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Park smart in Henry County: unpaid tickets will block vehicle registrations
Henry County Board of Supervisors approves agreement to enforce parking tickets via vehicle registration holds
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
MT. PLEASANT — The Henry County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a 28E agreement with the city of Mt. Pleasant to enforce unpaid parking tickets through vehicle registration holds.
Supervisor Greg Moeller read the agreement aloud during the board’s Dec. 12 meeting, outlining the collaboration between the county and the city.
“This agreement is made pursuant to Chapter 28E of the Iowa Code,” Moeller read. “Whereas … the city of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, a city within Henry County, seeks the cooperation of the Henry County Treasurer to provide for the nonrenewal of registrations for unpaid parking fines.”
The agreement establishes a process by which the city will notify the county treasurer of unpaid parking fines, referred to as stop notices. The treasurer will then block vehicle registration renewals for flagged vehicles until the fines are paid. Additionally, individuals whose parking tickets require a stop notice will have to pay an additional $5 fee before they can register a vehicle.
Residents attempting to renew registrations for flagged vehicles will be directed to the Mt. Pleasant Police Department to resolve their fines before the treasurer can renew their registration.
Stops like these already occur for people with corporate court debts, debts with the Department of Revenue, or those who have not paid child support. These traffic ticket induced stops, however, will not follow a resident to another county, and only prevent them from registering their vehicle in Henry County.
“This is essentially formalizing something that’s been talked about before but never officially filed or acted upon,” Moeller noted during the discussion.
Conversations about adopting a 28E agreement to place stops on vehicle registration came up in Henry County Board of Supervisor meetings in April 2019. Then Henry County Treasurer Ana Lair introduced the idea to the supervisors to consider. It received support but was not acted upon until the most recent meeting.
According to Iowa law, agreements such as these become effective upon filing with the Iowa Secretary of State and approval by the relevant governing bodies. Residents can check the filing status of this agreement through the Iowa Secretary of State’s 28E Agreement database.
With the agreement simply awaiting official filing status, residents of Mt. Pleasant should ensure parking fines are paid promptly to avoid delays during vehicle registration renewal.
Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com
