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 Many believe the reason that parking is limited for would-be
shoppers is because people who work at various downtown businesses,
as well as the Logan County Courthouse, take up the convenient
parking spots, leaving very few for the people who come to Lincoln
to shop.
For this round, the topic was brought up first at a joint meeting of
the Logan County Board and the city of Lincoln. At that meeting held
the end of March, Logan County Board member Kevin Bateman said he
would like for the county board to join him in saying that the
county will support the efforts of the city to reduce the number of
downtown employees who ignore the city and county’s requests to use
the parking areas provided off the square.
Mayor Marty Neitzel then said that the city had a plan “in the
works” but was not yet prepared to discuss publicly.
On Tuesday at the city of Lincoln Committee of the Whole, the plan
in the works was unveiled to Lincoln aldermen.
The new plan will require a change of the existing city ordinance
regarding downtown parking. First, the plan will eliminate the
two-hour parking limit and set new rules for businesses as well as
shoppers.
 The two-hour parking limit, as explained by City Administrator Clay
Johnson, would be dropped completely. Instead, there would be
signage placed around the square designating the downtown parking
space as “Customer Parking.” Johnson said there would be a provision
for businesses that need front door parking to their establishments
for delivery or loading and unloading of products. Those businesses
would be permitted to occupy downtown spaces for a maximum of 30
minutes at a time.
Additionally, the ordinance would change the fine structure for
parking violators. Johnson explained that currently the parking
violation fine is $10 per occurrence with additional fees charged if
tickets are not paid promptly.
The change would increase the first parking fine to $25. There would
then be larger fines imposed on repeat offenders to $50, $100, and
even $200 at the fourth offense.
Johnson said he would like to put the word out on the city Facebook
page and local media that this change is being considered, and allow
the public to respond to the new changes.
Tracy Welch asked if the downtown business owners had been consulted
about the problem and the plan. Police Chief Paul Adams said he and
Assistant Chief Matt Vlahovich had made the rounds and talked with
several business owners. Adams noted that with the exception of
possibly the 100 block of South Kickapoo, businesses in the downtown
area have access to parking behind their respective businesses. He
also noted that many of the business owners knew and were able to
name the people are who consistently park in spots meant for
shoppers.
Adams added that for the new plan to work, business owners are going
to have to be part of the solution. They will need to be proactive,
and contact the Lincoln Police Department when they see violations
occurring. A Lincoln officer can then go to the scene and issue the
parking ticket. He added that at the same time when the police know
that a vehicle is illegally parked, an officer can issue the ticket
without a complaint from a business owner.
Referring to Adams’ comment that business owners know who the
violators are, he was asked if he could estimate how many violators
are involved. Adams said that the majority of the violators appear
to be parking in the 100 block of North Kickapoo and the 100 block
of South Kickapoo, and he estimated all total there were seven or
eight people involved.
Rick Hoefle noted that there are already parking ordinances in place
but that it appeared that many of the habitual violators have found
a “workaround” to avoid being ticketed. Adams said that was true. He
said when it is noted that an officer is in the downtown area
marking tires, one person may see this, and begin contacting friends
and co-workers. Those people will then go out and move their cars
from one spot to another, and will keep an eye on the clock and
repeat the process at regular intervals throughout a day. He noted
there were also others who just go outside and wipe the chalk mark
off of their tire.
Jonie Tibbs said that she spends time in the downtown area, and has
seen firsthand what Adams was describing. She noted that there is a
case of a habitual violator working in a downtown business, and she
has considered not shopping at that business any longer because the
employees don’t respect the rules.
Welch offered a scenario that he felt could become a messy
situation. He asked what happens to a business owner who just
happens to be downtown shopping. He explained that though the
vehicle would be recognized as belonging to a local business owner
or employee, that person would be there for the right reason, to
shop, but would still possibly be ticketed. Adams said that, as with
any other police action, there would need to be some investigation.
But the bottom line would be, if that person presented proof that he
or she was shopping, a store receipt for example, then the ticket
could be voided.
