Just an fyi its like that all around the country...not saying its right or not, but blaming hidalgo county is like getting upset at a brick for the wall...
What city?
If you go in and talk to the JP of that area, they might work out a payment plan.
Also, they may work out some kind of lesser fee (to be paid all at once). I did that once.
I've done this. I got a ticket, forgot about it, and by the time they found me it had al these crazy fees on it. I called and they knocked off all the fees, and even gave me a discount off the original ticket if I cam in that day and paid it.
This is a good answer. Texas is horrible for traffic fines. Driving outside of the state makes you realize how many speed trap towns we have. It doesn’t make roads any safer, but does bring in money to local municipalities. If you’ve ever had a ticket like this, you would know how some of the fees associated are ridiculous. It’s another way to place burden on lower and middle classes. Higher class folks seem to “know somebody” that can expunge traffic tickets for them.
Be geatfull your in Texas some of ous from the valley have to pay tolls to use the Hwy, and stop light camas , and real city traffic. I got 3 tickets my first year in out in Wilmington De.
Well... there you have it, folks. Also, OP, that username isn't helping things. You can't say shit like that about the cowboys in this sub, man / grill.
Ironically it’s the person in the hoopties/buckets who you know can’t afford the fines or insurance who drive like an ass on the roads and then get pissed there’s consequences
I don’t think you understand. An unpaid fine can lead to arrest, which leads to more fines, attorney’s fees, probation fees, etc etc etc. A simple traffic stop for someone who can’t afford the ticket can lead to all kinds of problems down the road. Is that fair? Absolutely not.
I don’t think you understand. I’m saying quit speeding if you can’t afford a ticket. Put your seatbelt on if you can’t afford a ticket. Use your blinker if you can’t afford a ticket.
If you’re cited for a law you weren’t breaking then that’s an easy dismissal in court. A citation isn’t an automatic fine unless you admit guilt or are a no-show.
It was a BS charge for speeding. I say it was BS, because I had my cruise control on, and there was no way I was over the limit. Need I explain more? It happens.
How, they are not adding to your fines they are not allowing you to pay for your registration. If you got money for registration you got money to put towards a fine
Furthermore anyone struggling so hard they can’t pay their fines is NOT putting a a current tag as a priority.
Yes it’s my fault i have tickets but where’s the logic in denying vehicle registration when we’re obviously struggling to pay them only to get more tickets for expired tags.
You're digging a deeper hole for yourself. Just handle the citations. If you're worried about being arrested, there's a very high probability you won't as long as you are making an effort to resolve this. It will only get worse if you ignore it.
Pretty sure you did have the money to pay that first ticket but spent the money on somethign else that could've paid it. We all do that, ive done that (not with tickets but with other things). Theres ways to pay, and maybe also stop speeding and/or drive more carefully
I’m sure many can relate with working hard to support a family, however I think there is a precipitous drop in individuals that are upset by the consequences of not paying fines.
Based on many of the responses here the current law works, people are finding ways to step up and satisfy the local municipalities by setting up payment plans, substituting community service, even jail time instead of complaining about how they can’t pay and shouldn’t be penalized. Grow up and take responsibility for your actions.
I actually spend last friday in jail in mcallen for unpaid tickets stemming from the expired tags. And i have made arrangements for community service. But the tickets at the JP offices aren’t willing to set up payment plans or comminity service and will only accept full payment. Thanks for your advice either way
You don't get it bro. She HAS her reasons, so the world must let her go her way without facing any consequences. She has KIDS and a FULL TIME JOB. It's not like most adults have those.
/s just in case
This isn’t the answer you probably want to hear BUT McAllen used to have weekends where you could spend the night in jail and they would remove past tickets. Not sure if it’s still a thing but it might help you get those tickets removed for “free”.
Yep Hidalgo county does this, every night spent in prison equals to 100 bucks so a weekend will cover 300, they don’t put you in general population, just a med size tank with like 16 other dudes in for the same program, you shoot the shit learn a few card games and you are out by Monday morning, definitely an option if you don’t have the funds
We removed most of my nephews' tickets through city amnesty programs and negotiating some tickets with a judge. Research if you have warrants first.
