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Council pauses proposed downtown parking changes after parking-board presentation; seeks language edits
Summary
After a presentation by the municipal parking board, Huntington City Council postponed consideration of an ordinance that would stiffen fines, add special-event parking zones, and authorize self-removing boots, sending the draft back for redrafting and stakeholder outreach to March 23.
The City of Huntington pushed back action on proposed parking-code changes after a detailed presentation from parking-board director Kirk Daudrill on Wednesday night.
Daudrill told council the board is not seeking to raise standard meter rates but wants stronger enforcement and turnover downtown. He proposed increasing most parking fines to $20 (from $5), authorizing special-event parking zones with a maximum rate of $25 per designated spot per event, tightening time limits in high-demand areas, and raising the fee for self-removing boot equipment to a maximum of $75 to cover hardware and software costs.
Councilmembers raised language concerns and public confusion following the board’s presentation; some residents had circulated rumors the changes would result in significantly higher hourly downtown parking. Councilmember Rumbaugh said residents’ inboxes had been filled with questions and suggested specific ordinance edits. Several council members urged the parking board to consult downtown stakeholders including Marshall University before the item returns.
Because of these outstanding drafting and outreach issues, council voted to postpone and asked the parking board to revise the ordinance and return on March 23 with clarified language and suggested amendments.
Key points: • Parking-board director Kirk Daudrill said the goal is increased compliance and turnover to support downtown retailers rather than a revenue grab. “We do wanna increase some compliance… We do not wanna penalize anyone coming downtown and paying parking correctly,” he said. • Proposed changes include: raise fines to $20; authorize special-event parking zones with a capped $25 per-spot fee; increase boot fees to cover self-removal hardware and software (cap $75); adjust enforcement windows for special events.
Next steps: The parking board will work with councilmembers on specific ordinance language, conduct stakeholder outreach (including outreach to Marshall University as requested), and return to council on March 23 for further consideration.
