The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, September 18, 1979-Page 3 FINES BRING IN $1 MILLION ANNUA LL Y P r~l^1 q Y AJ.L AJ A Daily Photo CYRENA CHANG Tourist trap The weekend is-approaching, and Mom and Dad are coming up "to see your room." You're bummed, but since they're paying your way, you set up some activities for them, including a walk through the Diag, dinner at the Pretzel. Bell, anda visit to the State Street Barbershop. That's right, and it's not to get your locks trimmed 'either. If you don't know by now, the State Street Barbershop is the final resting place of the helmet and jersey of University football and baseball great, Rick Leach. But how did it get there, inquires your drooling dad. Rick who? asks Mom. You always liked Mom. Well, it appears as though that's where Rick got his hair cut during his four-year tenure at the University. "A lot of people ask me if it's really his," said Bill Stolberg, owner and operator of the barbershop, who added that he has been offered up to $150 for the gridiron garb. "I'll never give it up;" says Stolberg. Stolberg said Leach usually got "a typical wash and cut. Layered. And never too short." To calm any recent frenzy about Rick's hair, Stolberg stated that Leach's hair'was-in "good" condition. But how did Stoberg get Othe Ikach momentos "I just asked for it, and he gave it to me." Pretty generous of the 'ole quarter- 'back. A SEED grows in A 2 One of the newest student organizations to form on campus is Students for Employment and Economic Democracy .(SEED). The labor-oriented group has scheduled a conference in early January called "Labor in the '80s: Plight or Prosperity." Dedicated to the proposition that all conferences are ameliorated by well-known in- dividuals, SEED has firm cohmitments from William Wimpisinger, President of the Machinest Union and chairman of the national movement to Draft Kennedy, and Michael Harrington, chairman of the Democratic Society Organizing Committee, to speak. SEED's first meeting is scheduled for tonight at 7:30 p.m., at Guild House. . September hash bash Between seven and 10,000 devoted dope smokers gathered Sunday and created their own hash bash at the Lower Huron Metropark, located between Ann Arbor and Detroit. Sponsored by the diehard "United Marijuana Smokers of Michigan", the event went as planned until area police showed up and "peacefully" dispersed the crowd, arresting eight dope smokers along the way. "We had no idea it would be that big,"'said Huron Township's Sergeant James, who dispatched the cruisers to the party. "Once people realize that we weren't kid- ding, it went along smoothly from then on." Happenings FILMS Cinema Guild-The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, 7 p.m. only, Night of the * Hunter, 8 p.m. only, Old Arch Auditorium. Ann Arbor Film Co-op-In the Realm of the Senses, 7, 9 p.m., Aud. A, Angell Hall. Cinema II - Way Down East, 7,9:15, Aud. 3, MLB. SPEAKERS "COMPUTING Center-James Bodwin to lecture on the new Algol W. compiler, 7:30-9 p.m., Room 3016 Frieze Bldg. Bio-Engineering Program-Joachim F. Sieger, "Computer Tomography," 4-5 p.m., 1042 East Engineering. "The Bilingual Vocabularies and Hebrew Lexicography," Mitchell Dahood, 2 p.m., Room 3050 Frieze Bldg.' "Past and Present Tenant Struggle in Ann Arbor," Patricia Theiler, 12 p.m., International Center, 603 E. Madison. MEETINGS Arts Chorale--Mass meeting, old and new members welcome, 3-5 p.m., Aud. A, Angell Hall. Foreign Service Seminar-sponsored by Undergraduate Political Science Department, 7 p.m., 2029 Angell Hall. Go Club-7 p.m., 2050 Frieze. Michigan Daily Dorm meetings-East Quad, Greene Lounge; Markeley, Angela Davis lounge, 7-8 p.m. MISCELLANEOUS Informal tea-with the Dean of LSA, Billy Frye, 3:30 p.m., Student Counseling Office-students and faculty welcome. Art Exhibit-Two related exhibits of Canadian Inuit -Eskimo) art-Sept. 16-Oct. 14, U. of M. Museum of Art. Parkin By AMY DIAMOND If something is really consistent in Ann Arbor, it's the rate at which parking tickets are handed out. In fact, parking tickets are among the city's few million-dollar activities. The average Ann Arbor driver who walks out to his or her car and finds one of those blue and white parking tickets flapping on the windshield may only view it as a minor nuisance. But to the people who enforce the parking laws, it's serious business. ACCORDING TO John Bentley, Ann Arbor City Treasurer, the number of parking tickets which are paid probably make up one of the city's largest sources of revenue. "Classifying parking tickets as an in- dividual item makes it one of the highest revenues our city has, because we