MILWAUKEE — An ordinance that would extend the time in which you can pay a parking citation has been passed by the city's Common Council.
Sponsored by Alderman Cavalier Johnson, the grace period for paying citations has been extended from 10 days to 14 days.
“My goal in sponsoring this legislation is economic justice,” Johnson said.
“Before this ordinance change, failure to pay a parking citation within 10 days meant a late-payment penalty was assessed to the original ticket. Residents living paycheck to paycheck now have a longer grace period to pay a citation in full, thus breaking a cycle of missed payment deadlines and ever-increasing late-payment penalties. Such penalties can push the cost of the citation beyond a person’s ability to pay,” Johnson added.
According to the release, research indicates that many major U.S. cities have a two-week grace period, including Minneapolis, Chicago, Cleveland and St. Louis.
