Fritz Dinesen has been paying off parking tickets for the past 14 years.
The downtown business owner said part of his operating budget at Leather by Dinesen's includes covering costs of parking tickets issued to his customers. Most recently, Dinesen said the ticket tabs have been totaling about $300 per month.
"I don't want people to come in and buy a $3,000 sofa and get a $20 ticket while they shop," Dinesen said on his reasoning for paying off tickets. "You have to cooperate if you want to do good business."
Now community leaders with the Downtown Business Improvement District (Milwaukee Downtown BID 21) and the Westown Association say the city should adopt Dinesen's customer-friendly philosophy when it comes to parking. He is just one local business owner trying to curb frustrations shared by native and visiting motorists alike.
In 2001, the city issued an estimated 1.2 million tickets, collecting $19.4 million in annual revenue. Compare that to the estimated 774,000 tickets issued in 2000, for a collection total of $12.4 million. City Hall officials said the increase came after the Common Council authorized the hiring of 20 additional parking checkers to its 45-person staff and raised the meter violation fee from $15 to $20.
While the Department of Public Works said it raised staff manpower and costs to better enforce parking penalties, community leaders said the move was just one step in the wrong direction.
A call for change
Beth Nicols, executive director of Milwaukee Downtown Business Improvement District 21, has witnessed how a mass issuing of parking citations has monetarily impacted downtown business owners and consumers. She said the city must restructure its parking violation policies if it wants to improve a system riddled with inconsistency and pricey penalties.
"The City should not view parking as a general revenue source but should use it as an economic development tool. One recommendation is that revenue be reinvested to better market, promote and mange the program," Nicols said.
The city's parking enforcement division disagrees. A mission statement issued by Parking Enforcement Manager Tom Sanders in 2001 said the division's primary purpose is to ensure, "safety, vehicle turnover and enhancing the quality of life for the citizens of Milwaukee through education by responding to citizens complaints in a timely manner, the removal of abandoned and illegally parked vehicles and enforcing the Parking Ordinances consistently across the City of Milwaukee."
But Stephanie Otto, president of the Westown Association, said when it comes to parking enforcement, inconsistent and sometimes confusing policies are its two biggest problems.
West of the river in downtown, there are more than 14,000 available parking spaces, including parking structures and surface lots. Additionally, there are hundreds of "metered" spots available in two-hour increments. Otto said finding affordable parking without worrying about citations should be easy.
In reality, inconsistent parking rules and the sometimes uncooperative nature of city parking checkers mean big payouts for consumers who may be without coins when they park and exceed meter time limits.
"We need to think of better ways to make on-street parking rules clearer and work real closely with the city to make sure we're being customer friendly," Otto said.
{INSERT_RELATED}Solutions considered
No one says downtown parking should be free, including Nicols, who offered several parking-friendly suggestions to Milwaukee.
Like other U.S. cities, she said Milwaukee should have its own Parking Authority, which would run parking policies like a business. The revenue generated from parking spaces and fines would be reinvested to provide motorists with amenities, like free shuttle buses and debit card-friendly meters. All money would remain separate from the city's general fund.
Nicols also suggested providing parking violators with free-standing "drop boxes," which would allow them to settle a ticket for $5 the day they receive it. Motorists would simply send $5 in the envelope and not have to worry about extended $20 payouts.
As another solution, one Milwaukee Police Department officer who spoke under the condition that he remain anonymous said fines should vary depending on the nature of the violation. Under the current system, vehicles parked at an expired meter or exceeding a posted time limit are all fined $20. The officer suggested issuing a $10 fine to meter violators and a $25 or $30 fine to those exceeding a time limit.
Such a change would penalize motorists who abuse the system by parking free in one spot for a long time rather than focusing on those violating meter regulations by a matter of minutes. It would also create a higher parking turnover rate and attract more consumers and visitors into downtown.
"They (parking checkers) actually drive around the block and wait for violations to occur ... I've seen them do it," the officer said. "Rather than chalk the tires, they wait for meters to expire and issue tickets that way."
When asked if meter checkers need to meet a designated ticket quota, the Department of Public works referred all comments to Cecilia Gilbert, a spokeswoman for the city's Parking Enforcement Division. Gilbert said there are no daily ticket quotas checkers must meet, but each checker must "thoroughly" patrol his or her assigned area.
Milwaukee police actually handled the issuing of all parking tickets until February 2000, when the city's Department of Public Works guaranteed it could generate more annual dollars in parking violations than the police department. In 2001, the city had already budgeted a reported $18 million in parking ticket revenues before the money was even collected. The dollars translated into each parking checker issuing a minimum of 150 $20 tickets per day.
Otto said it is unfortunate parking policies have generated negative feelings among Milwaukee motorists, but progress is moving forward.
The city recently paid for the placement of more than 30 high-profile blue parking signs, which make finding off-street parking throughout downtown much easier. And many restaurants and venues have implemented valet and shuttle services that make parking much easier.
The creation of Parkmilwaukee.com, a local Web site dedicated to providing information on parking available and regulations across the city, has made parking a slightly more customer-friendly process. Parkmilwaukee.com was developed as a partnership between the city and the downtown business improvement districts. But more work lies ahead.
As part of her own suggestions, Otto said the city should not enforce parking meter restrictions during special events, when drivers leave their vehicles parked for long periods of time.
In the end, as Milwaukee continues to adopt a "big city" image and attitude, leaders need to think big, chart out creative solutions and better manage the city's parking infrastructure.
"Part of the process is going to be our continued transition into a better, more vibrant downtown," Otto said. "Paying for good parking . . . that's part of what city living is about. Making it easier is our goal. Parking once and walking is one option. But no matter what solutions we implement, parking here will always be less expensive than Chicago."
