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Waverly council approves first reading with wording changes to illegal parking fines ordinance
Summary
The council approved the first reading of Ordinance 1163 to update illegal parking fines, accepted two friendly amendments clarifying which fine increases and pluralization, and asked staff for follow-up details.
The City of Waverly City Council approved the first reading of Ordinance 1163 on March 3, updating the municipal code section governing illegal parking fines and adopting two clarifying amendments to the draft language.
The ordinance as amended sets the base fine for unspecified illegal parking at $20, with that $20 fine increasing to $25 if unpaid after 30 days (council members directed that the text explicitly read “this $20 fine shall increase…” to avoid ambiguity). Councilmembers also agreed to revised wording in a later paragraph to read “these fines may be charged,” so the code language correctly references multiple fines.
Council and staff discussed a separate $100 fine for parking in a disability space. City staff said the $100 penalty is set by state law and must be charged as written; additional incremental fines tied to late payment for that $100 fine are not permitted under the state provision cited by staff.
Police Chief provided enforcement context when asked how many tickets are issued annually for parking violations, answering approximately 700 per year. Staff said the ordinance update also corrects wording in the existing city code to conform with state law and updates enforcement references. The council indicated a proposed effective date of June 1 for the revised fines but left the final adoption to subsequent readings. The first reading was approved with the two friendly amendments and will return for a subsequent reading to finalize the ordinance.
What the council changed and why: Councilmembers raised concerns that the draft language could be read to mean the $100 disabled-parking fine was subject to the same 30-day increase as the $20 base fine; the amendment explicitly names the $20 fine in the 30-day increase sentence and corrects pluralization elsewhere in the section.
Follow-up: Staff committed to provide counts and breakdowns for handicapped-parking citations if requested and to bring the amended ordinance back for the next reading so the council can adopt a final ordinance and an effective date.
