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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Hitting the books — and bikes ... Ashland Kiwanis honors AHS student ... Ashland seeks community input on next superintendent ... Hitting the books — and bikes ... Ashland Kiwanis honors AHS student ... Ashland seeks community input on next superintendent ... CITY COUNCIL Way cleared to hike parking ticket fees Comment By Julie Akins For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Julie Akins For the Tidings Posted Mar. 3, 2016 at 7:05 PM By Julie Akins For the Tidings Posted Mar. 3, 2016 at 7:05 PM » Social News The City Council of Ashland gave itself permission to decide how much your parking tickets should be, when an abandoned vehicle can be towed and to set rates for public parking structures at the Tuesday council meeting. While the vote in favor was unanimous, it was not well received by everyone. “I am pleading with you not to raise parking fees," said Mary Wooding, who said she's a 57-year resident of Ashland. "It’s a direct hit to students, residents, tourists and people working downtown. We need more parking.” She was followed to the public comment podium by Dave Hyde, who said, “I keep reading in the paper that other cities having higher fees. I don’t think that’s a very good reason for raising fees. We need more parking and what will you do with the money?” The council heard the testimony, called for the vote and gave themselves the authority but did not immediately raise fees as suggested by city staff from $11 to $22 . Whether or not to raise fees will be discussed, it is expected, at a later date, possibly at the March 15 meeting. The new rule also lowers the threshold for booting a vehicle. It used to be that one would have to owe more than $240 to have a boot, which makes the car inoperable, placed on it; now it’s $150. The new ordinance also includes a provision allowing the city of Ashland to tow an abandoned vehicle if left for 72 hours. The conditions say it must be inoperable, must not have been moved and have expired registration. This remains true if the vehicle is on a public street or parking lot or on private property. City Council Member Mike Morris asked, “What if it’s in my driveway and I’m working on it? It can still be towed?” City Attorney Dave Lohman said, “Yes, that’s correct. “ The initial reason for changing parking rules, looking at public parking fees and abandoned vehicles began as an effort to make all the rules about vehicles consistent and in a single section of the city code. But as the project took shape city staff observed that parking fees are lower in Ashland than surrounding cities and that parts of the city’s abandoned vehicle code did not match those of the state. Email Ashland freelance writer Julie Akins at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/ @julieakins. By Julie Akins For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Julie Akins For the Tidings Posted Mar. 3, 2016 at 7:05 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501