Mejia asks hearing on parking tickets, tow fees; reaction from council mixed

Julia Mejia: Chasing 'justice'

City Councillor-at-Large Julia Mejia wants her colleagues to consider a “sliding scale” for parking penalties in Boston, an income-based model that she says would ease the burden on low-income Bostonians while still following parking rules.

Mejia, who lives in Dorchester, has filed an order seeking a hearing “regarding the economic empowerment of income-adjusted parking tickets,” noting that she had paid off $159 in outstanding parking tickets this year before taking her seat on the council. 

“For me, everything that I have done has always been about my lived experience,” said Mejia. “As someone who has lived a life of poverty, I think it’s important to look at these issues from a lens of economic justice and how we can be more equitable when it comes to parking.

“Not to say that I’m here to break any laws or, you know, challenge the system, but I do think that we have an opportunity to make parking tickets a little more reflective of the financial situations that a lot of our residents are facing in the city today,” she added. 

The idea has been met with mixed reviews from Mejia’s new colleagues, some of whom have said they are not yet supportive of a sliding scale on fees, but are open to a hearing that would air out issues over the city’s “pile-on” approach to parking tickets and towing.

“I can say right now I don’t think I’m there yet with whether we should have reduced parking tickets based off of income,” said Councillor Lydia Edwards of East Boston, “but I certainly think that we should see how this is impacting individuals in several ways.”

Edwards pointed out areas of concern that might be addressed and called the city’s Ticket not Tow program “a balancing act. I think having your car towed especially impacts people who are impoverished. If you don’t have the money to pay the tow lot, you are then in a position that only hurts you more,” she said, noting that there are fees associated with paying parking tickets online.

“I don’t like having to pay to pay. When you pay online versus paying in person, you have to pay a transaction fee,” said Edwards. “I know it’s because of the way that the system is set up online, but I wonder if that’s a real, fair, equitable way of looking at things.” 

District 4 Councillor Andrea Campbell of Mattapan said that the council could “get really creative” in looking at ways to help constituents struggling with piled-on parking ticket fees. “Getting towed is an extreme hardship for some, and there has to be a better way for us to help our constituents do better,” she said.

“We need to look at how we can work for folks who want to do the right thing but are financially unable to do so,” she added, listing interest free repayment plans and customer service for residents as possible initiatives to be explored in the hearing. 

Edwards said another form of equity might be implemented with a no-interest repayment plan. “I think there’s ways that we could look at that,” she said, “I’m not there yet on saying we shouldn’t assess everybody $40, but I do think the other pile-ons that impact people should be discussed.” 

Not everyone on the council agrees with her.

“I’m not sure if this is the right approach,” said District 6 Councillor Matt O’Malley, “I appreciate the intent, but the enforcement piece and how we would actually make that determination does seem very difficult. It gives me pause.”

He said that the city should discuss “better and more creative ways to deal with parking issues,” like working toward cheaper or free transportation and alternative modes of mobility. 

After last week’s council meeting, Mejia told reporters that she’s gotten a lot of pushback online from people who see the initiative as a way for people to get out of paying their parking tickets. 

“I don’t think people should get away from paying their fee, but I think we have to find ways to make it easier for people to pay back debt,” said Mejia, “You’re still going to have to pay. It’s about the amount you pay. I don’t think it’s giving people a free pass to just rack up tickets. Absolutely not. I think that would be irresponsible.” 

She envisions that the city could assess an applicant’s income taxes to determine eligibility for income-adjusted tickets. “I think that bringing in your income tax from the previous year could be a way for us to determine how financially in hardship you might be,” she explained. “And then there are opportunities for us to look at doing a sliding scale so people can pay little by little.” 

Mejia said she’s open to suggestions and said that the hearing would be a learning opportunity for the council to hear from residents and officials with transportation expertise who could advise on how best to look at the issue.


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