City seeking payment on already paid ticket

[pioneer160]

What is the name of your state? Ohio, Cleveland Heights

I was cited in Cleveland Heights, OH for a parking violation in which I was parked illegally as parking is restricted on city streets from 3am to 6am. I promptly went to city hall and paid the ticket in cash on the same day.

I just arrived back from vacation and in my mailbox is a deliquency notice for this ticket. I pulled my receipt which is stapled to my portion of the ticket, and it verifies that I have paid the ticket, includes the citation number and validation number, which corresponds with the citation they are attempting to collect on.

I called city hall and they looked through both thier computer records and manual records and tell me that they do not have it on file and that I should send in my receipt to get it cleared out of the computer.

It would appear to me after talking with a few residents of the area that the city commonly does this in hopes that they have not retained the payment receipts which without proof of payment would require a citizen to pay two and a half times more in addition to the orginal amount of the ticket to avoid being jailed or having his or her vehicle impounded. I would really like to see an end to this practice.

Suppose I decide not to send in the receipt as it is not my fault they cannot keep accurate records and I am arrested or my vehicle is impounded, what recourse if any would I have on the city?

Mail fraud?
False imprisonment?
Vehicle theft?
Theft? (If I paid the amount requested)
Would I be at fault for not sending in the receipt?

Yes it would be far easier to simply make a copy and send it in. But this is not the first time, nor the last I would imagine. This practice should stop.

Best regards,

X

[Zigner]

Send the copy of the receipt...errors happen.

[patstew]

Originally Posted by pioneer160

It would appear to me after talking with a few residents of the area that the city commonly does this in hopes that they have not retained the payment receipts which without proof of payment would require a citizen to pay two and a half times more in addition to the orginal amount of the ticket to avoid being jailed or having his or her vehicle impounded.

Have these other residents had the same experience, or are they speculating? If it's happened to them as well, I'd gather all the evidence I can and present it to someone in charge... the mayor, maybe?

If it's speculation, you're SOL. People will say the most amazing things about how the city screws them out of their money with absolutely no proof.

Suppose I decide not to send in the receipt as it is not my fault they cannot keep accurate records and I am arrested or my vehicle is impounded, what recourse if any would I have on the city?

Why start off so adversarial? If your vehicle is impounded, it's going to be a gigantic pain in the ass and probably cost a lot MORE money.

Mail fraud?
False imprisonment?
Vehicle theft?
Theft? (If I paid the amount requested)

Oh, please.

Would I be at fault for not sending in the receipt?

Well, YAH.