with its properties, will be subject to immediate payment by the owner,” according to the station.

The law states that the city can collect the fines “even if said debt was issued to current or former tenants.”

Bragg said he negotiated his fines down to $1,800. But he said the issue motivated him to sell the property and not continue renting it.

“I couldn’t believe it,” another homeowner, Karen Seals, told the station after the city asked her to pay nearly $1,500.

Seals said the city asked her to pay a fine from a 2013 tenant.

“The village charged me a fine that was created over 10 years ago by previous tenants because they did not have a Village of Markham sticker on their vehicle,” she said.

Seals was able to negotiate the fines down to $400.

How to Fight a Parking Ticket

You can avoid being fined by following all published laws and regulations, but sometimes mistakes are made

Like any form of citation, parking tickets can be avoided by reading and obeying posted signage. However, when visiting a new city, or state, or in a hurry, things can be missed and mistakes can be made.

Suddenly there’s a ticket you weren’t prepared to pay for. If the ticket comes as a surprise to you, there are some things you can do to help your case when appealing a parking ticket.

• Read the ticket carefully. Look for errors such as incorrect street names, license plate numbers, vehicle make and model, time and date, etc. Errors would render the ticket invalid.
• Take pictures. The vehicle in the space, lack of signage, or other vehicles that were not cited for performing the same parking service. If the ticket involves parking too close to something like a fire hydrant, a photo showing a reasonable distance would help your case. Make sure metadata with time and date is accessible. Signs that are obstructed by trees, or on crooked posts, or that are not “obvious” are also great things to photograph.
• Make sure the statute that was violated is listed on the ticket. If it is not listed, the ticket is not valid.
• Immediately follow the appeal instructions on the ticket. All legitimate tickets will have appeal instructions. Waiting until the last moment weakens your argument and can result in late fees.
• When in court, avoid these phrases as they reduce your credibility and weaken your argument:
  • “I didn’t know the law.”
  • “I was going to move my car.”
  • “I can’t pay this ticket.”
  • “I’ve been doing this for years.”
  • “I checked with the parking officer, who said everything was fine.”
• Contact a lawyer. If you are facing obstacles and feel stuck, you may want to contact a traffic lawyer in your area. Many have free case consultations.

Source: Reader Summary

“A lot of us want to sell and get out,” Seals added.

“There will be more boarded-up homes in Markham.”

But the city’s new mayor said it’s the property owner’s job to maintain supervision when the renter is on the property.

“What is at issue is not the name of the tenant, what is at issue is who owns the property,” Mayor Roger A. Agpawa told the station.

“That’s why they call them owners, because they are the lords of that land and that property, and they are the ultimate owners of it and they are ultimately responsible.”

Derrick Champion, city manager, said imposing the fine ensures the city gets paid when drivers break the rules.

“We have to make sure there are regulations and policies in place so we can hold property owners accountable,” Champion said.

“If their tenants bail, you know, leave in the middle of the night, we’re still going to have to be able to collect fees.”