If your parking tickets in the City of St. Louis has been piling up, then St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones has a plan for you – a payment plan.
The new program, which will go into effect in 2020, will allow fines and penalties to be paid over a period of months in order to avoid booting or towing. Parkers must still follow applicable laws, sign up quickly for a payment plan, and make monthly payments on time to avoid getting booted and towed.
“Everyone cannot afford to pay for outstanding parking tickets all at once, and I don’t want someone to lose their vehicle over minor violations,” Jones said in a statement. “Many St. Louisans depend on their cars to get to work and support their families. We can do two things at once: enforce local law and keep the needs of the community in mind.”
Jones said that the new policy answers a call to action in the Ferguson Commission report, which recommended that government officials “establish effective alternatives to jail time, fines, and fees for violations of municipal ordinances, including payment plans and community service.”
She said that drivers should still expect to pay all fines for violations while booting and towing practices are under review during the planning process.
Payment plans for parking ticket scofflaws is Jones’ second policy response to a Ferguson Commission call to action. In 2015, she introduced the College Kids program, which is funded with residual parking revenue, families’ contributions, and donations from the public. The commission called for “progressive universal Child Development Accounts.” Research shows these types of accounts make students three times more likely to attend college and four times more likely to graduate than children without savings, Jones noted. College Kids has helped over 16,000 public school students start educational savings accounts, now holding assets over $1.1 million.
Jones also asks banks who do business with the city to report annually on their progress delivering on specific recommendations of the Ferguson Commission.
College Kids is a program with the Office of Financial Empowerment (OFE), which Jones opened in 2014. She said the office has organized over 300 financial empowerment workshops with over 6,000 participants on credit and money management. It also publishes an Alternative Lending Guide that lists alternatives to payday loans.
Jones also has announced a $15 minimum wage for all departments she oversees.
