Derek and Katie Lambird and their neighbours are not alone in having run afoul of the bylaw Nazis and facing costly fines.

Over the past week and more citizens have been telling me that “… something needs to be done about …” or that “…someone needs to write and warn citizens about …” either the unprecedented enthusiasm of bylaw enforcement levying fines or the inventive new ways Abbotsford police have been finding to ambush and issue tickets to drivers in the city.

This state of affairs should come as no surprise to residents. I certainly was not surprised to find a ticket on my windshield when the two hour free parking by Community Services became exactly two hours of free parking instead of the previous 2 hours plus 5 – 10 minutes.

I was annoyed and disgusted, but I definitely was not surprised thinking “…their spending addiction is way out of hand if they NEED the money this badly ….”

When you have a city council that is addicted to evermore spending; a city council that has no understanding of the concepts of fiscal discipline, sound fiscal policy and planning, due diligence, duty of care or fiscal responsibility; it should come as no surprise to any citizen that such a city council will find itself in desperate need of funds to feed their spending addiction.

Faced with a city council that comes up with a Fudget as opposed to a budget, which sought to impose a parking fee at Mill Lake and dreams of imposing a gas tax – is anyone surprised at their decision to exploit the untapped potential of bylaw and traffic fines to bleed funds out of taxpayer’s pockets and into city coffers?

While Derek and Katie Lambird and other citizens should indeed dispute these tickets, it is far more important that the Lambirds and all Abbotsford citizens email, phone or communicate in any manner possible to the Mayor and all city councillors that this behaviour, this extortion, is unacceptable and that Council must get its financial house in order and learn to live within its means.

Until such time as city council learns to budget not Fudget: Caveat Civitas – let citizens beware.