Audit Finds Long Beach Is Owed $18 Million In Unpaid Parking Tickets
LONG BEACH (CBS) — An audit found that $18 million worth of uncollected parking tickets are owed to the city of Long Beach.
City Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske says she met with the city's auditor, Laura Doud, who told her an audit found the city is not collecting on outstanding parking citations.
"In fact, currently the city is owed $18 million in uncollected parking citations," Schipske said in a statement.
An audit in 2009 determined that the city was owed $11 million in uncollected parking citations.
Schipske wants the city to contract out for the billing and collections services for parking citations, ambulance and paramedic services.
Serious cuts have been made to core city services to balance the city's budget, but very little effort has been made to ensure the city is receiving every dollar it is entitled to receive from citations, fees and contracts, she said.
"Citizens should not be penalized with cuts in city services while the city fails to do its job collecting revenue it is owed," Schipske said.
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