Council sends chronic parking enforcement concerns to committee for review

Councilor Robin raised concerns Sept. 17 about chronic parking violations in neighborhoods and the perception that some drivers “calculate” that paying repeated tickets is less costly than compliance. He asked the council to send parking enforcement and compliance to committee so staff, parking-code enforcement officers and police could explain tools available and potential escalation measures.

“I’m talking about chronic. ... people are calculating that they’ll pay whatever the money is as opposed to our ability to enforce for the overall general safety and well-being for the people of the community,” Robin said. He proposed committee review to explore options such as towing limits, escalating penalties, nuisance-abatement approaches and other measures to increase compliance.

Council voted to send parking enforcement and compliance to committee. A councilor asked that parking-code enforcement staff be present for the committee discussion so members can assess enforcement authority and practical options.

The council did not adopt any ordinance changes on Sept. 17; the referral requests staff and enforcement officers report to a committee to evaluate escalation options and possible code changes to improve compliance.