HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-01-20 Public Comment - Z. Brown - Comment on Proposed Increase of Residential Parking District Permit FeeFrom:Zachary Brown
To:Agenda
Subject:Comment on Proposed Increase of Residential Parking District Permit Fee
Date:Saturday, August 1, 2020 3:45:44 PM
Dear Bozeman City Commissioners,
I oppose the proposed increase of the University and High School Residential Parking
District fee from $30 to $35. If the collection of $85,000+ per year in citations in
these districts can't cover administrative and enforcement costs, something else about
the parking program's business model should be subject to change besides raising fees
for those of us who live within the district. What will $8,242.50 in additional revenue
do to structurally change their program's budget deficit? I can't imagine it will change
much.
If the culture of the parking department was more focused on customer service and
education rather than accumulating citation revenue, I would have a more
lenient opinion towards contributing fee money to help cover their
programmatic efforts. However, my experiences with the department over the years
have been punitive, unbending, and at best, indifferent.
When you visit other cities in Montana, parking tickets often come with an automatic
warning. For example, Missoula's downtown parking district leaves a note on your
window thanking you for supporting downtown, issuing a warning for parking
inappropriately, and wishing you well. Having lived in Bozeman for all but 5 years of
my life, that type of experience was quite shocking to me, in a positive way. It reflects
the opposite type of culture I've experienced living in Bozeman.
My candid opinion is that the fee should be left where it is, and the culture and
business model of the parking department should be reexamined instead.
Thanks for your principled service to our community.
Zach Brown
107 S. 10th
Bozeman