Oakwood OKs use of boots for parking ticket scofflaws

City’s law director says amendment not meant to generate revenue.

People who have two or more unpaid parking tickets in the city of Oakwood that have not been contested can have their vehicles booted, according to recent action by city council.

“Each year, we have a handful of people who receive parking tickets and refuse to pay them. The number is small but the problem is real,” said council member Christopher Epley.

City council, in a 4-0 vote Monday night, approved an amendment to an ordinance that allowed the city to tow cars with at least one parking ticket that had gone unpaid for at least 10 days. Council member Ann Shank Hilton was not present. The original ordinance had not been enforced for years due to legal concerns, officials said.

Epley introduced the amendment.

Six people had two or more unpaid parking tickets when the ordinance was first read at council’s July meeting. Some of those tickets had been incurred over multiple years. The city’s law director said the amendment is aimed at reducing the administrative burden of the Oakwood Municipal Court, not generating revenue.

“When somebody doesn’t pay a ticket, when they don’t come to court, the clerk of court’s office here has to send letters and reminders. They may send certified mail. There are costs and there’s time just involved in tracking that,” Oakwood law director Robert Jacques told the Dayton Daily News.