Hoefle asked how this would impact people who were serving on jury
duty at the Courthouse. Adams said that technically speaking a
person serving jury duty would be a “customer” of the courthouse. It
was also mentioned that when citizens are called to jury duty, they
are told to use the public parking lots instead of taking up parking
on the Square. Tibbs said she was a bit concerned about the
involvement of the local business owners. She asked if they would be
required to serve as witnesses, if they were the ones who reported
the parking violations.
Adams said they would if the matter went to court.
Tibbs said she really had issues with that.
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City Attorney Blinn Bates said that would have to be a requirement and that if
the business owners wanted to have an effective program, they would have to be
willing to step up and stand behind their complaints. Tibbs said she didn’t
think that was a good idea, but Bates said it was the same for any ordinance
violation that goes to court; if there is no witness, there is no case.
Michelle Bauer said that the business owners on the Square would have a decision
to make; whether or not they want to make a difference. She noted that no one
wants to be a “tattle-tale,” but if that is what it takes, the individual owners
will have to decide for themselves if it is worth it.
Jeff Hoinacki commented that he thought adding bite to the tickets would have a
positive impact on reducing violators. He suggested that when the violators have
to pay $50 or $100 for a ticket, they will think twice about where they park.
Welch also noted that he believed there were business owners downtown who would
not worry about offending their neighbors in order to see this problem
rectified.
Lincoln resident Richard Sinks was in the gallery and spoke out saying that this
was going to create a problem that would drive shoppers away from Lincoln. He
said shoppers would be ticketed and become angry. He mentioned the comment by
Chief Paul Adams that business owners and employees in town to shop could show
receipts as proof they were shoppers when a ticket was issued. Sinks said people
don’t save their receipts, so that won’t work.
Bauer commented that the goal was not to ticket shoppers but to ticket employees
of downtown businesses who violate the parking rules. Welch asked how the city
would label shoppers, but Bauer said if there were “labeling” it would be
labeling employees and business owners, not the shoppers.
Sinks maintained that people who should not be ticketed will be because someone
perceives they have taken up a space for too long a time.
Shortly after this, Mayor Marty Neitzel called the debate to a halt.
Moving on, Waste Treatment Manager Tim Ferguson commented that it isn’t that
difficult to see who are employees, noting their parking patterns will help. He
said that employees will park at a set time of day and remain for a set number
of hours, and they will drive the same vehicle most of the time. He said using
common sense would be good.
Hoefle then offered another scenario, saying, “I’m downtown, and I park my car.
I’m not going to shop. I’m not going to buy anything.” He wondered was he parked
legally. The answer was “yes,” because he is not a business owner or employee.
Wanda Lee Rohlfs was in the gallery, as was local business owner David Lanterman.
Rohlfs asked the question and suggested Lanterman answer it, about the parking
habits of the people who live in the apartments above the downtown businesses.
She wanted to know if they were parking on the square, shouldn’t they also be
violators?
Lanterman did answer, saying that he believed they should. He said on the
properties he owns, there is designated parking off the square. He added that
the purpose of downtown parking was to generate business and therefore generate
sales tax revenue for the city, and those renters did not generate sales tax,
and should not be parking on the square during business hours.
Johnson also noted that for those who live downtown and work during the day,
having their car parked on the square after 5 p.m. would not be a violation
according to city ordinance.
Welch wondered if the city could issue parking stickers to permit certain
parking exceptions. Ferguson said that when the department heads and others had
discussed this in meetings with Neitzel and Johnson, stickers did come up, but
the big issue was policing the stickers as well as designating parking spaces to
go with the stickers. In the end, the group had decided it was a plan that would
not work in Lincoln.
Bauer suggested that this was an item not ready to be added to a voting agenda.
She said she would like to get public input and agreed with Johnson’s early
suggestion to get the word out of proposed changes and collect public comments.
She said after that process then the city could revisit the ordinance and take
into consideration what they learned from the public.
It was suggested that the council set a date of 30 days to collect public
comment, then revisit the topic in another Committee of the Whole. All agreed.
Contact information for city officials is provided on the city website at this
link:
https://www.lincolnil. gov/index.php?option=com_content&view
=article&id=58&Itemid=79
The information includes phone numbers, or by clicking on the name of the person
you wish to contact, you may send an email.
[Nila Smith]
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