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ASHLAND CITY COUNCIL Council OKs hikes in parking fines, moving forward with water rate adjustments Comment By Julie Akins For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Julie Akins For the Tidings Posted Apr. 7, 2016 at 2:00 AM Updated Apr 8, 2016 at 10:40 AM By Julie Akins For the Tidings Posted Apr. 7, 2016 at 2:00 AM Updated Apr 8, 2016 at 10:40 AM » Social News (Update Friday, April 8: The headline has been changed to reflect that the council agreed to move forward with water rate changes, but has not taken a final vote at this point to do so.) The Ashland City Council voted Tuesday to double parking fines from $11 to at $22. This comes after voting to give themselves the ultimate authority over parking fines, which had been with the municipal court. In presenting the idea, city staff argued that parking fines had not been raised in decades and did not keep pace with parking fines in other cities, thus making a ticket not enough of an incentive for people to limit their time in a given space. Most street parking in the city of Ashland is capped at two hours before being subject to a fine. Councilor Rich Rosenthal, saying he spoke from personal experience, said the $11 fine did not discourage people from taking up a parking space beyond the time limit. “I’ve done my share over the years of paying the $11. If you look at the rate of inflation from 1983, it doesn’t keep up. I think the rates and fees are reasonable.” Pam Marsh agreed, saying there are new plans in the works to consider a variety of ways in dealing with downtown parking. She said of the increase, “There is a whole parking management structure we need to look at that’s making its way through the system. This is the way we go about making other things happen.” Councilor Greg Lemhouse echoed the sentiment of others by saying parking needs to be managed by the city. “It is revenue," he said. "This is a piece to the puzzle. We need to increase the churn of our parking. This isn’t the end of how we deal with parking downtown. That’s for sure.” The council unanimously passed the measure to increase parking fines within the city of Ashland. They also voted in favor of increasing water rates for most water users in the city in order to finance the so called “TAP” (Talent-Ashland-Phoenix) back-up water system in case of drought, as well as other projects. Residential water rates under the plan, which is aimed at correcting what the city said was an unfair burden on commercial users, would increase rates for the average residential user by just under $3 per month. The average user now, according to the city of Ashland Public Works Department, pays roughly $51.72 per month and in 2017 will pay $54.35. It’s an average increase of 8 percent for residential customers. (This paragraph has been changed to reflect that rate adjustments, which will increase costs for most but not all users, will fund more than just TAP.) For large users like the Ashland School District and the Parks Department, which hold large swaths of land, the increase represents tens of thousands of dollars. Increases will be reviewed annually but are expected to taper off to roughly 3 percent per year. The council also finalized approval of the Union Pacific Railroad clean-up plan. The railroad has land tied up in the city between Clear Creek Drive and Rogue Place, south of East Hersey Street. The site, 20 acres in total, is across the tracks from A Street, the northerly boundary of Ashland's historic Railroad District. The Department of Environmental Quality has ordered a clean up and the city of Ashland had in place a deed restriction it will now remove to facilitate cleanup of the site. (This paragraph has been changed to reflect that the city had a deed restriction on, not a deed to, the property.) The level of cleanup dictates how the land can be used and the value of the property. There are three levels: a total cleanup which makes the area safe for 30 years for residential use, an urban use cleanup which allows for residential occupancy for 25 years and a third tier which would allow for business and industrial use. The council voted to accept the Union Pacific Clean up plan which would excavate contaminated soil and remove it by train tracks for seven acres initially. Other spots on the 20 acre plot would be cleaned up as property is sold, depending on the intended use. The level demanded of clean up varies depending on the intended use. The DEQ is in charge of the project and will oversee it along with Union Pacific. The city’s role has been to hold out the deed to the property unless certain conditions are met. Now that Union Pacific has agreed to remove soil by train rather than truck, the council agreed to grant the deed to UP to begin clean up. Once the area is restored the railroad company can sell the property. Any new buyer’s plans would still have to go through a city planning and building process prior to future use. 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 Apr. 7, 2016 at 2:00 AM Updated Apr 8, 2016 at 10:40 AM » 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. 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