Donating a toy to pay ticket seems a fair trade for Las Vegas parking offenders

The chance to do some holiday gifting for local children in need may come unexpectedly for some in Las Vegas — inspired by a parking ticket tucked under the car’s windshield wiper.

Drivers who receive a parking ticket in the city of Las Vegas between Nov. 15 and 30 for a violation that isn’t handicapped- or public safety-related can pay their fines by buying and donating a toy worth at least the same amount.

“We have no idea how many are going to come in,” Las Vegas Parking Services Manager Brandy Stanley said. “We hope it’s a lot but we honestly don’t know… It’s a little early for us to tell what the results are going to be but so far we’re pretty happy.”

At least one offender was caught up in the holiday spirit. Brad Mark was ready to pay roughly $135 worth of tickets with a haul of toys from Target totaling more than twice that figure. He then learned his violations weren’t eligible when he showed up at the Parking Services office Monday.

So he paid his tickets and left the toys anyway, filling the first toy bin with his donation alone.

Participating in the city’s new program is something he’d do “a hundred times over,” he said.

“We all pay tickets and we have zero clue where our money goes and what it goes for,” Mark said. “Even in local governments we’re concerned about how much money we’re spending on everything. When I heard I could give toys… that makes me feel so much better.”

Donations of unwrapped, non-violent toys — along with a receipt — will be accepted at the city’s Parking Services office through Dec. 15. All toys will be donated to Safe Nest, a charity focused on domestic violence issues. The organization shelters women and children, from infants to 17 year olds. The location is kept confidential for safety reasons.

Families who go to the shelter may have left their home at a moment’s notice, leaving behind most of their belongings, said Hannah Brook, director of community and donor relations for Safe Nest.

“They may leave with only the clothing on their back and very few personal items,” Brook said.

The toy donations “mean a lot” for children weathering a very traumatic situation, Brook said. “It’s a simple reminder of what it means to be a kid.”

On average, families stay in the shelter about eight weeks, but that can be lengthened if there’s a need. If there are leftover toys that come in through the city’s program, Safe Nest will use them to distribute to children later in the year, perhaps for birthdays, Brook said.

Few other cities have run similar programs, so there’s not much data to determine how Las Vegas’ effort will fare. Ticket envelopes that parking enforcement officers are handing out have stickers alerting people to the program. The parking services office on Main Street across from City Hall also has window signs advertising the program.

At City Hall, parking is an enterprise fund, so it doesn’t contribute to or draw from the city’s general fund. Parking tickets generate roughly $3 million annually, which is separate from parking garage, meter and special event parking revenue.

The Las Vegas City Council earlier this year passed an ordinance that allows for this program to be held twice each calendar year. Each time, Parking Services will need to return to the council with a plan for where the donations will go and for authorization for the dates. Aside from toys, donations of food or school supplies could happen in the future.

“We’re an agency that issues parking tickets,” Stanley said. “If we can make it a little fun, where you’re doing something for the community, that’s a good thing.”

Contact Jamie Munks at jmunks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0340. Find @JamieMunksRJ on Twitter.