City Clerk Anna Valencia launched the Chicago Fines, Fees and Access Collaborative in December of 2018 bringing together City Departments, community advocates, academic institutions, elected officials and residents to review current practices and develop both short-term and long-term recommendations to address these issues. The goal of the Collaborative was to create immediate as well as lasting transformational change to the current systems helping our residents achieve and maintain compliance.
In 2019, the Collaborative evaluated various issues pertaining to our City's fines and fees practices and announced 14 recommendations to not only to reform but rebuild our City's collection practices as we strike to make our City a city that works for all its residents. The following recommendations were introduced and implemented:
- Reduced term sticker was introduced, a 4-month sticker, giving motorists the opportunity to come into compliance at a lower threshold
- The Office of the City Clerk hosted its first ever Amnesty Month in October 2019, which generated $800,000 in revenue for the city in just one month.
- Prevented the $200 City Sticker ticket from doubling after 21 days; instead, the Department of Finance implemented a lower fee of $50
- Overhauled the amnesty and payment plans with Department of Finance, lowering the down payment to start a plan to as little as $10
- Ended license suspension for non-moving violations with the former Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White
Earlier this year, the Chicago Fines, Fees and Access Collaborative met this year to review
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