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Alders back ordinance changes, debate seasonal tweak to overnight parking in Green Bay
Summary
The Improvement and Services Committee approved DPW’s updates to Green Bay’s overnight parking ordinance, formalizing a 14-day permit process and referral options for longer requests. An alder proposed adding Nov. 1–March 31 as the season when on-street parking between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. would remain banned; committee voted to send the matter to council as a recommendation.
The Green Bay Improvement and Services Committee on July 1 approved proposed amendments to city ordinance section 40-29I that formalize how the Department of Public Works handles overnight parking requests and adds a route for approvals of requests longer than 14 days.
Department of Public Works staff told the committee the changes mostly put existing practice into ordinance language, replacing references to the “parking division” with the Department of Public Works and creating a process whereby short-term overnight permits would be approved administratively while longer or year-long requests would be referred to the INS committee and common council.
An alder proposed a seasonal amendment to the ordinance, reading in part: “overnight on-street parking is prohibited between 3:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. from November 1st through March 31st,” and would permit overnight street parking from April 1 through October 31 except where posted restrictions, alternate parking regulations, or other applicable ordinances prohibit it. The proposer asked the change be circulated so the public can review it before council consideration.
Committee members agreed public notice and staff analysis are needed before final council action. One member asked that the amendment be filed as a communication to the INS committee so residents would have time to respond and staff could provide operational impact information.
Public-safety concerns also arose during debate. Committee discussion noted that narrow streets and dense overnight parking can impede emergency response: "PD has big concerns about overnight parking ... it's hazardous for the fire truck and for the police to be able to traverse to those areas," a committee member said. City staff recommended studying neighboring municipalities’ practices and consulting the Police Department and DPW operations before finalizing any seasonal change.
The committee approved the ordinance changes as presented at committee level by voice vote; that approval is a recommendation that will go to the common council for final action at its next meeting. The committee indicated it will add the proposed seasonal amendment and related communications to a future INS meeting agenda so the public and staff can review the proposal prior to a council vote.
