There’s a rumor going around that for each citation issued in Vancouver to residents with vehicles registered out of state, the city receives a small fraction of the fine, 0.41 percent to be exact.
With tickets up to $1,122 a piece, each citation would add roughly $4.60 to the city’s general fund.
Initially, it seemed that low number — 0.41 percent — was accurate. VPD confirmed the figure, but further digging proved otherwise.
The city receives 22.85 percent of each citation. The smaller 0.41 figure is paid to the crime-victim fund.
Of each citation paid, the city receives about $256. But Michael Conjugacion, an accountant with the city, said only about 30 percent of those citations are paid. And those payments are not always for the full amount. For outstanding fines, a bench warrant is issued. The record remains active for 10 years, Conjugacion said.
This year, the Vancouver Police Department has so far issued 23 citations. In 2017, police handed out 66 citations, up from 50 in 2016.
Those low numbers are in contrast to a study which found that about 10 percent of Vancouver residents are out of compliance with registration laws. The study stated that the city was losing $600,000 annually in tab fee revenue and potentially losing $4 million in sales tax revenue to drivers keeping their Oregon identification.
To help entice people to register their vehicles in Washington, local lawmakers proposed a bill earlier this year to reduce the fine. If it had passed, SB 6293, sponsored by state Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, and Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, would have allowed counties to create a deferred prosecution program. The program would then allow residents with citations to pay a $500 fine if they registered their vehicle within 90 days.
Wilson said the bill died on the floor Feb. 14, but she said she will continue working on the issue in the interim.
Councilor Bart Hansen — who also inquired about the city’s share of each citation — supports Wilson’s initiative.
“I think that’s a fabulous idea to say to folks, ‘Here’s your chance,'” Hansen said. “If they decide to register later on they’re still going to have the opportunity to contribute to our Transportation Benefit District in the future.”
Hansen said he sought information about the fee allocation because he wanted to know if the time spent on enforcement is worth the city’s interest.
“Most tickets we write, we’re losing on. It’s just a question of how much we’re losing,” he said. “The vested interest isn’t there in this instance.”
Nearly 50 percent of each fine goes to the Washington State Patrol Vehicle License Fraud division and 28 percent goes to the state’s general fund. Those shares are determined by the state.
“The share coming back to the local municipality has to go up,” Hansen said. “This is also a matter of equity. This money is going to improve the roads that they’re driving on.”
The Vancouver City Council might consider a workshop on the issue but no such discussion has been scheduled yet.
