ALLENTOWN, Pa. – After considerable discussion in a Committee of the Whole meeting Wednesday night, Allentown City Council voted in its regular meeting to raise all parking fines in accord with recommendations from the Allentown Parking Authority.
Last month, council tabled the ordinance because of objections raised from residents and some councilmembers.
Jon Haney, interim executive director of the parking authority, explained that with the rapid growth of the city, the parking authority has had cost increases and needs parking rate increases to get out of a budget deficit of $1.8 million.
Haney told council the authority began operating at a deficit after it eliminated its overnight parking enforcement.
But after strong objections about the increases from Councilwoman Ce-Ce Gerlach, council agreed to amend the ordinance to require the parking authority to immediately vote to conduct a parking meter study and agree to put together a payment plan.
Councilmember Santo Napoli, who also sits on the parking authority, said the authority will put the issues on its June 26 agenda for action items.
If favorably approved, the rate increases will become effective July 1.
Gerlach has been critical of the city having parking meters in residential zones, resulting in what she described as unfair parking violations.
"There are meters where there should not be meters," Gerlach said. "I just got a $10 ticket the other day on my block, and I live on a residential area."
The parking authority most recently raised the monthly contract rates in its downtown decks and surface lots by $5 a month.
Overall, though, parking fines have not been increased since 2001.
In the newly adopted ordinance, the fine for an expired meter would increase to $25 from $10.
Most of the other common parking violations, which are currently at $15, would increase to either $35 or $50. More egregious violations, such as blocking a street, would be even higher.
Haney said he is in favor of conducting a meter study but needs the increase in parking fines to be able to pay for it.
Council added that the authority will have 12 months to complete the studies.
Councilmember Candida Affa said the current meter fine is much too low for the downtown area.
"It's a well-known fact," Affa said. "Many lawyers from Philadelphia who come to our federal building park on the street rather than in a lot."
By parking on the street all day, they receive a parking fine of $10, which is far less than paying the daily rate in a parking deck.
Haney said that because of the antiquated parking fees, the authority finds itself in a Catch-22 because it cannot serve the needs of the people of Allentown without new funding from higher fines.
"It's been 20-plus years since these things were adjusted in any kind of meaningful way," Haney said. "We had a study that was paid for, in part, by council and the administration to ask an outside entity to look at this and give us recommendations on what we should do given our certain our circ*mstances."
"The study found we are nowhere near where we should be and need to raise fines to at least the levels where the regional neighbors are," he said. "That revenue would allow me to further develop off-street parking. It's one thing to buy a lot, but then you must develop it."
During the Committee of the Whole, Gerlach said she simply does not trust the parking authority.
"Since I have been on council, communication between us and the parking authority— that has been a struggle," Gerlach said. "When there's lack of communication, that builds into sometimes a lack of trust. I do not yet have that faith and trust in the parking authority to do that study."
Several city residents objected to the rate increases, saying they will hurt people with no money to pay the fees.
Karen Ocasio, of South Allentown, said residents cannot afford the rates.
"This is a community that's already being gentrified," Ocasio said. "Our people cannot afford these increases. I get it, everybody wants to make sure they make money. But this is something that needs a little bit more study."
"And to be honest, for once, the city needs to look at the people who are in need in this community that don't have food, can't pay their bills and can't pay their rents," she added.
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