Business owners pleaded with Athens City Council members to reconsider a proposed ordinance that would raise parking fees and, according to the owners, would drive away customers.
The ordinance would double the $5 fine for parking at an expired meter and raise the fine for 2-hour limit violations at non-metered spaces from $10 to $15. The $20 fine for parking violations such as blocking driveways and exceeding 24-hour parking limits will go up to $30.
The proposal, which council likely will vote on later this month, also would increase the allotted time to pay the fines without penalty from 48 hours to five days. If passed, it will go into effect June 1.
Three local business owners told council members yesterday that the increased fines would deter potential shoppers.
Councilwoman Nancy Bain, D-3rd Ward, said people are upset about the large parking fine increase, a result of city officials having not increased the fines in about 10 years.
Alternatives to increasing the fines might sound appealing, but this is an ensured stream of income
Bain said. The money would be used to pay for two additional police officers to patrol Athens' neighborhoods. Athens patrol officers make an average of $21.33 per hour.
The Athens Police Department has 23 active police officers, excluding two officers on military leave and one who resigned. Cpt. Tom Pyle said the police force would like to have 29 officers, which is the number of officers the force had in 2000, at its peak.
Council's alternatives would be to raise more money for the police officers or to cater to drivers' conveniences by leaving the fines as they are, Bain said.
Parking in Athens already is tight and there are better ways for the city to make money than taking business away from the shops through the fee increase, said Ralph Scarmack, owner of Interior Concepts on North Court Street.
Instead of increasing parking fines, city officials could increase fines for littering, he said, adding that if parking enforcement officials handed out tickets for people dropping cigarette stubs on the ground, the city would make money and get a facelift.
Business owners Chris Demel of Themes, 61 N. Court St., and Gloria Duncan of Court Street Collection, 64 N. Court St., agreed that raising parking fees will repel potential business.
According to a city document distributed by Parking Enforcement, the city made a total $463,430, including parking fines and penalty fees for late payments, between June 1, 2005, and May 31, 2006.
If the same number of tickets in each fine category is issued at the new costs, the city would collect about $531,000 in one year, not including late fees, according to city data.
Mayor Ric Abel said he hopes the extended time to pay will decrease the number of late fees, though it would also decrease the amount of money earned by the city from those fees.
The mayor said he expects to see a decline in tickets immediately following the fee increase. In other council news:
Council adopted an ordinance to purchase 17 acres of land adjacent to Sells Park for $90,000. Councilman Jim Sands, D- at large, said the city will pay $23,000 from its Capital Improvements Fund, and the state will pay the rest through its Clean Ohio Act.
Athens' water system will now be linked to the Tuppers Plains-Chester water district. The link will only be used in emergencies, Bain said. Woda, the development group who asked for the link, will pay Athens $20,000, Bain added.
This has been a bad month for water in Athens, Abel said. So far this month there have been five water line breaks and three sewer clogs. The problems are not weather-related, he added. 17
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