How this all started...

My friend had received a notice in the mail that they had an overdue parking ticket and that they owed the city of Wilmington more than $100 and that the fine would continue to grow until they paid the money.

So, my friend went to the Department of Finance on the 5^th Floor of the Louis L. Redding City/County Building at 800 North French Street in Wilmington, Delaware (zip code 19801).

Apparently the conversation went something like this:

Friend: I just got this notice in the mail saying that I am past due for a parking ticket and I didn’t know I had a parking ticket until just now.

Wilmington Official: Are you here to pay your ticket and late fine?

Friend: Well, yes, I want to get this cleared up, if I had known I had a parking ticket I would have paid it right away – is there any way to take off the late fine, since I’m just now finding out about this?

Wilmington Official: It’s your responsibility to know if you have a parking ticket.

Friend: Wait, are you saying I should call regularly to find out if I have a parking ticket?

Wilmington Official: Yes

Friend: um, OK, that’s good to know in the future, but since this is the first time, can I just pay for the parking ticket?

Wilmington Official: According to our computers, since you haven’t paid the ticket yet, we can boot your car.

Friend: Really?

Wilmington Official: Yes, you are a scofflaw and you probably don’t pay your other bills on time.

When I heard this I was shocked!

I didn’t realize it was my responsibility to make sure I didn’t have unpaid parking tickets, I do not want to be a scofflaw – I want to be a responsible citizen.

I’m sharing this because I believe you, too, want to be a responsible citizen.

So, starting today, we should make sure that we do the right thing:

Call the Wilmington Department of Finance/Division of Revenue at 302-576-2400 between 9:30 AM and 4:00 PM and say the following:

Hello, my name is _____________ and I understand it is my responsibility as a good citizen to make sure I do not have any unpaid parking tickets. Could you please check to see if I have a parking ticket? My license plate number is _____________.
Thank you very much for your help.

Again, if you want to be a good citizen and not a scofflaw, then you should call 302-576-2400 to make sure you do not have any unpaid parking tickets.

Oh, and since we all learn new things from these experiences, I encourage you to share any new information you gain from your phone calls in the comments section.

I hope this effort at public service is useful and effective.