Marietta Square workers ask council to exempt on-duty parking tickets; no council action recorded

A Marietta Square employee told the City Council Tuesday evening that downtown workers regularly receive parking tickets while on duty and urged the council to adopt an exemption for employees who can verify work hours with a manager-signed time card.

Jillian Benson, who identified herself as a public relations student at Kennesaw State University and a bartender who works in Marietta Square, told the council many employees work long shifts and cannot move cars every two hours. She said an employee parking lot exists but that workers still receive tickets there and that the lot’s distance and nighttime walk raise safety concerns.

Benson presented a petition of signatures from Square employees and supporters and asked the council to "say yes to fairness, yes to safety, and yes to the people who make Marietta Square the vibrant heart of your city." The transcript shows no council motion or staff direction in response during the meeting, and no formal policy change was made that night.

Nut graf: The comment raised a recurring operational issue for downtown employers and employees — enforcement that treats short-term employee parking the same as visitor parking — and proposed a verification-based exemption as a solution. The council did not make a decision; the transcript records the comment but no follow-up action.

If the council wishes to consider the change it would require staff research on enforcement protocols, signage, and the logistics of verifying on-duty status for parking enforcement officers.