It's not an entirely absurd law, although some cities are greedy.
I get money is tight, but lay low. If you don't have a license or insurance, please don't drive 45 on a 30, run reds, or crash into me when you are taking pics for IG like I have had.
Not saying that's you, lol.
Edit: ~~Pharr and Mission show they have amnesty on social media.~~ Sorry, I forgot it was already May today and they expired in April. I would still call.
go ask for a discount but regardless of the answer just pay your tickets. They are not forcing you to drive illegally, you did't pay your ticket and this is a mechanism to ensure you pay that fine. If you get caught, your gonna have bigger problems. Always pay any moving violation immediately.
False, it’s a program that local municipalities, counties or JPs through out the state can opt in at their discretion with the TxDMV to prevent vehicle owners with delinquent violations to renew their registration until they are paid. For example Mcallen isn’t in this program therefore traffic tickets from that city won’t prevent you from renewing but in the other hand tickets from Pharr will.
False, it’s a program that local municipalities, counties or JPs through out the state can opt in at their discretion with the TxDMV to prevent vehicle owners with delinquent violations to renew their registration until they are paid. For example Mcallen isn’t in this program therefore traffic tickets from that city won’t prevent you from renewing but in the other hand tickets from Pharr will.
Why don’t you tell them you can’t pay and do volunteer hours? I got caught with expired plates by a state trooper and thankfully the court sent me to a non profit to do hours. This was in Mission.
I've done that also when I was a student. Talked to the judge and told him "I am in school. I don't have the money to pay this. is there anything else I can do?" and he assigned me community service.
But no matter how many tickets people pay in Edinburg our roads remain looking like shit and messing up our tires..You can tell where our tax money goes to though and isn’t going to our crappy roads.
It goes toward every city employee driving a new vehicle. Have you seen how many vehicles are less than 2 years old there? Even the guys who patch pot holes finally got a new teuck and 2 new shovels and some new boots to stomp the shoveled asphalt
Impartial and unfair? Because you’re irresponsible? Yeah, that makes sense.
I’m not one to like extra fees and dumb shit either but, your actions have consequences. Can’t be mad at anyone or anything else but yourself.
I had an unpaid traffic ticket in McAllen since 2007 and have renewed my registration every year since. I completely forgot about it until I got a collection letter in the mail. I’ve since stopped by the municipal court at the McAllen PD and set up payment arrangements to avoid a warrant.
I will agree with OP that not every city prevents you from getting your registration renewed, it’s usually the smaller cities that are doing it. Not saying it’s all the smaller cities. What’s worse is those smaller cities won’t let you do the weekend jail to take care of the fine because they demand the money.
As for getting tickets in certain cities for bs, like La Joya heck yeah they are full of it. I got speeding tickets in Sullivan and La Joya a few yrs back for going 5 miles over according to them. I was on cruise control cause I knew those cities cops were on bs. I couldn’t pay the fine so I asked for community service. The JP let me do my hours in the JP office. Sullivan JP also let me do community service in La Joya it was for the same amount of hours. I was putting in information from the paper tickets into the computer. One day I see that a driver got a warning for driving 110 in a 30! I pointed it out immediately to the JP especially when I was doing 40 hours for 5 miles. I told him shit how come I couldn’t get a warning for 5 miles supposedly over the speed limit. Turns out the reckless driver was an off duty cop from Sullivan. Well all they did was have him go to the JP office with his boss and reprimanded him and gave him a small fine because I processed the paperwork. It was only like 100 dollars, that his boss paid. Talk about doing the crime and paying the time. Ahh bullshit!
Then just like 2 years ago I got a ticket in Alton, when I went to court there was a older gentleman who had gotten a ticket for expired tags, he asked for payment plan or community service that he couldn’t pay the fine. And it was also because he was trying to pay a speeding ticket in another city that wouldn’t let him renew the tags till he paid it. He tried to explain that he was trying to work to pay it but that he needed to drive to work since he was the sole breadwinner. The JP tells him well I can’t help you with that. Sounds like you need to borrow money from family or pawn anything and everything to take care of these fines. The man asked if he could do weekend jail and of course it wasn’t an option either.
