SR-202-003 (26)
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;!!O2---003
Santa f'1onlca, Cal iforma, Apnl 17, 1979
To:
r1ayor and C1 ty Counc1l
lie.
From:
Clty Staff
APR ~ -4 1979'
SubJect: Parking C1tation Revenue and Processlng
Introduction
ThlS report outllnes the current delay 1n Park1ng C1tat1ons Processing
ln the Mun1clpal Court, recommends a temporary Solutlon to the problem,
and illustrates the benefit to be derived by the City from this solution.
Th1S report focuses on the revenue generat1ng function of park1ng citations
and does not d1SCUSS their prlmary function as enforcement of equal
access to park1ng spaces.
Background
The City Parking Checkers issue approximately 200,000 parking tickets each
year. Bail for the average ticket is $6.00 of which 89% (by law) is City
revenue ($1,068,000) and 11% is County revenue ($132,000). Copies of these
t1ckets are held in the Santa Monica nunic1pal Court awalt1ng elther payment of
ball or a request for court action from the defendant. If, after about Slxty
days, no word is rece1ved by the Court, the Court requests C1ty Data
Processlng to ascertain from the State Department of Motor Vehicles, the
name and address of the registered owner of the vehicle and to prepare
a notlce to the owner that unless the t1cket is paid (or otherwise resolved)
a warrant for his arrest will be issued. If, after an additional Slxty
days, no word from the defendant has been received by the Court, the
Court requests that City Data Processing prepare a warrant. The warrant
1/(.,
APR 2 4 1979
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To: Mayor and Clty Council
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April 17, 1979
1S 1ssued by the Court and notice of the act10n is sent to the registered
owner. ApproXlmately 60% of all tlckets are paid within the f1rst sixty
days, an additlonal 30% of all tlckets are pald once a notlce lS sent to the
registered owner~ while 10% of the tickets are never pald or otherwlse
adJud1cated. This last group contains out-of-state autos, abandoned
autos, etc.
The Problem
The Municipal Court, due to cuts in personnel, has been unable to notify
Clty Data Process1ng as to WhlCh cltations have exceeded the flrst SlXty
days without payment (or adjudication) and should be sent a not1ce.
Wlthout thlS, 30% of the tickets will result 1n no revenue. This
would be a loss to the City of about $640,000 per year. The last
notlfication by the Court to City Data Processlng occurred for t1ckets
issued in August of 1978. There lS then, at present, a SlX month backlog
worth approxlmately $320,000 in revenue to the Clty.
There is an addit10nal backlog. All notices produced by Clty Data Processing
must by law be screened by the Court before they are mailed to insure
that someone to be sent a notlce has not very recently pald the c1tat1on.
Clty Data Processlng has produced not1ces for cltatlons lssued from May
to August of 1978 WhlCh the Court has been unable to screen and
therefore has not ma1led. Th1S backlog represents about 28,000 tickets
(28,000 X $6.00 X 89%) worth about $150,000 to the C1ty. There is then
a total backlog worth $470,000 to the City. These flgures are based on
the assumptlon that County record keeplng is reasonably accurate and
that money received from the County, in fact, represents 89% of the
actual parking tlcket receipts.
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To' Mayor and Clty Council
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Apr1l 17~ 1979
There are two problems: 1) The short term problem of the growlng
backlog, and 2) a long term problem of preventing the creation of
another backlog. City Data Processlng has begun to explore long
term Solutlons.
The Short Term Solution
Alternatlve 1: Hire temporary employees to perform the processlng
ln the Count.
Alternative 2: Permit the backlog to continue to grow.
Costs
In additlon to two new CETA personnel detalled to the task~ four
temporary personnel wlll be needed at a cost not to exceed $9,250.
(SlX weeks at approximately $5.00/Hr.) Funds are available In the
estlmated pay account 01-700-274-000-101. City Data Processing
estlmates this to be sufficient labor to overtake both current backlogs.
Recommendatlon
It is recommended that alternative #1 be adopted, and that Council
authorlze the transfer of $9~250 from account 01-700-274-000-101 to
City Data Processing temporary salaries account 01-100-223-000-150 to
finance the collectlon of $470,000 ln C1ty revenue.
Prepared by Edward A. Fraga
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