Reinstatement of program comes with $35 fine
Parking violations in downtown Hollister this week were enforced
for the first time since 2004.
The Hollister City Council approved the reinstatement of parking
enforcement in May and since that point, the police department has
bought a Jeep Wrangler and has hired a temporary community services
officer to handle enforcement, until the agency finds a full-time
person.
Reinstatement of program comes with $35 fine
Parking violations in downtown Hollister this week were enforced for the first time since 2004.
The Hollister City Council approved the reinstatement of parking enforcement in May and since that point, the police department has bought a Jeep Wrangler and has hired a temporary community services officer to handle enforcement, until the agency finds a full-time person.
To help smooth the adjustment, though, there will be a three-week period when warnings will be given for overtime parking. But other parking violations such as red-zone parking or parking next to a fire hydrant will be subject to a citation.
Police Chief Jeff Miller said that the department has responded to parking complaints in the past few years, but it has not been proactive in enforcement.
“I think there have been a lot of parking violations downtown that we haven’t been able to enforce.”
The issue is centered around parking turnover for the stores downtown, said Hollister Downtown Association Executive Director Brenda Weatherly. Since enforcement had stopped, she said the situation has gotten worse and it is not conducive for people going into businesses. Potential customers will even call the businesses and say they didn’t come in due to the parking.
Without enforcement, the purpose of having zones is “counterproductive,” she said.
“When someone moves their car, at least there’s an opportunity for people to get a parking space,” she said. “Ultimately, the enforcement needs to happen and see how it affects everybody.”
The hope for Teezers and Drapoel owner Deborah Wood is that downtown parking enforcement will keep people that work downtown from parking in front of businesses like hers.
“That’s our big concern because we have a mixed area with commercial and retail,” she said.
Wood said she knew that enforcement began on Monday because she got a notice from the police department. Although parking outside of her stores is “not too bad,” it should work other places downtown.
“I think it’s going to be effective for everywhere else.”
For the first year of operation, the police department is looking to have a net operating expense of $12,670 – after purchasing the vehicle and taking into account wages and supplies.
However, in the second year of operation, there are projections of a net income of about $15,270, taking into consideration that the department will not have to buy another vehicle and the initials costs will be out of the way.
“We’re looking at a net gain [of] about $2,600,” Miller said, by the end of year No. 2.
The re-instatement of parking fines are not meant to be a way for the city to make money but to enforce the parking ordinances, according to Miller, who added that pursuing profit is “not a good philosophy.”
“We hope people will comply with the ordinance and park appropriately,” he said.
If drivers follow the signs and ordinances for parking downtown, Miller said the renewal of enforcement shouldn’t “have a huge impact.”
In fact, the police department is working with downtown businesses to find workable parking solutions. The community service office, along with help from the police, will be doing “research and recommending some solutions,” Miller said.
To do that, authorities will be observing parking trends – when traffic is busiest, when it is lightest and what areas are most impacted by parking.
“[We’re] recognizing that there are some parking areas that are severely impacted and others that are not,” Miller said. “We’re looking at all of those things.”
Like Miller, Weatherly said she hopes to create better parking opportunities for downtown shoppers.
“Until we have the enforcement going, it’s hard to know where we need to adjust,” Weatherly said.
The areas included stretch from Third Street to South Street downtown. Several city-owned parking lots also are included in the enforcement and are posted with limited hours signs.
The revised fines include a $15 increase for overtime parking, taking the amount for a ticket to $35.
The following are some other amounts for parking penalties:
$300: Parking in spaces designated for disabled persons
$50: Parking within parkways; parking adjacent to schools; parking in areas where stopping, standing or parking is prohibited at all times; parking on narrow streets; and parking within curb markings
$40: Greasing or repairing vehicles on streets; no parking between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.; parking auxiliary trucks on residential streets other than for loading/unloading; and violating loading zone restrictions
$30: All other violations.
