Just call it a state-supported scam.
Once upon a time, parking enforcement was the purview of meter-maids on scooters tooling from spot to spot.
Today, it is big business.
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Just call it a state-supported scam.
Once upon a time, parking enforcement was the purview of meter-maids on scooters tooling from spot to spot.
Today, it is big business.
For example, in 2008, Chicago received $1.15 billion when it signed a 75-year lease with a private outfit called Chicago Parking Meters LLC.
Within a decade, they have already collected revenue greater than their initial payment by jacking up parking fees and zealously enforcing meter times. And please note they have 64 years remaining on the lease.
It seems rather unfair that when folks fall behind in paying this outfit owned by a Wall Street bank and the Middle Eastern emirate of Abu Dhabi, they can have their driver’s licenses suspended by the State of Illinois.
Why should the power of the state be used to benefit a particular money-making enterprise?
Imagine a landlord or credit card company telling someone who has fallen behind on payments that if they don’t pay up, the state will suspend their driver’s license.
Scott Reeder is a veteran statehouse journalist and freelance reporter.