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Amnesty Program Called A Success

5,500 People Pay Hartford More Than $370,000 For Old Tickets

By STEVEN GOODE

April 10, 2011

HARTFORD —— City officials are calling Hartford's first parking-ticket amnesty program a success.

According to the Hartford Parking Authority, the monthlong program, which allowed motorists with overdue parking tickets to pay their original fine and skip the penalties and fees, grossed more then $370,000. More more than 5,500 people paid old tickets.

In late February, the authority sent out notices about the amnesty program to about 35,000 people who had unpaid parking tickets in the last five years, with the hope of collecting about $200,000.

"We are very pleased with the outcome of the program, which was one of many pilot programs offered by the HPA over the past year," said Mark McGovern, the authority's executive officer.

Mayor Pedro Segarra said, "This is an impressive result of cooperation and collection and will certainly have a positive impact on the budget-balancing process."

McGovern, who said that Hartford modeled its program after successful ones in Houston, Shreveport, La., and Lexington, Ky., estimated that the city has lost about $18 million in revenue on 265,000 unpaid parking tickets in the last 15 years.

McGovern said the authority would analyze the data in connection with the program before deciding to offer it again, but added that it wouldn't be in the near future.

"It's going to be a few years down the line," he said.