Parking permits in Fort Bragg will rise from $12 to $17 per month and parking violation fines will jump from $22 to $30, after a unanimous 4-0 vote by the Fort Bragg City Council Monday night.
The increases take effect on Oct. 1.
Downtown business owners and workers pleaded with the council not to more than double the monthly parking permit to $25, one of three proposals the council was considering. Those same business people mostly supported the fine hike.
The city”s community services officer has become a familiar face downtown, quickly walking the town and checking on two-hour parking compliance.
Laurel Street business owner Chriss Zaida who was among those who opposed the permit fee hike, thanked the city council for the increased enforcement and encouraged a bigger fine hike.
“It was very, very hard for those of us who have businesses, when you have five spaces in front of you and three out of the five are taken all day (by) the workers. It can be annoying. I wanted to thank you for getting the fella that comes around,” Zaida said.
The city offers 43 permit parking spaces in three lots, most rented by business owners, downtown residents and landlords, said City Planner Jason Dose.
Landlord Ted Rabinowitsh asked the council to postpone raising the permit fees while the Community Development Advisory Board (CDAB), of which he is a member, studies the true value of a rented parking space as part of a comprehensive parking plan for downtown.
“Parking is what is going to put a cap on the revitalization of downtown. It is already impacting us negatively,” said Rabinowitsh.
Mayor Dave Turner liked the suggestion of a study, with limits.
“I don”t think we need to get a consultant involved and spend $20,000 to show us how to save $6,000,” Turner said.
Rabinowitsh said the city could lose more in sales tax revenue than would be raised by the fee hike.
“Any tweaking of the fees is going to have unintended consequences. There is going to be a ripple effect from this,” he said, at a time when the council was considering a hike to $25.
City Councilman Brian Baltierra suggested the compromise at $17 after Councilman Jere Melo and Turner seemed ready to delay action for further study.
“I believe we do need as a city to get some of those costs back, but not all in one shot … Sticker shock is going to cause that ripple effect,” Baltierra said.
Although the council didn”t delay as requested, CDAB was encouraged to launch the parking study, including a look at in-lieu fees.
City Councilman Dan Gjerde was absent, attending a smart growth conference in Portland, an event connected to his council committee work.
