Albany

In exchange for a couple of cans of tuna and a box or three of rigatoni, Albany parking scofflaws may soon catch a break.

City Treasurer Darius Shahinfar is proposing a ticket amnesty that would waive the late penalties on some 60,000 outstanding parking tickets dating back five-and-a-half years in exchange for a food donation to The Food Pantries for the Capital District.

Drivers, however, would still be on the hook for the underlying fines.

The partnership would be a first for both the city and the Essex Street nonprofit, whose members include 53 food pantries in Albany, Saratoga and Rensselaer counties that serve 2.5 million meals a year.

An ordinance authorizing the amnesty program, the city's first since 2008, is expected to be introduced before the Common Council Wednesday and voted on this month.

The goal, Shahinfar said, is to make a dent in about $5.4 million in unpaid fines and related fees dating to 2010, when a new computer system was installed to track tickets, while also aiding a worthy cause.

"I hope that people are moved by a spirit of charity," Shahinfar said, "because the holidays are coming up, which is a very needy time for the food pantries."

If approved by lawmakers, the amnesty would run from Sept. 22 until the eve of Thanksgiving on Nov. 25.

"In part, it's obviously to collect money that is owed to the city for past violations," Shahinfar said. "I think this will raise the profile and have people feel a little bit better about paying their parking tickets."

Between $3.2 million and $3.4 million of the outstanding sum is attributable to fines themselves, he said, with the rest coming from late penalties that are tacked on when motorists do not pay or contest their tickets within 20 days.

The outstanding fines represent about 15 percent of the total amount of fines levied — roughly $20 million to $22 million -— since 2010, Shahinfar said.

He added that the city's 85 percent collection rate is strong and that about 10 percent of all tickets ultimately end up uncollectable for a variety of reasons, including a lack of jurisdiction by the city to seek payment.

The amnesty, he said, is aimed at bringing in the remaining five percent.

When it comes to collecting local court fees, "a realistic rate lies somewhere between 96 percent and 60 percent," author David Ammons wrote in his 2012 book "Municipal Benchmarking" — with parking fine collection rates a bit lower.

In an email, Ammons, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Government, suggested that at least one factor in the wide range of collection rates is that some cities are more aggressive with tactics like booting scofflaw vehicles than others.

In Albany, scofflaws need to accumulate $200 in tickets before becoming eligible for the boot, which immobilizes a car's wheel with a metal lock until the fines, late penalties and additional fees are paid.

The ordinance authorizing the amnesty does not explicitly mention the food pantry connection but authorizes the treasurer "to promulgate rules and regulations not inconsistent with the provisions hereof to effectuate the program."

The details of how and where people will be able to make their food donations — and how to handle online payments — are still being discussed, but Shahinfar said he expects to have particulars worked out within the week. He said his preference would be for the donations to benefit food pantries in the city of Albany.

As drafted, the amnesty would apply to all tickets issued between Jan. 1, 2010, and July 30 of this year, but motorists who have already been booted would not be eligible.

Shahinfar said the idea was inspired in part by so-called "food for fines" programs run by libraries, which absolve patrons of late fees on overdue books in exchange for food donations.

"We're really excited about the partnership," said Emily Streeter, a spokeswoman for nonprofit. "It will be hugely beneficial for the food pantries."

jcarleo-evangelist@timesunion.com • 518-454-5445 • @JCEvangelist_TU