City residents who owe back fines for traffic and other misdemeanor offenses have the opportunity to pay them off in full and avoid a visit from Vicksburg police during an amnesty period from Feb. 1 through April 1.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen Monday approved the annual amnesty program in an effort to collect the past due money. Last year’s amnesty period netted the city $64,412.85 in back fines.

“This gives people who owe past due fines the opportunity to pay them off and avoid the embarrassment of having the police come and serve a warrant on them,” Municipal Judge Toni Terrett said. “People can come in, pay the fine in full, and the warrant will be removed.”

The benefit for the city, she said, is the additional income it receives from getting the back fines. The fines go into the city’s general fund.

“We have a lot of people who wait for this time to pay their fines,” Terrett said. “Many of them have income tax refunds and other funds coming in about this time, so they know they’ll be able to pay off the fine in full.”