Parking violations net around $3,500
Parking violations have netted about $3,500, but city interests in Court Square parking do not boil down to fines, a city official said.
If strictly interpreted as individual $5 fines, the $3,500 figure, as defined for this fiscal year, could mean about 700 tickets were issued. However, City Administrator Herb Llewellyn said the city has the ability to ticket in succession, meaning a car that parks illegally all day can end up owing $30 by the end of the day by paying $5 for the first violation, $10 for second and $15 for the third same-space violation.
Additionally, penalties are applied if tickets are not paid on time, so the number of people getting tickets could be less than 700, Llewellyn said.
The recent debate about parking signs is not about the fines, city officials have asserted. Llewellyn and others believe the city is obligated to provide parking regulation downtown due to agreements put in place more than 20 years ago. Timed parking signs located around the courthouse were ordered taken down by County Executive Kenneth Rogers about two weeks ago.
Reiterating what members of the city’s Safety Committee – Chair Donald Hillis, Michael Chrisawn and Bobby Kirby – said during a recent meeting when they directed the signs be put back up, Llewellyn said he believes the city is simply doing what it was asked to do and is not being petty.