By Matt Michael, Staff writer
In December, the village of Solvay became the first suburban municipality in Onondaga County to use the “boot.”
And judging by Solvay’s success, it’s possible other municipalities will give it a try.
The “boot” is a wheel-locking device that immobilizes vehicles and keeps parking scofflaws from driving away before paying their fines. Solvay Police Chief Richard Cox told the village board at its Jan. 26 meeting that the village collected $4,180 in parking fines in December – an increase of $2,300 from December 2007.
Cox said December is usually the village’s slowest month because people are spending their money on Christmas presents instead of parking fines.
“The message is out there now, and more people are coming in and paying their fines,” Cox said.
