An ordinance preventing people from obtaining permits and licenses from the city-parish if they owe on traffic fines or other debts is on the agenda for Wednesday’s Metro Council meeting. Modeled after statutes in cities such as Washington, D.C., called the “clean hands law,” the ordinance was initially brought before the council by Mayor Pro Tem Mike Walker in late November. A vote was never taken, and Walker says he held off on the idea while questions from the council and finance department were addressed.
Walker says the ordinance would help the city-parish collect more outstanding parking and traffic tickets, as well as city court fines. However, he says he has not arrived at a precise figure on how much is owed to the city-parish from outstanding traffic tickets and court fines. “We got a lot of people that owe us money,” Walker says. “So far, we haven’t found a way to get them to pay. This appears to be a workable, constitutional way.”
When the ordinance was last before the council, city officials reported between 28% and 45% of all parking tickets go unpaid each year, adding up to roughly 18,000 unpaid parking fines over the past six years. “If you owe the city money and you want to do business with us—hey, pay up first,” Walker says. “We’re not trying to penalize you or prevent you from doing business with us. We’re just saying, if you owe us money, pay your debt first and we’ll continue to do business with you.” —Steve Sanoski
