La Conner council reopens 72-hour parking enforcement debate, considers towing agreement and volunteer ticketing

Councilors spent an extended portion of the meeting discussing renewed enforcement of a 72-hour parking rule to address persistent shortages, particularly on 1st Street during events and tourist seasons. The mayor said the council needs to “put some teeth into it,” urging a towing agreement and clearer enforcement practices to deter long-term, nonfunctional vehicles and free visitor parking.

Members debated whether enforcement should be townwide or targeted to hot spots and whether narrow residential streets should be exempt. One council member recommended exemptions for residents on steep or narrow blocks where on-street parking is the only option; others suggested including parking policy in the strategic-plan update to develop a longer-term approach.

Councilors also discussed using trained volunteers with ticket books to report infractions. Supporters said trained volunteers could expand enforcement capacity; others flagged safety risks and the potential for confrontations. As one councilor put it, volunteers could be “confronted by somebody who’s rather angry,” a scenario some members said could weigh against broad volunteer deployment.

The council agreed there is value in lining up a towing provider quickly even if broader policy changes are deferred until the strategic-plan process. A majority supported moving forward on a towing agreement and further vetting targeted enforcement measures and exemptions before deploying townwide rules.