To better correspond with state laws and surrounding cities, Dayton held the first reading for changes to its parking enforcement hearing board at the city council meeting on Oct. 4.
Dayton City Administrator Jay Fossett said the city had an ordinance for many years, but it no longer comports with the changes at the state level. The changes to the law include the appeals board process.
Previously, someone looking to appeal a parking violation would go to code enforcement. The new board will consist of Fossett and Police Chief David Halfhill, which Fossett said is consistent with what most cities do.
“This was a better maneuver for us from the city’s perspective to change the board, so it’s internal through the police department,” Fossett said.
He further explained that officers had a hard time making it to code enforcement hearings for an appeal and would sometimes require them to accrue overtime.
Dayton Councilmember Joe Neary questioned why only two people were on an appeals board.
Fossett said they could find a third member to sit on the board, but the city was trying to find a system that was easy for them to get together for hearings. He said should there be a split vote, the person seeking an appeal would win. The vote must be unanimous among Fossett and Halfhill to uphold their decision.
If the person appealing disagrees with the board’s decision, they can then take it to the district court.
Edmondson said they also allow a third appeal to the circuit court, which is “unheard of.”
Neary asked if this proposed board was standard procedure. City Attorney Alex Edmondson said the city could designate whom they want on the appeal board for efficiency purposes.
“The city manager and the police chief know more about the parking in the streets than probably anybody else in the city,” Edmondson said. “I feel like the appeal of going to a code enforcement board and airing out all your problems to a board caused a lot of consternation.”
Fossett said they have trouble finding people to fill boards in general, and he and the police chief are around daily to have meetings easily.
Dayton City Councilmember Scott Beseler asked Halfhill how many parking tickets are given out in the city.
Halfhill said he didn’t have an exact yearly amount but guessed a couple hundred. He added that they hand out about 20-30 citations for parking complaints per month.
Fossett said the city had focused on getting abandoned cars off the streets, as they have with abandoned properties.
This was the first reading for the proposed ordinance changes; therefore, no vote was taken. The second reading should be expected at the next council meeting on Nov. 1.
