Do you offer a payment plan for parking tickets?
We recognize that some parking fines can be expensive. Infractions like ‘Front Yard Parking’, ‘Oversized Vehicle’, and ‘Handicapped Parking’ have fines ranging from $100 – $775, depending on whether it is a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd offense. To ease the burden of the higher fines we offer payment plans, on a case-by-case basis.
For years the payment plan process was very labor intensive and required everything to be done manually. It was necessary to establish the agreement and terms in writing, set calendar alerts to remind us to verify payments, and to send delinquent payment letters, if needed. A Calendar alert to verify a response to the delinquent payment letter and to end the payment arrangement, if needed, was also part of the process. Keeping track of all this on a spreadsheet and in paper files for every agreement was a lot of work.
This year (2024) our office volunteered to help our Parking Management Software vendor test and improve a ‘payment plans’ feature that they were developing. Monica Rogers, our Office Manager, pointed out problems and suggested several improvements during a months-long trial period. This essentially resulted in a “custom” Payment Plans software for ShrevePark and the City of Shreveport.
The vendor was so impressed with Monica’s assistance that they asked her and ShrevePark to be co-presenters to officially launch the new ‘Payment Plans’ software. During the webinar, for current and potential new customers, Monica was able to highlight ShrevePark and the City of Shreveport as she explained the Payment Plans process, the features of the new software, and how it is used here in Shreveport.
The collaboration has strengthened our relationship with the vendor and has positioned us as a preferred tester and early adopter of future product improvements. We believe this partnership and our participation in future innovations will help us better serve the City of Shreveport.
