The collection effort violated a clerk’s office memorandum of understanding stating that fines collected by the Attorney General’s office must be at least $100.
“In light of your failure to abide by the terms. This cancellation is effective immediately.”
But for nearly all Clevelanders receiving notices of collection, the tickets being collected fell below that threshold, as residents were receiving debt collection notices for $20 for tickets issued 20 or more years ago. That news was first published by Fox 8 on April 10. A follow-up report from Cleveland.com on April 22 found that, “98.4% of the 100,000 tickets in question are for less than $100. More than half of them were only $20 tickets when they were issued, according to the data. Only three of them were for more than $100 when they were originally issued.”
Less than a week later, the AG chastised Cleveland for violating the parameters of the deal.
The collections came as part of a broader push from the city to boost revenue. Cleveland City Council passed an ordinance last October to collect unpaid bills including parking tickets, tax delinquencies, emergency medical service fees and more.
Citing the “failure to abide by the terms,” in a letter to the court, Section Chief of Collections Enforcement for the Ohio Attorney General’s office Lucas Ward wrote that many residents should get their money back, and that it’s on Cleveland to do so.
“Cleveland Municipal Clerk of Courts shall be responsible for handling any refunds that you determine are due to the individuals who have paid on these accounts. It is your mistake, so it must be your cure.”
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This article appears in Apr 19 – May 3, 2023.