In case you haven?t noticed, it?s possible to pay Baltimore City parking tickets online. This would be very convenient except for the $7 convenience fee the city tacks on to process the transaction.
For a $42 ticket ? the price for parking in a zoned space without authorization ? that means a 17 percent increase in the fine. Even the most outrageous ATM fees don?t reach that height. We?d call that predatory processing.
We like Baltimore City mayoral candidate Mike Schaefer?s ideas about parking enforcement. He?d give a 50 percent discount to those who pay within 10 days of receiving a ticket and a free pass on an outstanding ticket on your birthday. Not only would that speed collection, it would probably increase the $20 million in parking ticket fees the city collects annually, since parking tickets are the least of most people?s financial priorities. It also would reduce operating costs for the finance department, because more people making automated payments means fewer people would be needed to process checks. The city must drop the fee. It?s one more stain on the city?s quality-of-life report card and completely out of step with what even the most price-gouging banks charge to use their ATMs.
