HOLLISTER
Three Hollister council members in attendance at Monday’s meeting voted to delay a vote on proposed downtown parking fines and the hiring of an officer to enforce the revived rules.
Council members voted to continue the consideration because three votes are necessary to approve a resolution or ordinance, City Manager Clint Quilter explained.
Councilmen Doug Emerson and Ray Friend were absent, while Councilwoman Pauline Valdivia had indicated she was against the proposal to reinstate parking fines and hire a part-time community services officer.
Councilman Victor Gomez and Mayor Eugenia Sanchez voted in favor of continuing the matter, while Valdivia voted against it.
Officials estimate the city will lose about $12,700 in the first year, but that Hollister will net $15,270 in the second year – which amounts to a total of $2,600 in additional income during that time, according to a council staff report.
Along with considering time-zone enforcement downtown, council members also would hire that part-time, non-sworn officer carrying a first-year cost of $54,670, according to a city council staff report. Officials estimate the city in the first year would gain $42,000 in revenue – based on prior citation numbers – from the fines.
As part of the reinstatement – city officials stopped enforcing the violations about five years ago – the fines would increase for various violations. The fine for the most common one, parking too long in a spot with a two-hour time limit, goes from $20 to $35, bringing it in line with penalties in neighboring communities.
Hollister council members’ consideration of reinstating the fines started with a request from the Hollister Downtown Association. The HDA had noted how some businesses were unhappy with the lacking enforcement because customers sometimes have to walk too far when there is no parking available near their shops.
Look for an expanded version of this story later.
