Meter attendants will begin ticketing vehicles in Orange this summer. The city council voted last year to establish a parking authority and it will begin overseeing the maintenance of meters and collection of revenue around June, Chris Hartwyk, business administrator, told the Orange Press.
Council President Tency Eason said that having meter attendants in the downtown corridor could be good for business. “The parking authority will probably help free up spaces on Main Street for the residents who want to shop and can never find a parking space,” Eason said.
The city will continue to monitor parking violations until the authority takes over. At that time, seven volunteer commissioners — five chosen by the council, two by the mayor — will be chosen to run the organization. An executive director will also be appointed. The city is currently drafting a business and operations plan, Hartwyk said.
“There is the expectation within the first year or two — as it gets up and running — that it may need assistance from the city budget,” Hartwyk told the city council. “But once it starts the collection, the parking authority will become self-supporting.”
Dan Guerriero, who lives in the Valley Arts district, said lawless parking in his neighborhood has gotten so out of control that he welcomes more enforcement. “It makes it physically impossible for two cars to come down the street at once which poses obvious issues,” Guerriero told the Four Oranges. “Driving around here is infuriating and it could be a bit better if the illegal parking was addressed.”
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