Who Got Da BOOT (Part 2)

When I last reported on this BOOTless car over a week ago, it had $1,030 in unpaid parking tickets owed to the City of Hudson.  Today, the car got its 4th ticket since then, with a total of 41 unpaid tickets, and now owes the city $1,280.

Early last week, I asked the woman at the Parking Bureau what the policy was  regarding the BOOTing of cars.  I was told that a car was BOOTable 45 days after a 3rd unpaid parking ticket.  Our City Code says the same thing.

Late last week, I asked one of the friendly HPD Parking Enforcers what the deal was with the BOOT situation.  He shook his head and said, "I don't know.  They told me that there is litigation about something and cars are now only getting towed if they have $500 in unpaid tickets."

"Then why are there cars with more than $500 still not getting the BOOT?" I asked.

"I have no idea.  I tell them about these cars and they don't do anything," he replied.  The officer was obviously frustrated, and told me that there were more than a few unBOOTed cars with well over $500 in tickets.

It's worth noting that at the recent Informal Council meeting, City Treasurer Heather Campbell wondered aloud why ticket revenues were down again last month, as she has done at previous recent meetings.  In response, Police Chief Ed Moore, during his report, offered that the low parking ticket revenue was due to the one enforcer who recently quit his job after a year.  No one mentioned anything about litigation, online payment issues, or a new policy about BOOTing cars with lots and lots of tickets and unpaid fines.  Something else is going on besides Parking Enforcement being short one worker, that's for sure.

I'm thinking that the city's online parking ticket payment system made a mistake, or mistakes, and someone sued the city for being overcharged or for being towed.  To avoid any more problems, perhaps the city is being really careful about what cars get BOOTed.  

But 41 unpaid tickets totalling $1,280 and the owner can continue to drive the car and accrue more parking tickets?  

Who is in charge of the Parking Bureau? The answer to that question is worthy of a future article, so stay tuned.