By Monica Pryts
GREENVILLE — Greenville council members are considering reducing parking fines for spots with time limits by $10, but they seem divided on the issue.
Lowering the fines from $25 to $15 would give people more incentive to shop downtown, said Alfred “Skip” Peden, chair of the street committee, at Thursday’s work session.
Council and committee member Theodore Jones agreed, saying he made the same recommendation when he served on council a few years ago, and the change will help businesses.
“And businesses pay taxes,” he said.
Council member Pamela Auchter had concerns about keeping up with the salary of the part-time parking enforcement officer, Michael Black, if fines are reduced.
Dennis Stephens, chief of Greenville-West Salem Township police, said that’s a good question and he’ll have figures on Tuesday regarding how much money the fines bring in. He estimated it’s at least a few thousand dollars.
When people pay fines for parking in a spot longer than the posted time, their main complaint is the high amount, Stephens said.
Greenville’s parking fines are higher than most western Pennsylvania communities and the borough needs to give people a break, Jones said.
Council is also considering revising an ordinance that will increase parking time in certain spots from one to two hours, and that could cut back on people exceeding the time limit, Mrs. Auchter said.
“I see no reason to change it,” she said of the fine.
Councilman Stephen May agreed with her and said the length of time you can park in a spot is a law that just needs to be enforced. It’s his humble opinion not to change the fine, he said.
“I think we change it because it’s the right thing to do,” Jones told May.
Council President Brian Shipley said nearby towns were surveyed and their parking fines are similar to Greenville’s.
Smaller fines could bring in more money because people would take more of a risk when parking if they were ticketed for only $15, Jones said, adding council needs to do what’s best for the residents, businesses and visitors.
If council votes Tuesday to lower the fines, the change won’t take affect immediately.
They’ll first have to advertise the revised ordinance listing the new time limits on parking spaces and order new signs for those spots.
