FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 6, 2009

City Council Approves

Road Projects,

Supports Tougher Parking Enforcement

DECATUR - The Decatur City Council on Monday agreed to move forward with $2.2 million in street reconstruction work, an investment that will completely reconstruct more than 4 miles of roadway throughout the city while putting a number of local residents to work this summer.

The Council also discussed options for better collection of parking fines which could include the suspension of driver’s licenses and the “booting” of the vehicles of the city’s most egregious offenders.

This year’s street reconstruction project is focused on reconstructing existing streets that have exceeded their useful life and restoring them to new condition. The council earlier this year approved a new process known as “microsurfacing” for other streets that did not yet require a compete reconstruction, extending the life of those streets before more extensive, and expensive, work might be required.

The restoration work will involve replacing curbs and gutters along with drainage structures as needed. The work will begin this month and is expected to be completed by October 30.

The City Council last month held an extensive discussion on the city’s parking system which led to additional investigation into the the payment history of those who have received parking tickets. Research shows that there are 119 offenders that owe the city $500 or more in parking fines and fees. The total amount owed by these 119 offenders is $135,222 including fines, late penalties and court costs with 47 of 119 owing at least $1,000.

The amount owed by all offenders totals more than $400,000. Enforcement options which could be implemented in the coming months include:

- Publishing a request for proposals for collection services to help determine whether the city’s current collection vendor is performing up to industry expectations.

• Suspending driver’s licenses, installing vehicle immobilization equipment (aka “the boot”) and towing/impounding vehicles owned by the worst offenders.

• Publishing a list of “top offenders” for unpaid parking fines and fees. The list will be published on the City’s website, the city’s cable channel and sent to all media outlets.

The parking discussion was held during a city council study session so no formal action was taken, however, a majority of council voiced support for the implementation of additional enforcement tools. City Manager Ryan McCrady said that the city should make sure that violators of parking rules pay for their actions before considering raising rates to pay for the parking system.
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