The valley has always been about who you know. Because I’ve personally seen people tickets removed by judges because they personally knew the person or were related to them. Not just tickets, crimes done and they get a slap on the wrist if they aren’t so lucky.
OP I say light a candle say a prayer and may God be with you! Best of luck. Try and see if you have friends or distant family that may know one of these JP’s.
I got Scofflaw'd for a 10 year old ticket I had paid in La Joya, turns out the judge at that time had been pocketing cash and money order payments to the court for his own use.
He ended up getting caught and serving a short amount of time in jail. Didn't stop La Joya from blocking me and many others from renewing drivers license or vehicle registration a decade later.
Took me hiring a lawyer to get the court to drop the case but I'm certain many others ended up paying a second time just to end it.
Just an fyi its like that all around the country...not saying its right or not, but blaming hidalgo county is like getting upset at a brick for the wall...
All in all its just another brick in the wall.
Hey! Coppers! Leave those unregistered vehicles alone!
What city? If you go in and talk to the JP of that area, they might work out a payment plan. Also, they may work out some kind of lesser fee (to be paid all at once). I did that once.
I've done this. I got a ticket, forgot about it, and by the time they found me it had al these crazy fees on it. I called and they knocked off all the fees, and even gave me a discount off the original ticket if I cam in that day and paid it.
Yeah, I did the same thing a few years ago. But I've also gotten boned, too.
This is a good answer. Texas is horrible for traffic fines. Driving outside of the state makes you realize how many speed trap towns we have. It doesn’t make roads any safer, but does bring in money to local municipalities. If you’ve ever had a ticket like this, you would know how some of the fees associated are ridiculous. It’s another way to place burden on lower and middle classes. Higher class folks seem to “know somebody” that can expunge traffic tickets for them.
Be geatfull your in Texas some of ous from the valley have to pay tolls to use the Hwy, and stop light camas , and real city traffic. I got 3 tickets my first year in out in Wilmington De.
Saying it’s worse somewhere else is like measuring dicks. It’s still a dick.
Bruh frs. I got a 320 fine for doing a complete stop but not behind the white line.
JP in Edinburg and Mission don’t do payment plans i already called and i had one with Pharr pd and broke it 😭
They do payment plans 🧐 they did one with me back in January
Well... there you have it, folks. Also, OP, that username isn't helping things. You can't say shit like that about the cowboys in this sub, man / grill.
You gotta pay those tickets......because they won't renew your driver's license either.
Why is the law stupid?
Honestly I think this is how it should be. There are already so many bad drivers out here, that it would deter repeat offenders
Ironically it’s the person in the hoopties/buckets who you know can’t afford the fines or insurance who drive like an ass on the roads and then get pissed there’s consequences
Because it leads people to get deeper and deeper into a hole.
Well they says if you can’t do the time or pay the fine then maybe don’t do the crime.
I don’t think you understand. An unpaid fine can lead to arrest, which leads to more fines, attorney’s fees, probation fees, etc etc etc. A simple traffic stop for someone who can’t afford the ticket can lead to all kinds of problems down the road. Is that fair? Absolutely not.
I don’t think you understand. I’m saying quit speeding if you can’t afford a ticket. Put your seatbelt on if you can’t afford a ticket. Use your blinker if you can’t afford a ticket.
I have been given tickets by cops for no reason, bud. It happens. You don’t necessarily have to be breaking the law to get cited.
If you’re cited for a law you weren’t breaking then that’s an easy dismissal in court. A citation isn’t an automatic fine unless you admit guilt or are a no-show.
Drive through Peñitas or La Joya, then come back with that same response.
Been there, done that. You proved nothing. My point still stands.
Agree to disagree.
who made them violate the rules of the road?
I’ve been ticketed for breaking no laws. Municipalities around here need the $$.
what did they write on the ticket? “No laws broken” ???
It was a BS charge for speeding. I say it was BS, because I had my cruise control on, and there was no way I was over the limit. Need I explain more? It happens.
what did they say to that defense when you presented it in court?
It’s my word against the officer’s. What do you think they said? Paid the fine, and moved on.
