City Council Approves Parking Violation Fine Increases

Increases and Enforcement Hoped to Help Downtown Merchants

[January 03, 2008]  Lincoln aldermen voted Dec. 17 to increase parking violation fines.

The decision to raise violation amounts came after finance and ordinance committees heard from a group of retail merchants in November that they were losing customers because people couldn't find a place to park when they came downtown.

The retailers observed that certain cars belonging to people employed downtown were parking day after day, all day, in two-hour parking spaces.

The merchants addressed the county board about the problem, and they addressed other business owners in the downtown area.

The merchants shared these major concerns with the council:

• A loss of retail sales, which means less retail tax revenues for the city.

• Elderly people have gone back home after not finding parking.

• Making a bad impression on out-of-town customers, reducing the likelihood of their return.

Comments by the council:

• Alderman Verl Prather: To me, I'm afraid this could run people off from downtown businesses. "You could spend two hours shopping, easily."

• Mayor Beth Davis-Kavelman agreed. "You could eat at Hallie's and spend 45 minutes, and then go shopping, and it would take more than two hours." She suggested that three hours might be more appropriate.

• City attorney Bill Bates cautioned that this would get into more work that would add more expense. It would include changing signs.

• In speaking of the employees who have been the regular violators, Alderman Melodie Anderson suggested that it wouldn't take long for the word to get around once someone got a parking ticket.

• Ordinance chairman Wanda Lee Rohlfs proposed increasing the two-hour parking violation fine from $3 to $5, which would go to:

  • $10 if paid with 48 hours.

  • $25 if paid with 30 days.

  • $50 if paid with 60 days.

  • $100 after that.

  
  "Five dollars isn't that much more than $3. If they get the ticket and they pay it, then that shouldn't chase anyone away from shopping downtown. If they're negligent in paying it within 48 hours, then they are making a choice," Rohlfs said.

The fee structure had not been changed in a number of years. The amounts have been brought into line compared with other Illinois communities.

The proposal was first accepted by both the finance and ordinance committees. It met with full council approval on the 17th, with Aldermen Verl Prather and Jeff Hoinacki absent.

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