That darn parking ticket gets a new look
City parking tickets will have a new look starting next month.
The city's two meter monitors are getting electronic hand-held devices that will print the tickets. It is a change from the handwritten tickets currently issued.
The new tickets will be printed on a piece of paper that looks like a store receipt, said police Capt. David Dalcamo. Those tickets will be inserted into a yellow envelope, which resembles the current tickets used, and placed on the windshield of the violating vehicles.
There are no changes in charges or how people can pay the fees.
“It's the same thing, it just will look different,” Dalcamo said.
The city will start a three-month trial period on Aug. 1.
The new tickets will be a cost-saving measure.
Police Chief Ron Fierst said the city currently pays about 20 cents per ticket. The new tickets, which will require no ink but rather will have text thermally printed on the paper, will cost about 8 cents each.
However, the advantages go beyond costs because the ticketing information also will be automatically added to the city's records from the electronic device, meaning it will no longer have to be manually re-entered into the system.“I think it's a way to be more efficient, save money, and be more accurate with our information, Mayor Maggie Stock said.Dalcamo said another advantage is the new tickets and envelopes are weather resistant and can be left outside for days.The ticketing devices come from In-Synch Systems, a law enforcement records management company based in Zelienople.Planning for the tickets has been going on for about the past year, Stock said.Stock said police officers will continue to use the traditional paper tickets outside the Main Street area that is covered by the meter monitors.The city issues 15,000 to 18,000 tickets every year, most of them in the Main Street area.Last year the city made about $126,000 from parking tickets, while the Butler Parking Authority earned an additional $60,000, the mayor said.
