Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Parking-enforcement changes urged as advocate alleges thousands of towing incidents; committee debates amendment risk
Loading...
Summary
Supporters of progressive, citation-based parking enforcement urged the Committee on Waterland to require lower fines and clearer signage, alleging thousands of tows and contract transparency problems; the committee discussed amending a passed Senate resolution and weighed the risk it could be rejected by the Senate.
At the April 16 hearing, Kate Thompson of the SURF Parking Coalition gave extended testimony supporting SCR 58, which urges DLNR’s Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation to adopt a progressive enforcement framework for parking at DLNR-managed sites.
Thompson criticized current signage and contract practices, said she reviewed towing records showing large numbers of tows at some harbors, and urged a proposed HD1 amendment that would allow concessionaires to issue citation-based parking fines at affordable levels (Thompson repeatedly cited a $35 meter-overstay ticket as a model). Thompson said Secure Parking LLC and contracted tow companies have been recovering substantial fees and that she filed contested-case requests and studied towing statistics over several years; she testified that “9,323 cars have been towed from this one harbor” in recent years and said that very few citations were issued compared with tows.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about the proposed HD1 language, the legal basis for moving contracts under Act 163, and whether amending the Senate-passed version could risk the measure in the Senate. Thompson said an HD1 would ask DLNR to amend concession contracts to allow an affordable, citation-based system and emphasized transparency and consumer protections; she also asked the committee to consider cost and equity impacts for residents and workers who rely on harbor parking.
The record shows the committee discussed technical amendments and the tradeoff between keeping the Senate-passed text intact (to preserve its momentum) and adding language the coalition seeks. The committee proceeded through the decision matrix and recorded its action on SCR 58 as taken in the session; the chair recommended only technical amendments for clarity and consistency and warned that broader changes could jeopardize adoption on the Senate side.
Allegations and verification: Many of Thompson’s claims about towing counts, contract terms, and specific practices were presented as testimony and labeled in the record as based on the speaker’s multi-year review and contested-case filings; the committee did not independently verify the tow counts during the hearing and DLNR’s written testimony was noted as containing comments but the division’s in-person representatives were not the primary respondent on all specific contracting allegations.
What’s next: The committee recorded action on SCR 58 and noted it would be transmitted consistent with the chair’s recommendations; any statutory or contract changes would require subsequent administrative action, contract amendments, or further legislative steps.
