We’ve been doing without parking enforcement since Dave Hutton retired. The Parking Advisory Board, taking input from Downtown Kalispell Forward and Kalispell Police, has assembled some ideas for the Council to consider at a future meeting.
First, replacing chalk on the tires with license plate recognition software that includes a timestamp to determine how long a vehicle has been in that parking spot. Using 2-police vehicles, the software will spot offending vehicles and they’ll be ticketed. Other cities, including Whitefish, Bozeman and Missoula are using a similar technology.
Getting one of those new parking tickets will likely be more expensive–perhaps double the $10-fine now being levied. And one more thing: a vehicle could receive multiple tickets per day, which at $20-each, adds up quickly.
The main offenders appear to be downtown employees, who use on-street parking while at work–taking spaces from paying customers. Downtown Kalispell Forward is suggesting the City issue permits at city-owned lots, which are some distance from Main Street, for employees. The City Manager tells us those permits are oversold, yet the spaces remain largely empty. Draw your own conclusions.
