“Operation Clean Slate” ends at 5 p.m. During this time people with minor infractions who failed to appear in court can clear up their legal difficulties without additional fines or penalties.
As of April 23, the program that started at the beginning of the month has cleared 177 citations, the oldest of which dated back to 1995, and collected approximately $12,000 in fines.
“It really, for us, wasn’t about collecting the fines; it was more about getting our backlog cleared,” said Lori Whorton-Spence, deputy clerk at Rome Municipal Court.
Of the 950 postcards sent out informing people they had delinquent citations that could be cleared through the amnesty program, 130 were returned for having incorrect address, and six people were deceased.
That means there are likely more than 600 people who have been notified of the amnesty but have not taken advantage of the opportunity, she said.
A similar amnesty in DeKalb County had people lined up around the block in response, but at this point Floyd County has had much smaller response.
“We have been somewhat successful but not had the kind of response we’d hoped for,” she said.
The amnesty covers delinquent traffic citations, parking citations or failure to appear warrants with the city of Rome. These can be cleared up without additional fines and penalties, but only during the month of April.
“After 5 p.m. (today) all bets are off,” she said.
The Rome Police Department has announced officers will be looking for those with warrants who did not participate in the amnesty.
Fines can be paid at the City of Rome Clerk’s Office at 601 Broad St. with cash, money order, Visa or MasterCard.
In some cases payments can be made by phone, Spence said, “it’s difficult, but it’s doable.”
Anyone with questions regarding “Operation Clean Slate” may contact Rome Municipal Court at 706-238-5150 or 706-238-5151.
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