Lynn issues $270.5G in property fines

LYNN – City inspectors mailed out 2,774 tickets averaging $100 each for litter and property upkeep violations in 2013, but banks – not the offending property owners – paid the tickets under a law that allows city fines to be added to tax bills.Top local litter law offenders owing litter violation fines and late fees ranging from $3,700 to $7,250 saw some of the fine amounts deducted from the mortgage escrow accounts held by their banks, said Assistant Parking Director Robert Stilian.Because fines and late fees can be attached to property tax bills, owners are seeing their monthly escrow fees double, in some cases, to cover fines, he said.?Tickets that are not paid go on your tax bill,” Parking Department executive assistant Mary Wright said.Inspectional Services employees wrote tickets totaling $270,580 to property owners in 2013 for violations ranging from improperly disposed litter, trash and weed-covered property and other violations, according to parking records.Owners can appeal tickets and request a hearing with Stilian, but tickets not paid in 21 days are slapped with a $10 late fee followed by a $25 fee. Eventually, unpaid fines end up in the city collector?s office on tax bills where Stilian and Collector Frederick Cronin said the added fees get owners? attention.?A lot of them ignore it until they get their bill,” Cronin said.City records indicate almost $80,000 worth of tickets issued last year have been paid, but 10 local property owners owe a combined $47,510 in fines and late fees, according to city records, minus any fees paid out of escrow accounts.As of Monday, Parking Department records listed Abela Haley, owner of 792 Western Ave., as the city?s top litter ticket scofflaw owing $7,250 on 45 tickets. Attempts to reach her on Monday were unsuccessful.Parking records listed Maria Velasco owing $6,185 in tickets on property listed at 66 Jackson St. and Marco Ciciotti of Swampscott owing $5,650 in tickets written to 145 Burrill St. Attempts to reach them were unsuccessful. Velasco received 36 tickets and Ciciotti 48.Stilian said most of the owners owe fines dating back to 2009 or 2010. Tickets range from $50 to $300 – before late fees are attached.City records list 44 Cherry St.?s owner owing $4,400 in tickets and fines to the city but resident Edwin Bonilla took a break from mowing grass in front of the property Monday to explain the building is no longer owned by Marie Sadrac – the individual listed on Parking Department records.?I don?t know where she moved. We bought the property from a realtor,” he said.Bonilla said the building?s basement needed a thorough cleaning out after current owner Maria Perez purchased it.Stilian said the push to get owners to pay fines and fees by attaching payments to tax bills is another way the city is trying to clean up local private and public property. He said summer work crews, at Ward 5 City Councilor Dianna Chakoutis? request, are pulling weeds from sidewalk cracks and gutters along downtown streets.?She has a big push on in her ward,” he said.