receive close to $1 million a year in payments and that's 82 per cent of the total tickets issued a year," said Ben- tley. In fact, revenues were up 5.4 per cent over last year without a rate increase. This was due to both increased demand for parking spaces and better enfor- cement efforts, resulting in more drivers paying the parking meters in- stead of chancing a parking ticket, ac- cording to the city's 1978-79 annual fiscal report. THE 12 MAIN enforcers who hand out parking tickets spend their days riding through Ann Arbor in yellow and green Pintos surveying city and University parking spaces for violators. One of the closely-watched areas en- compasses the approximately 7,000 parking spaces the University provides in and around its campus. According to Cy Hughes, manager of the "Pinto Parking Brigade", in the city's Streets, Traffic and Parking Department, every month the enforcers give out at least one ticket for every University parking space. In August, 4,437 tickets were issued on campus, 10,472 throughout the city and 1,085 in the parking system. Hughes maintained that these figures stay fairly constant during the year. HE ADDED THAT numerous tickets help to create parking space turnover. "The issuance of tickets helps provide parking turnover and this makes parking more available to everyone which is the key feature of our program," said Hughes. But even though the city issues more than 20,000 tickets a month, many local citizens and students often disregard them by not paying the fines - at least not right away. "I've received about 30 parking tickets since I brought my car to Ann Arbor and I've only paid 10 of them, said Randy, a student who asked that his last name not be printed. RANDY SAID he often gets frustrated by the tickets and said he doesn't plan on paying them unless his car is towed away. "You can get away with a lot. It's really ridiculous, I mean, just because they (the enforcement at- tendants) have a boring job, they feel the need to take out their aggressions on the students." Bentley said the discrepant view between the motorists and the enfor- cers revolves around the fact that the motorist is able to get nine parking tickets before any pressure or action is brought by the city to bring in delinquent fines. "The City Council set up the ar- bitrary number of 10 tickets for no par- ticular reason. But once the driver receives that tenth ticket, things start to really come down;" said Bentley. BUT HOW is the city able to make $1 million a year on parking ticket revenue if people aren't paying their fines? Bentley revealed that a whopping 82 per cent of the tickets issued per year are paid and only 16 to18 per cent of the tickets remain unpaid. The city treasurer estimated that the city has between $1 to $2 million worth of unpaid tickets. The reason for this high figure is two-fold, he said. THE TICKETS which remain unpaid are calculated for several years instead of just one and the longer a ticket sits in police files without being paid, ad- ditional late fees are imposed. Bentley explained, "Among the 82 per cent who pay their fines are those that we tow. These people are often the ones with 10 to 20 outstanding tickets and usually add up to a good $150 in fines." Towing usually costs $25 per vehicle. The city is able to clamp down on these violators with 10 or more tickets because Hughes' forces include two spotters whose sole job is to search for g ticket cars with 10 or more outstanding tickets. THESE SPOTTERS are on physically limited duty and not on workmens' compensation. "We have CETA (Comprehensive Employment Training Act) people as spotters but we tempted to outsmart the parking atten- dants. One trick they employ is to put an old ticket on the windshield of the car before leaving it so the enforcer will think the car has already been issued a ticket. However, Hughes said he urges his Daily Photo CYRENA CHANG A PARKING ticket stuck in the window wiper of this car by the LSA Building waits to surprise an unsuspecting motorist. This is just one of many ticketed vehicles parked around Ann Arbor. may try to hire twopermanent people," said Hughes. Once the cars are located by the "spotter" which usually happens when the car has been cited for another parking or moving violation, the cars are either towed away and kept until all the tickets have been paid, or they are immobilized by a device called the "Denver boot." The Denver boot is a lock that is placed on the axle of the car which prevents the wheels on the car from moving. Ann Arbor has four of these devices to use in its battle against parking violators. STEVE, WHO also didn't want his last name