Naperville proposes higher parking fines

Naperville parking scofflaws beware. That $30 ticket you just got is likely to jump to $50 before you know it.

City council members Tuesday will discuss a nearly 70 percent spike in parking fines that police say could net as much as an extra $150,000 a year for the city while also freeing up some spaces at the train depots for paying customers.

The proposed fine structure would raise the minimum parking violation from $30 to $50 and the minimum compromise payment from $15 to $25.

Sgt. John Westlove said the compromise payments are offered within 15 days of the violation unless the offender has three or more tickets in a 12-month period.

“It's just an added incentive to pay it and not let it get lost in the shuffle,” he said.

Westlove, who oversees four non-sworn parking enforcement officers stationed at the Route 59 Depot, Fourth Avenue Depot, downtown and at North Central College, said his four officers alone write about 1,200 violations a month.

“We want to see those (numbers) heading in the opposite direction so we'll see how the drivers react, if the council approves,” he said.

Some of the city's biggest scofflaws are the commuters who park but don't pay. A $15 Naperville ticket is cheaper than the typical $25 or more daily parking in Chicago.

City council members will discuss the proposed increases at 7 p.m. Tuesday at city hall, 400 S. Eagle St.