There is indeed a state limit but I thought it was legislative, not Constitutional.  Shows how much I know.

The City often gets around the $50 limit by assessing $50/occurence.  An "occurence" for some things - e.g. demoliton by neglect, is defined as each day the violation occurs. 

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Car Guy said "Well, you can remember it right now. He's on the ballot, with no opposition. Try to remember it again until 2010."

Darn. I didn't know that. If I'da known I could have ran against him.
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Anonymous said "(a)(1) Any person, except a person ... So are you saying this law is illegal?"

Yep.
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SayUncle said "I'm sure a court would rule that the limit is whatever $50 at the time the constitution was ratified is equivalent to today."

In 1869 when the state constitution was written there was no such thing as traffic tickets. The $50 limitation was to protect the citizens against tyrants in government who would confiscate their livestock, houses, land.

The Republicans are obsessive about trying to give the government more power over us. Trying to take away the $50 limitation is a Republican idea. Sounds like you're trying to defend it. When did you become a Big Government Republican?!
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rikki said "I could have sworn the 2002 ballot initiative only applied to the City of Knoxville and was sponsored by the outgoing mayor and actually happened in 2003."

Former Knoxville Mayor Victor Ashe was a key backer of it. So was the Republican Party leadership I think.

and this "I have a feeling this whole thread is based on a bunch of half-cobbled, undercooked misinformation."

Unfortunately, it's all true.
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Talk Tennessee Football at The County Seat

Back when I was a student UT got spanked in court for charging excess parking fines. I even got a refund check out of the deal. And there was much rejoicing.

Hey, Les, why don't we just call each other assholes and get it over with. - Somebody on the old Southknoxbubba.net (if that was you, claim your quote and win net.fame!)

 The public officials say that the fine imposed that is over the $50 limit is not really a fine at all - it's only a contribution to the judge's retirement fund. Of course, they're liars. It doesn't matter where it goes - it's a fine.

In the November 2002 elections there was an item on the ballot that would have repealed the $50 limitation on fines and instead replaced it with a law where the state legislature could set the fine at any limit they chose.

State Senator Tim Burchett (Republican) was a primary supporter of repealing the $50 limitation. It was a Republican initiative. Burchett said in 2002 that the $50 limitation was "unrealistically low."

Not exactly, Tim. Fines are supposed to be deterrents for persons committing offenses - not revenue generating devices for you and your cronies.

The $50 fine limitation is a stop-gap protection against tyrants in the judiciary.

Fortunately, the ballot measure was defeated in 2002. One of the supporters (who was an elected official - and also a Republican) for removing the $50 protection said that they would try again.

The next time you walk into a voters' booth and see Burchett's name please remember what he tried to do to us in 2002.
 

Talk libertarian, Knoxville politics at The County Seat