used, was a victim of the "Denver boot." The spotter booted his car because he had 15 unpaid parking tickets. Steve had to dish out $139 to get the boot off his car. However, according to Paul, a graduate student at the University, the 10-ticket towing policy is absurd and useless. "I've got out-of-state plates on my car and I don't think they will ever catch me, especially since everyone just changed the license plates on their cars," explained Paul, who currently has twelve outstanding tickets. But Hughes said, between the towing and the "Denver boot," the ticket colec- tion problem is finally showing some positive signs and the "scoffers," (a term he uses to refer to the violators), are becoming more aware of the legal end of the parking situation in Ann Ar- bor. IN MARCH, 168 cars with 10 or more outstanding tickets were towed or booted, grossing more than $23,000 for the city. A year ago in March, only 46 vehicles were towed, totalling $6,000 in revenue. In addition, Hughes said, "changing the license plates isn't going to free people from paying their tickets because we employ a cross registration, cross-checking process with other Secretary of State offices. The out-of-state violators are not home attendants to watch out for' the tricks and to carefully read the date on the ticket and issue a second violation if the situation warrants it. One motorist explained, "I know that these guys giving the tickets are pretty smart, so if I'm going to park somewhere, I look to see if the area has already been ticketed because if there are tickets on some of the cars, it probably means they won't be back to Copies@ Michigan Union 665-8065 Complete T-SHIRT Line Free Collating ARTWORK * TYPING U of M POs WELCOME OFFSET PRINTING DUALITY COURSE PACKS Wi e oeXEEQX 9400 battle continues issue citations to that particular area for a while." EVEN IF the drivers' tricks don't, work, the motorists have the option of fighting a parking ticket without going through an official court proceeding, The Ann Arbor Parking Violations Department uses a referee service for violators who wish to argue their cases. Both Bentley and Hughes said the $1 million received each year in parking ticket revenue is filtered into the city's general fund, and the only money made by their respective departments is the money in the meters and the permits bought for the parking structures,', around town. A NEW state law which went into ef- feet in August may be just the answer - for the enforcers. It allows the city to ask the Attorney General's office to,.. take away the motorist's license if the; ticket is left unpaid. The parking ticket. will now be considered a civil misdemeanor instead of a criminal in- fraction. City Attorney Bruce Laidlaw said it's still too early to tell how the new or- dinance is working, but that the new parking ordinance is being enforced. A warning is being pasted on each ticket warning the motorist that failure to respond to the citation will result in the suspension of the owner's driver's license. Laidlaw explained that after the ; warning, a certain "grace period" is allowed and then letters will be sent to the Secretary of State offices. It is themn up to the secretary of state to revoke the licenses. He added that it will still be more difficult to catch out-of-state offenders. :kl% CiRnemaSET PRESENTS 44~cr 19 WAY DOWN EAST (D.W. GRIFFITH, 1920) LILLIAN GISH stars as a woman who, having committed one "unfortunate sexual error," resulting in an extra-marital pregnancy, finds love and re- demptive morality. The genius of Griffith and the phenomenal cinematic artistry of Gish combine to create a sensitive study which rises above its predictable melodramatic foundation. One of the masterpieces of America's Golden Age of Silent Film. Plus: A HOUSE DIVIDED (Alice Guy Blache, 1913, 13 min.) A rediscovered work by cinema's first woman director/producer, who also owed her own productior company, SOLAX. (entire show 123 min) Modern Languages Bldg-Aud 3 FRI: GIRLFRIENDS Y4 Two Public Lectures by Prof. Bernard i'/sserstlei DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD TUESDA Y, SEPTEMBER 18 4:00 PM-2412 Mason Hall: "THE ALLIES AND THE HOLOCAUST" Sponsor: HISTORY DEPARTMENT free by any means." But, Bentley said he feels the process 8:00 PM-1429 Hill Street: of finding the out-of-state violators will "WAR AND PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST: be somewhat slowed down because of MYTHS AND REALITIES" the recent replacement of license Sponsor: HILLEL FOUNDATION plates. BUT A NUMBER of local citizens, have cited ways in which they've at- H ur , Senior Portrait Taken Now LSAT, and GMAT