Amnesty For Albany Parking Scofflaws — In Exchange For Food?

AlbanyIn exchange for a couple of cans of tuna and a box or three of rigatoni, Albany parking scofflaws may soon catch a break.City Treasurer Darius Shahinfar is proposing a ticket amnesty that would waive the late penalties on some 60,000 outstanding parking tickets dating back five-and-a-half years in exchange for a food donation to The Food Pantries for the Capital District.Drivers, however, would still be on the hook for the underlying fines.The partnership would be a first for both the city and the Essex Street nonprofit, whose members include 53 food pantries in Albany, Saratoga and Rensselaer counties that serve 2.5 million meals a year.An ordinance authorizing the amnesty program, the city's first since 2008, is expected to be introduced before the Common Council Wednesday and voted on this month.The goal, Shahinfar said, is to make a dent in about $5.4 million in unpaid fines and related fees dating to 2010, when a new computer system was installed to track tickets, while also aiding a worthy cause."I hope that people are moved by a spirit of charity," Shahinfar said, "because the holidays are coming up, which is a very needy time for the food pantries."If approved by lawmakers, the amnesty would run from Sept.