County sets hearing to add fines for parking in no-parking zones; sheriff seeks enforcement authority

Susan Eugenis, county engineer, asked commissioners to set a hearing to amend the county traffic code to allow the sheriff's office to assess fines for vehicles parked in no-parking zones. "The proposed ordinance... would add several new sections to the traffic code that would allow the sheriff's office to assess fines when you park in a no parking zone," Eugenis said, and proposed $50 for a first violation, $100 for a second, and $200 for a third. Eugenis said the state formerly set fines for these offenses but has returned authority to local jurisdictions to set amounts, and the county’s amendment implements local penalties so the sheriff can enforce no-parking zones already identified through prior hearings. Commissioners asked whether the ordinance should give the sheriff discretion by phrasing fines as "up to" amounts to allow future adjustment without another ordinance change; Eugenis said staff and the sheriff's department could discuss that option before the hearing. Eugenis said the county has a current list of roughly a dozen no-parking locations—mainly industrial areas and other corridors—and that the amendment would set penalties but not establish or change the location of zones themselves. The board scheduled a public hearing on the traffic-code amendment for Aug. 12 so the sheriff, staff and public can comment on fines and implementation.