The Kalispell City Council work session Tuesday night will take-up the recommendations of the Kalispell Parking Advisory Board in conjunction with Downtown Kalispell Forward. Those recommendations are spelled-out in an extensive and detailed plan that will get the full attention of the Council and City Staff.
The plan considers actions taken in similar-size cities, including Whitefish, Bozeman, Missoula and Coeur d’Alene; and their relative effectiveness.
Here are a few: replace the 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.
Ticket prices would go up substantially–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.
Billings, for example, used on-street metered parking using “smart meters”, using credit cards and a PayByPhone system–including the use of smart phones to pay for parking.
In Missoula, they use “Pay By Plate” meters and a Passport Parking app, which they call, “Park, Pay, Be on Your Way.” Their parking fees begin at $1 for the first hour, with succeeding hours increasing the hourly rate–to dissuade all-day parking.
There’s a lot to discuss Tuesday night, beginning at 7:00 in Council Chambers at City Hall.
