Parking ticket amnesty draws more pushback, and Bill 260853 still has no committee
Two weeks after an Inquirer column criticized it, readers are still arguing over Jeffery Young Jr.'s amnesty bill. It would need a hearing and two Council votes before a planned Jan. 1 start.
The debate over forgiving old Philadelphia parking tickets has continued into November. The Inquirer's Nov. 1 letters page carried reader criticism of the proposal, following an Oct. 23 column that argued ticket debt mostly belongs to repeat offenders and that parking rules keep curb space turning over.
The bill's sponsor, 5th District Councilmember Jeffery Young Jr., has framed it as relief from rising costs. His office told the columnist it would help people who may have made an honest mistake.
If you owe old tickets, here is where the bill stands. Our Oct. 24 story explains it in detail.
What the bill would do
Bill 260853, introduced Oct. 15, directs the Philadelphia Parking Authority to run an amnesty from Jan. 1 through March 31, 2027 (bill text). Using the rules of the city's 2018 program with new dates:
- tickets issued before 2021 could be forgiven if newer fines, from 2021 through 2026, are paid or put on a payment plan;
- towing and storage fees from before 2023 would be eligible; and
- the city's four-year wait before another amnesty would restart from the end of this one.
The 2018 program forgave roughly $9 million and collected about $2.5 million, with an average recovery of about $100 per participant, WHYY reported.
What our records add
- Still no committee. Our record lists the bill as "In Council," with only its introduction on Oct. 15. Council met Oct. 22 and Oct. 29, and it was not referred to a committee at either session. It has waited 17 days.
- Five sponsors. Young, Anthony Phillips, Cindy Bass, Jim Harrity and Mark Squilla. A bill needs nine votes to pass.
- The calendar is tight. For a Jan. 1 start, the bill would need a committee hearing, a first reading, a final vote a week or more later and the mayor's signature. Council has four sessions left on its calendar this year: Nov. 12, Nov. 19, Dec. 3 and Dec. 10.
- Young's other fines bill. Bill 260699, which would cut speed camera fines roughly in half, has sat in the Streets and Services Committee since Sept. 17 without a hearing. New Route 13 cameras began ticketing Friday, as we reported.
What's next
The PPA comes before Council on Nov. 6 at 10 a.m., when the Streets and Services Committee holds a hearing on the authority's ticketing and towing during this summer's events, including the World Cup, under Young's Resolution 260735 (meeting page). The amnesty bill is not on that agenda, but it is the first public hearing with PPA officials since the bill was filed.