What a fine mess – thanks to shire

By Melissa Grant
A PAKENHAM real estate agent is furious that a bureaucratic bungle over a parking fine has earned him a day in court.
Michael Asche, sales manager of Stockdale and Leggo, is livid after receiving a summons to appear in the Dandenong Magistrates’ Court for an outstanding parking fine he said he paid more than four months ago.
Mr Asche said he was angry that the Cardinia Shire Council, who issued the fine, had failed to prevent the summons ending up in his letter box.
“It’s incompetence,” he said.
Mr Asche received a $50 ticket for a Main Street parking infringement in February but says he paid the fine within three weeks of receiving it.
“I went up to the council and paid the fine and I’ve kept the receipt,” he said.
Despite paying the $50 fine Mr Asche says he later received a letter from a debt collection company demanding he cough-up $69.40. Believing the issue had already been resolved, Mr Asche contacted the council.
“I rang the by-laws office and the payment was found,” he said.
“I was told that there had been a clerical error.”
Mr Asche was advised the matter had been settled but discovered otherwise when he received the summons notice on Tuesday. He said he hadn’t contacted the council because he was tired of raising the issue with them.
“I’ve done the right thing by paying the fine.”
“I feel I shouldn’t have to contact them (the council) anymore.”
Cardinia manager of governance and communications Doug Evans said the bungle was the result of a clerical error which the council was trying to resolve.
“The system used to monitor fines that are issued is a system that we are updating,” he said.
“These things happen from time to time but infrequently.
“We are looking at new software which will hopefully overcome these issues.”
Mr Evans said Mr Asche should ignore the summons and that the council would soon contact him to put the issue to bed.
“It was an error on our behalf,” he said.
“We apologise to Michael who has done the right thing and paid the fine.”