Council gets tough on downtown parking

by Carol Crump
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 12:46 PM MDT

The Casper City Council is serious about parking violations.

They’ve upped the fines for parking too long on downtown streets, as well as for other violations within the city, such as parking on the sidewalk or next to a yellow curb.

The new fine structure, which goes into effect immediately, will sunset on Jan. 31, 2009.

The new tiered parking fine structure is $15 for the first violation in a 24-hour period. A second violation in the same 24-hour period will be $20. A third violation and any subsequent violations in the same time frame will be $30 each.

Downtown Casper’s business and property owners who asked the City to consider increasing the parking fines also asked for a ban on overnight parking.

Banning parking on the streets from 2:30-6 a.m. would be “a fresh start, every day opportunity” for downtown businesses, according to Downtown Development Authority President Drew Perkins.

He added that owners’ success or failure can depend on parking availability in front of their businesses.

The council did not approve any change in the existing nighttime parking rules. City ordinances already prohibit parking from 2:30-6 a.m. on either side of downtown’s north and south streets on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and on east and west running streets on Tuesday and Saturday.

The council did support stepped-up enforcement of the existing ordinance, especially on Saturday mornings.

The council also tweaked the City’s existing free, special needs permit to include those living downtown who might have a temporary disability of less than 12 months.

The old ordinance language offered immunity from overtime parking enforcement only to individuals who worked downtown. No changes were proposed for the City’s handicapped parking rules.

The change did not address the mobility concerns of individuals living in the Wyoming National Apartments with longer-term disabilities.

They are required by their lease to park in the downtown parking garage, said Andrea Whisler, a disabled tenant.

She suggested that the City Council consider adding a locked, fenced storage area inside the parking garage for all of those in the community who use power chairs and scooters to get around.

When the votes were taken, the council split 5-4 on making changes to the fee structure and special needs parking.

“I’ll continue to vote ‘no.’ I don’t see how we’re being effective by governing by Band-Aids,” said Councilman Guy Padgett.

More proposals for change probably will come before the council after a comprehensive review of parking ordinances that are spread among four areas of the municipal code is complete in six months.

“There’s a lot of concern that this is about the Wyoming National Apartments,” said Mayor Paul Bertoglio, who supported the ordinance changes.

According to Bertoglio, the problem is not about one building or group of residents in the downtown where retail, commercial and residential uses and a grocery store share a limited amount of parking.

“We have to solve this,” he said.

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