Parking Ticket Leads to Home Foreclosure

Man, I've got to start reading the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel more often . . .

As an increasing number of property owners lose their homes to exotic mortgage products and falling home values, the city of Milwaukee has foreclosed on a resident’s house because he failed to pay a parking ticket.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Peter Tubic ignored a $50 parking fine in 2004, and on Monday, it cost him his $245,000 house.

 In what city officials believe is the first case of its kind, the city foreclosed on Tubic's house on W. Verona Court after repeated attempts to collect the fine—which over the years had escalated to $2,600—had failed.

"Our goal isn't to acquire parcels," said Jim Klajbor, special deputy city treasurer. "Our goal is to just collect taxes . . . It is only as a last resort that we would pursue . . . foreclosure."

Tubic says he couldn't pay the ticket because of health reasons and the death of his father.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

According to the Social Security Administration, Tubic, 62, has been disabled since 2001. He has been diagnosed with psychological disorders that limit his "ability to understand, remember and carry out detailed instructions," according to documents from the administration.

In addition he suffers from chronic pain caused by degenerative diseases of the knees and spine, as well as chronic respiratory disease, diabetes and obesity, among other ailments.

But the authorities were having none of it.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

"If a violation exists, a violation exists," said [Ronald Roberts, a code enforcement manager with the Department of Neighborhood Services]. "We're going to enforce a violation."

"If someone says, 'I'm dealing with a death,' we're going to be reasonable and give them a 30-day extension," he said. "But $1,475, that's a lot of months mourning—not to be insensitive."

But it gets much worse. Tubic only received the ticket after someone complained that his vehicle had no license plates.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Turns out in this case the neighbors weren't the ones to complain. Tubic had not been getting along with his brother, and his brother made the call. His brother, Jovon Tubic, said he called at the request of their mother, according to a letter from Jovon to Peter Tubic.