A new program was introduced to help drivers pay for past due traffic fines through a joint effort between City Council, the Phoenix Municipal Court and the Motor Vehicle Division.
District 7 Councilman Michael Nowakowski and Judge Laura Lowery introduced the Compliance Assistance Program (CAP) on Monday. The program was previously passed by the Public Safety and Veterans Subcommittee on Jan. 13.
CAP was created and proposed by Chief Presiding Judge Don Taylor as a program that allows residents with past-due traffic fines to restore their driving privileges and repay their debts.
“It’s something that we’ve actually been working on for several months,” Taylor said. “The kick off is actually as of today. It is up and running and people can come into the court and participate.”
With CAP, residents who intend to recover from their previous driving fines can do so by inquiring about the program at the Phoenix Municipal Court. They can check the eligibility requirements on the Phoenix Municipal Court’s website. Any individual that is eligible for the program will be notified and informed, Taylor said.
Lowery said commonplace driving offenses can result in steep fines and surcharges from the court if not handled accordingly.
“Most of the civil traffic fines with Phoenix Municipal Court can be quite high, particularly for traffic offenses that are very common like driving without a license, no registration, no insurance,” Lowery said. “A lot of the individuals who would like to be able to pay and be in compliance with the court fall behind or stop paying completely.”
Lowery said, while laying out the plan, many residents who have learned from their offenses and seek to move on are held back by their financial obligations to the court.
“This new program beginning this week will enable those individuals who want to follow court orders to come in, complete a form and we’ll come up with a deposit or down payment which we’re calling ‘Pay Today,’” Lowery said.
CAP allows residents with suspended licenses an easier road to regaining them. After residents have paid their specified deposit, they will be allowed to sign up for a payment plan with a monthly payment based on their financial situation. Court staff will then notify the Department of Motor Vehicles that the person is in compliance with all court fines and the resident will regain their driving privileges.
“Now we have a tool to help people with their finances, looking at their financial hardships and really coming up with a plan so that they can become good citizens,” District 7 Councilman Michael Nowakowski said.
