AGENDA #4L
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Revision to Fines for Parking Violations
DATE: October 10, 2005
The attached ordinance would amend Chapter 21 of the Town’s Code of Ordinances to increase penalties for particular violations of parking regulations of articles IV and V in Chapter 21 of the Town code.
In preparation for reviewing Town parking-related fees, the staff conducted an overall review of the parking violations and compared the current Town rates to those of the University of North Carolina. A working paper was presented on April 27, 2005 (see Attachment 1). Upon review of the “Ordinance Regulating Traffic and Parking on the Campus of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,” we have determined comparable fees for violations and services.
The majority of the rate change recommendations were included in the budget ordinance to adopt fees as a part of the budget adopted on June 27, 2005. However the rates related to certain civil penalties were a part of a separate section of the Town Code of Ordinances. That section of Code should have been updated at the same time the budget was passed, but was not due to an error.
The attached changes in the Town Code of Ordinances would make the charges for civil parking violations consistent with those of the University. Specifically, we propose the following changes:
|
Violation |
Current Charge |
Proposed Charge |
Explanation |
Estimated Annual Net Change in Revenue |
|
Booting, Section 21-36 |
$30 |
$55 |
The current fine does not serve as a deterrent for scofflaws. |
$2,000 |
|
Continuing to remain in a space with an expired meter Section 21-33 |
$0 |
$15 |
Currently, a violator receives only an initial fine remaining in a space with an expired meter. We believe that we should charge an additional citation for parking each two hours over the expired time. |
$18,000 |
|
Handicapped violations |
$100 |
$200 |
The current fine does not serve as a deterrent for scofflaws |
$2,000 |
|
Basic Violation Section 21, Articles IV and V |
$40 |
$50 |
Example of basic violations from Articles IV and V of Chapter 21 of the Town Code include parking in bike lanes, parking on a sidewalk, and parking in bus stops. |
$15,000 |
|
Maximum Fine Plus Penalty Section 21-38 |
$20 over fine amount |
$20 over fine amount |
The total maximum would increase for fine plus penalty, but only because the basic fine increases. |
$0 |
Although we neglected to update the section of the Town Code that includes these violations, we included a revenue budget that reflects those changes in the On-Street Parking budget. If the Code changes were not made, we would anticipate that the transfer to the General Fund from the On-Street Parking Fund would be reduced by approximately $37,000.
That the Council adopt the attached ordinance changing the violation rates.
ATTACHMENT
1. Memorandum of April 27, 2005 (p. 5).