OKLAHOMA CITY – Residents in Southwest Oklahoma City are upset about recent parking tickets they received for parking on their own property.
“I’ve lived here since 1979 and I’ve parked there in that driveway for 35 years,” said Jim Gilbert.
Imagine his anger when he saw tickets waving on his truck.
Gilbert had a total of three tickets.
Living on a fixed income, Gilbert will have to borrow $300 dollars so that he can pay the fines.
Gilbert said on Monday, an Oklahoma City a code enforcer came by and riddled the neighborhood with parking tickets.
“One hundred bucks isn’t cheap especially when your 75-years-old and just barely making it,” said Charlie Ford.
Ford says he received two tickets.
He said he can’t park on the street or in his own driveway.
“You would generally get a warning about something like this. You don’t come out and give 75 tickets or whatever she did without any kind of a warning,” said Ford.
Some residents believe the unexpected tickets is about money.
“If she wrote 100 tickets, that’s $10,000 they made real quick in one day,” said Gilbert.
“We don’t look at it as a way to make money its jut enforcing an ordinance,” said Charles Locke with Oklahoma City Code Enforcement. “It’s trying to improve the neighborhoods. You have to realize that when you have people running across or driving across existing utility lines that deteriorates those lines.”
He said everyone should be aware of the law.
“We’ve published it, its been on the news, its been in the newspaper. Its been a law since 1988.” said Locke.
Code Enforcement say they are happy to answer any of the residents questions.
Official say they do want to work with residents.
If you receive a ticket, call the phone number on your notice to get more information.