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NEW QUESTIONS FOR THE COMMISSION AND CITY STAFF 1. Do we want to change the amount of time citizens are granted to pay fines and is that under the purview of the Charter? The City Code presently requires that an administrative offense be paid within 7 days. We start adding on late fees of$5 per week for every week the fine remains unpaid. For County Citations, typically a person is provided 21 days in which to pay. My suggestion, if there is a desire to modify this, would be that we provide 30 days to pay the fine rather than 7, and then AFTER the 30 days, if the recipient has not otherwise appealed the AO or scheduled a hearing, rather than charging a $5 weekly fee that after one year could total an additional $260, we charge a one-time flat late fee penalty of$50. 2. What is an Administrative Rule? An administrative rule is a provision, regulation or requirement imposed by the administrative body—the City Council. 3. Should we or Can we use the fee schedule on which to define the offenses included? No--the fee schedule would not be an appropriate document within which to include definitions. To the extent necessary to differentiate one fine or fee from another, then yes, some level of explanation might be in order, but in my opinion, definitions are better left in the City Code. In some instances we have arlydPrl rnnld references to some sections of the fee schedule to make it easier to refer back to the governing language. (e.g., See Chapter 502 of the City Code.) 4. Where are the late charges for unpaid fines specified? I conducted a cursory search of the City Code and the latest fee schedule did not find reference to what the late fee is. This *should* be reflected in the fee schedule adopted annually by the Council, and I would assert that a $5 per week late fee is both cumbersome to track and potentially more expensive in the long run. See my response to question #1. 5. A comparison of the language in 702.02 and 104.01 seems to show a discrepancy of dollar maximums for fines: ie, misdemeanors = $700.00 and Administrative Offenses = $100. There is no discrepancy. This reflects the two different mechanisms by which a person can be cited. If an officer (or other designated staff member) writes a Ramsey County Court Citation for a violation of Code, it is considered misdemeanor, punishable up to $700 and/or 90 days in jail. For the same violation logged as an admin offense, the fine is $100. It ikl�''uz1, vLv�1 �'1 Sk`��` `rC (� e-t