City Council Committee Approves Higher Fines For Residents Using Suburban Parking Stickers

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The City Council's Licensing Committee has voted to increase fines for residents who try to avoid paying for Chicago City stickers by registering their cars in the suburbs, reports WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore.

It is already against the law for Chicago residents to register their cars in other municipalities, but City Clerk Susana Mendoza says Aldermen didn't finish the job when they increased penalties for those who simply don't have the stickers.

Listen to City Council Committee Approves Increased Fines For Parking Sticker Dodgers

"This part of the code was inadvertently not touched and it should have been because it really should be more expensive of a ticket when you are trying to purposefully cheat the city than when you may have just forgotten to buy your sticker or maybe you couldn't afford it that month," said Mendoza.

If the full City Council approves, fines would rise from a maximum of $500 to $1,000.

The Licencing Committee also voted to crack down on towing companies that try to boost the number of vehicles they can charge for by towing them only short distances away before going back for more.