Pesky parking tickets got you down? With the dearth of free parking spots in the city and expensive lot fees, parking illegally is increasingly tempting. While no one wants to get caught, take solace in the fact that when you do, at least those fines are going to a good cause.
 When you see one of these bad boys on your car, don’t throw a ticket tantrum. Just think about your money being put to good use by city government for, say, a few extra seconds of corporate training. |
According to Ric Barrick, city spokesman, the city makes about $1,000 to $1,500 a month in parking tickets, all of which goes into general city funds. With parking fines earning an annual revenue between $12,000 and $18,000, we decided to look into the city budget and see what the amount of average illegal parking decisions could add up to buy.
Unfortunately, Charlottesville’s looking for pricey upgrades in the upcoming year, and those fees can’t really buy much on their own. With all the parking fines, the city can possibly pay for half of the $35,000 "corporate training fund" for city employees. It could get close to covering the $25,000 cost of providing weed cutting on sidewalks, drains, and curbs for the city’s right-of-way areas. Or it could get lost in the sea of local school funding, at best a mere 0.05 percent of that $38.3 million expenditure.
So next time you’re feeling risky and are tempted by a yellow curb spot, think of the worst case scenario in terms of the overall civic gain. This year, maybe our efforts can actually buy something in full.
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