Ordinance committee sends change to allow parking authority citywide citation power to common council

The Ordinance Committee on April 15 voted to send a proposed amendment to Chapter 73A — sections 73A-1 through 73A-9 — to the Common Council that would allow the Norwalk Parking Authority to issue citations citywide instead of only in metered or managed parking areas.

Jim Travers, director of transportation, mobility, and parking, said the proposal is “the enabling legislation that would allow the parking authority to issue citations citywide. Currently, right now, the ordinance restricts them to, the the managed parking areas, I e, metered parking.” He told the committee the police department regularly receives neighborhood complaints about blocked driveways, vehicles close to corners and cars blocking fire hydrants and often lacks the resources to respond.

“The police department often, quite often doesn't have the resources available to do this,” Travers said, adding that Chief Walsh supports the change because it would “free up officers' time for more important matters and moving the citation process in its entirety to the parking authority.”

The change is also intended to create the legal framework for additional programs, Travers said, citing residential parking as a commonly requested program the city has been unable to implement under the present ordinance.

No members of the public spoke specifically in opposition during the committee’s hearing; the clerk reported no emails for this agenda item. After brief committee discussion and clarification about where rules would be published, Committee member Noor Nadelski Eitner moved to send the ordinance to the Common Council; the committee approved the motion and closed the public hearing.

Committee members clarified that the underlying parking regulations and the process to change them remain governed by the traffic authority and the city's municipal code (chapter 98). Travers said changes to parking rules still require traffic‑authority approval and, when appropriate, council action to amend the municipal code.

The committee sent the ordinance forward for consideration by the Common Council. Any future changes to specific parking rules would be posted in the municipal code or through the traffic authority process, committee members said.

Votes at a glance: the Ordinance Committee voted to forward the proposed Chapter 73A amendments to the Common Council.