Knox Council spends thousands to prosecute Upwey father over $141 parking fine UPDATE: KNOX Council has been given a roasting by ratepayers and readers after it racked up thousands of dollars in city lawyers' fees chasing a father of two over a $141 parking fine - and lost. Comments have ranged from suggesting the council officers who pursued the ticket should be sacked, to advice that the council would be better run by administrators - or the tea lady. The Knox Ratepayers Association (KRA) has called for better staff training, while the Municipal Association of Victoria said it was up to individual councils to decide when to bring in lawyers. Upwey resident John (Jack) Ferguson represented himself at the Ringwood Magistrates' Court on November 27 and December 2, in sessions that lasted a total of about 13 hours. The small-business owner faced off against a lawyer from Maddocks and risked a criminal conviction after he refused to pay a fine for allegedly stopping in a no-standing zone outside his son's Ferntree Gully school. Magistrate Marc Anthony Sargent dismissed the ticket and ordered the council to pay $503.30 in costs. Knox Council would not reveal the size of its legal bill, saying it would include the fees in its next annual report. But a suburban solicitor said clients could expect to pay at least $300 an hour for representation from an inner-city law firm, which amounts to about $4000 for one laywer's court appearances alone. Is this rates money well spent? Tell us below or email knox@leadernewspapers.com.au Dying man fights Knox Council for flood compensation KRA spokesman Alem Mirvich called on the council to review staff training and be more lenient for first offences - particularly if the review process showed it was not a strong case. Mr Mirvich said he regularly heard from frustrated ratepayers who had been fined outside schools without being approached by local laws officers. "It's a pet hate when the fine arrives and residents knew nothing about it...it's like they're (the council) on stealth mode," he said. At the end of the day, if the council didn't enforce tickets nobody would pay them. Anything that improves public safety is money well spent. (But) they've made the wrong judgment call in this case. The David and Goliath battle has struck a nerve with readers. Roger wrote: "Time they were sacked. Let the tea lady run the show, she couldn't do worse. And Colin commented: "Local councils are a joke. Get rid of this tier of government altogether and save the public millions in wasted spending and rid ourselves of one more layer of petty bureaucracy. Jimbo said it was "another win for the little guy," while Jackie said the council officer responsible should be sacked or demoted.. Rose vented: "There are some people who crave and enjoy power; they have to be top dog, whether by fair means or foul. Petty officials all! Rose went on to say that cases dealing with "unreasonable" Knox Council included a swimming pool installation request, and a denial by council to build a barbecue shelter in a back garden. Earlier, a suburban solicitor, who did not want to be named, told Leader clients could expect to pay at least $300 an hour for representation from an inner-city law firm - more if the lawyer was senior or an expert. Mr Ferguson said the combined court sessions lasted at least 13 hours - by the Leader's calculations about $4000 for one lawyer to appear in court, excluding pre-trial preparation fees. How the case unfolded Council records show two local laws officers recorded 23 infringements, including Mr Ferguson's fine, within 30 minutes outside St Joseph's College in Brenock Park Drive on September 4, 2012. Mr Ferguson said he always drove into the school grounds before dropping off his son, but remembered having to wait behind another car that day, which had stopped illegally. He asked for the ticket to be reviewed and requested copies of the officers' notes and photographs, but the council stood firm. "They sent me a letter to say they did a review, but when we got to court neither local laws officer had been questioned as part of the review," he said. Council records show the officers recorded the driver was female - not male; the colour of the car was incorrect, while there was confusion over which side of the street the officers were on, Mr Ferguson said. That should have come out in the review, they should have said, 'We don't have our facts right here, why don't we just dismiss this infringement'. I feel Knox were less interested in justice and more interested in maintaining their prosecutorial power. I call it the Knox nonsense," Mr Ferguson said. In an email seen by Knox Leader, a Maddocks senior associate advised Mr Ferguson: "My client [Knox Council] has already incurred considerable expense complying with these requests of yours for documents." Knox Council director of city development Angelo Kourambas said the council respected the court's decision, was successful in most cases and had no reason not to take the matter to court. There is no requirement that every offence be photographed. In this case, images were taken but were unable to be produced," he said. Municipal Association of Victoria president Cr Bill McArthur said Victorian councils issued more than 1.6 million parking fines annually. "The Auditor General's annual report confirms that fewer than 1 per cent of people elect to go to court," Cr McArthur said. It would be a matter for each local council to decide when to seek legal representation. Cr McArthur said councils and other enforcement agencies had to follow prescribed decision-making processes in line with the Infringements Act. Knox Council spent $1.065 million on finance and legal costs during the 2012-13 financial year, an increase of 19 per cent. It issued 5288 parking fines, received 754 requests for a review and withdrew 365 notices, about 7 per cent.