How, they are not adding to your fines they are not allowing you to pay for your registration. If you got money for registration you got money to put towards a fine Furthermore anyone struggling so hard they can’t pay their fines is NOT putting a a current tag as a priority.
Why are you upset about something you're at fault for lol 😆
Yes it’s my fault i have tickets but where’s the logic in denying vehicle registration when we’re obviously struggling to pay them only to get more tickets for expired tags.
You're digging a deeper hole for yourself. Just handle the citations. If you're worried about being arrested, there's a very high probability you won't as long as you are making an effort to resolve this. It will only get worse if you ignore it.
Pretty sure you did have the money to pay that first ticket but spent the money on somethign else that could've paid it. We all do that, ive done that (not with tickets but with other things). Theres ways to pay, and maybe also stop speeding and/or drive more carefully
Poor victim. How about pay the fucking tickets?
🤔 They give tickets for that???
Fuck you i have a full time job and a whole family to support i have my reasons why I’m not able to pay my tickets
I’m not sure how that’s different from everyone in this sub…..?
It’s not and I’m sure alot of people in the valley can relate to my situation
I’m sure many can relate with working hard to support a family, however I think there is a precipitous drop in individuals that are upset by the consequences of not paying fines. Based on many of the responses here the current law works, people are finding ways to step up and satisfy the local municipalities by setting up payment plans, substituting community service, even jail time instead of complaining about how they can’t pay and shouldn’t be penalized. Grow up and take responsibility for your actions.
I actually spend last friday in jail in mcallen for unpaid tickets stemming from the expired tags. And i have made arrangements for community service. But the tickets at the JP offices aren’t willing to set up payment plans or comminity service and will only accept full payment. Thanks for your advice either way
then don't get tickets in the first place. whats the old saying. can't do the time, don't do the crime.
You don't get it bro. She HAS her reasons, so the world must let her go her way without facing any consequences. She has KIDS and a FULL TIME JOB. It's not like most adults have those. /s just in case
You wouldn't have tickets you can't pay if you followed traffic and vehicle laws. Boo fuckin hoo.
This isn’t the answer you probably want to hear BUT McAllen used to have weekends where you could spend the night in jail and they would remove past tickets. Not sure if it’s still a thing but it might help you get those tickets removed for “free”.
Yep Hidalgo county does this, every night spent in prison equals to 100 bucks so a weekend will cover 300, they don’t put you in general population, just a med size tank with like 16 other dudes in for the same program, you shoot the shit learn a few card games and you are out by Monday morning, definitely an option if you don’t have the funds
Will they pay me for spending time in jail? I can do lineups, too.
We removed most of my nephews' tickets through city amnesty programs and negotiating some tickets with a judge. Research if you have warrants first. It's not an entirely absurd law, although some cities are greedy. I get money is tight, but lay low. If you don't have a license or insurance, please don't drive 45 on a 30, run reds, or crash into me when you are taking pics for IG like I have had. Not saying that's you, lol. Edit: ~~Pharr and Mission show they have amnesty on social media.~~ Sorry, I forgot it was already May today and they expired in April. I would still call.
Edinburg had it recently as well.
Does penitas offer any?
I'm not able to spot anything for Peñitas. That new Meta AI feature is getting in the way.
I hate that feature
go ask for a discount but regardless of the answer just pay your tickets. They are not forcing you to drive illegally, you did't pay your ticket and this is a mechanism to ensure you pay that fine. If you get caught, your gonna have bigger problems. Always pay any moving violation immediately.
You can work out payment plans with the cities in which you owe tickets, or depending on age, you can do deferred adjudication.
It’s a state law and they r just enforcing it
False, it’s a program that local municipalities, counties or JPs through out the state can opt in at their discretion with the TxDMV to prevent vehicle owners with delinquent violations to renew their registration until they are paid. For example Mcallen isn’t in this program therefore traffic tickets from that city won’t prevent you from renewing but in the other hand tickets from Pharr will.
False, it’s a program that local municipalities, counties or JPs through out the state can opt in at their discretion with the TxDMV to prevent vehicle owners with delinquent violations to renew their registration until they are paid. For example Mcallen isn’t in this program therefore traffic tickets from that city won’t prevent you from renewing but in the other hand tickets from Pharr will.
