Residents who want to dispute a bylaw ticket they received in the city of Pitt Meadows will still come to Coquitlam to fight the fine.
Last month, Coquitlam city council extended by 10 years its agreement with Pitt Meadows to continue adjudicating its notice disputes.
It’s the second time since 2009 that Pitt Meadows has asked for Coquitlam to keep the joint administration bylaw ticket system.
In her report to council, Stephanie James, Coquitlam’s director of legal and bylaw enforcement, wrote that Pitt Meadows doesn’t have enough bylaw ticket disputes to warrant an in-house adjudication process.
In total, Pitt Meadows has had five disputed tickets go through Coquitlam’s system and its bylaw enforcement staff have attended the hearings. In turn, Coquitlam bills Pitt Meadows $200 for each ticket reviewed.
According to the city of Pitt Meadows’ website, bylaw offence notices must be paid or challenged within 14 days of the ticket issued.
And if there is a hearing scheduled and the petitioner is unsuccessful, the adjudicator’s decision is final and the fine is upheld. As well, the $25 administration fee for the hearing can’t be returned.
Bylaw notice adjudication at the city level separates minor violations from provincial courts. Private adjudicators, who are appointed by B.C.’s attorney general under the Local Government Bylaw Notice Enforcement Act, hear evidence from both sides; hearings are open to the public.
Unpaid bylaw notices are sent to a collection agency to recover the penalty.
