Municipal Court Extends Second Chance Program

TYLER — The Tyler Municipal Court has announced that it will extend the deadline for the Second Chance Program to Oct. 15 due to the program’s success in assisting citizens who have been unable to pay past due court fines because of economic conditions. The program which was launched in August was scheduled to end on September 9. During this time, 583 people took advantage of this program and paid their fines, clearing 1140 warrants.

“Some people went ahead and took care of the whole warrant amount instead of opting for the payment plan,” commented Court Administrator Cam McCabe. “Consequently, even more warrants were cleared than we expected. We had predicted that about 200 to 250 people would pay their fines and take care of their warrants during this time period. The reality is that more than twice the warrants were cleared than we anticipated.”

The Second Chance Program enables persons who have had warrants issued for non-payment of fines to reestablish a payment plan and bring their accounts current. “We have seen an increase in the number of people who have warrants issued for their arrest due to the economy,” said McCabe. “This program provides a second chance for violators to become current and take care of their fines.”

A $300 down payment is required to reestablish the payment plan. Warrants will be removed once the $300 is received and a payment plan is signed. To take advantage of this Second Chance Program, defendants must visit the cashier’s window at the Municipal Court to make the down payment and sign the payment agreement no later than the October 15 deadline.