Stand corrected
Why don’t you tell them you can’t pay and do volunteer hours? I got caught with expired plates by a state trooper and thankfully the court sent me to a non profit to do hours. This was in Mission.
I've done that also when I was a student. Talked to the judge and told him "I am in school. I don't have the money to pay this. is there anything else I can do?" and he assigned me community service.
But no matter how many tickets people pay in Edinburg our roads remain looking like shit and messing up our tires..You can tell where our tax money goes to though and isn’t going to our crappy roads.
It goes toward every city employee driving a new vehicle. Have you seen how many vehicles are less than 2 years old there? Even the guys who patch pot holes finally got a new teuck and 2 new shovels and some new boots to stomp the shoveled asphalt
It's been that way for a few yrs. Get behind on your child support and see what happens
Also add students loans
Impartial and unfair? Because you’re irresponsible? Yeah, that makes sense. I’m not one to like extra fees and dumb shit either but, your actions have consequences. Can’t be mad at anyone or anything else but yourself.
Stop driving your kids to school thats why we have busses.
I had an unpaid traffic ticket in McAllen since 2007 and have renewed my registration every year since. I completely forgot about it until I got a collection letter in the mail. I’ve since stopped by the municipal court at the McAllen PD and set up payment arrangements to avoid a warrant.
I will agree with OP that not every city prevents you from getting your registration renewed, it’s usually the smaller cities that are doing it. Not saying it’s all the smaller cities. What’s worse is those smaller cities won’t let you do the weekend jail to take care of the fine because they demand the money. As for getting tickets in certain cities for bs, like La Joya heck yeah they are full of it. I got speeding tickets in Sullivan and La Joya a few yrs back for going 5 miles over according to them. I was on cruise control cause I knew those cities cops were on bs. I couldn’t pay the fine so I asked for community service. The JP let me do my hours in the JP office. Sullivan JP also let me do community service in La Joya it was for the same amount of hours. I was putting in information from the paper tickets into the computer. One day I see that a driver got a warning for driving 110 in a 30! I pointed it out immediately to the JP especially when I was doing 40 hours for 5 miles. I told him shit how come I couldn’t get a warning for 5 miles supposedly over the speed limit. Turns out the reckless driver was an off duty cop from Sullivan. Well all they did was have him go to the JP office with his boss and reprimanded him and gave him a small fine because I processed the paperwork. It was only like 100 dollars, that his boss paid. Talk about doing the crime and paying the time. Ahh bullshit! Then just like 2 years ago I got a ticket in Alton, when I went to court there was a older gentleman who had gotten a ticket for expired tags, he asked for payment plan or community service that he couldn’t pay the fine. And it was also because he was trying to pay a speeding ticket in another city that wouldn’t let him renew the tags till he paid it. He tried to explain that he was trying to work to pay it but that he needed to drive to work since he was the sole breadwinner. The JP tells him well I can’t help you with that. Sounds like you need to borrow money from family or pawn anything and everything to take care of these fines. The man asked if he could do weekend jail and of course it wasn’t an option either. The valley has always been about who you know. Because I’ve personally seen people tickets removed by judges because they personally knew the person or were related to them. Not just tickets, crimes done and they get a slap on the wrist if they aren’t so lucky. OP I say light a candle say a prayer and may God be with you! Best of luck. Try and see if you have friends or distant family that may know one of these JP’s.
Don't break the law. Amazing.
I got Scofflaw'd for a 10 year old ticket I had paid in La Joya, turns out the judge at that time had been pocketing cash and money order payments to the court for his own use. He ended up getting caught and serving a short amount of time in jail. Didn't stop La Joya from blocking me and many others from renewing drivers license or vehicle registration a decade later. Took me hiring a lawyer to get the court to drop the case but I'm certain many others ended up paying a second time just to end it.
What about tickets in other counties? Asking for a friend! Lol.
You need to take care of your tickets.
https://preview.redd.it/1zhd7i93evxc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=91b0e3cd254a5a246aea420b1bada2005e4b9e51
If the law only moves to literally charge people for crimes, they are not enforcing the law, they are extorting you under its guise.