City staff says legal limits on parking enforcement constrain options; license-plate readers under consideration

Roy Hicks, owner of Uncle Pauls Diner, told the Ashland Board of City Commissioners on May 22 that chronic parking by noncustomers in front of his downtown restaurant is harming his business and asked for a timeline for enforcement.

A city staff member responded that recent Sixth Circuit case law constrains some parking-enforcement tactics and described limitations on marking or physically altering vehicles. Staff said the city is exploring options that rely on license-plate readers and is working with the police department and outside vendors to determine an approach, adding that "based on the sixth circuit's current ruling...what we're kinda limited with is something called a license plate reader...you can't touch the cars, you can't mark the cars anymore, you can't do anything like that." The staff member said the city hopes to further flesh out solutions during budget discussions and asked the public to "bear with us."

Why it matters: Chronic street parking by noncustomers can reduce turnover in short-term spaces that downtown businesses rely on. The legal constraints described by staff affect how the city can implement enforcement technology and require coordination with police and budget planning.

Board action and next steps: The board did not take a formal vote on enforcement policy at the meeting. Staff said options will be evaluated in upcoming budget discussions and that there was ongoing work to identify an appropriate model and to clarify operational limits.

Public comment context: Hicks described customers whore elderly and who need nearby parking and said vehicles sometimes occupy seven or eight spots for days. The mayor and commissioners acknowledged the complaint and said the issue and a loading-zone policy were matters staff will continue to work on.