City officials say there are $3 million dollars of unpaid tickets that haven’t been paid.
Mayor Bob Coble says there is a plan. He says reports indicating the city is considering issuing criminal warrants to people who haven’t paid are false. Coble said, “While you would have the right to do that, criminal warrants wouldn’t be justified for parking tickets.”
Instead, he says they’re sending letters asking you to pay up and if you’re a multiple offender, your car could get towed. They’re also considering a program that would withhold money from tax refunds.
Coble said, “As unpleasant as it can be for cities to collect debts, every debt that’s not collected means someone else has to pay it or there are less services.”
Now, the city’s hoping luck is in their favor and the orange and white ticket holders help them collect their overdue prize.If you want to find out if you have an overdue parking ticket in Columbia, call (803) 545-3362.