August 11, 2008

City Auditor Laura Doud Proposes Wheel Clamp Program
 

Could Generate Up To $2.5 Million Annually, Representing 15% of Budget Deficit

City Auditor Laura Doud unveiled a Wheel Clamping Program and cost benefit analysis today that estimates Long Beach would receive approximately $1.1 million to $2.5 million in annual new net revenues. “The City Auditor’s Office is doing everything we can to collect all revenue due to the City,” said City Auditor Doud. Three City Councilmembers, Suja Lowenthal, Gary DeLong, and Rae Gabelich, co-sponsored the recommendation to request that management report back on the initiation of a wheel clamping program.
 

Click here to download the analysis.

Wheel clamping is widely used in other cities to collect on delinquent parking tickets by immobilizing a vehicle’s wheels. The owner cannot remove the clamp or operate the vehicle until all unpaid fines are paid. Only those violators with five or more tickets outstanding would be subject to wheel clamping.

The Wheel Clamping Program is Initiative # 11 of the Long Beach City Auditor’s Police Efficiency Study, which was released in June 2007. The City Auditor’s Office performed a cost benefit analysis that expands on the original Police Study, and will be presented to the City Council on Tuesday, August 19, 2008.

The analysis focuses on the fact that the City currently has $11.7 million in uncollected parking tickets from approximately 18,900 vehicles that have at least five or more unpaid tickets. Further, the analysis projects the implementation cost and revenue projections based on 10%, 15% and 20% recovery rates. The recommended program would target only those violators with five or more unpaid parking tickets in the last five years.

“With these recovery rates, the City will generate between $1.1 million and $2.5 million annually,” noted City Auditor Laura Doud. “This would offset between 7% and 15% of our current budget deficit by just collecting on unpaid parking tickets from those who have so far refused to pay them. The money collected in this program could protect vital services for our community. I look forward to discussing this initiative with the City Council.”
 

Click here to download the analysis.

Staff Contact: You are encouraged to contact Olivia Silva Maiser, Director of Communications at 562-570-6434 or at Olivia.Maiser@longbeach.gov