Warsaw Mayor Jeff Grose, pictured left, gives the oath of office to Max Maile during a Monday, Feb. 2, Warsaw Common Council meeting for the Warsaw Board of Zoning Appeals. Maile, who sits on the Warsaw Plan Commission, will also now serve on the Warsaw BZA, replacing Dave Baumgartner. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union.

By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW – Ordinances require two readings by the Warsaw Common Council to pass, and Monday night, Feb. 2, the city council passed two ordinances regarding downtown parking on second reading.

The ordinances unanimously passed on first reading at the council’s Jan. 20 meeting. In presenting the first ordinance, which deals with fines for parking ordinance violations, City Planner Justin Taylor said there was nothing new in the ordinance since the council last saw it Jan. 20. Two amendments were added per the council’s request, which were ADA parking violation fines would be $125 for the first offense and $250 for the second; and the immobilization fee was changed to $150 for the first time and $300 for the subsequent times.

“Looking at how to manage parking in our downtown, listening to downtown business owners and trying to address those concerns as far as consistency, enforcement, managing growth and increasing that turnover that we want to see downtown,” he said. “This is one piece of that puzzle that we’ve identified as a potential issue where we wanted to adjust the fees for the parking tickets, changing those violations from the initial $10 when we started to $25 and go from there.”

Councilman Mike Klondaris asked if anyone had received any feedback on the ordinance or had heard from anyone. None of the council members indicated they had, but Taylor said he received one call from a man who had a few general questions about the ordinance. No one from the public was present at the Jan. 20 or Monday’s council meetings.

Councilwoman Cindy Dobbins made the motion to approve the ordinance on second reading, Councilman Jerry Frush seconded it, and it passed 6-0. Council President Jack Wilhite was absent.

Taylor then presented the second ordinance, which relates to the actual implementation of the city’s new parking system.

“It’s a more modern system. It also would enable us to limit the space shuffling within the downtown parking zone,” he stated.

Mayor Jeff Grose said, “The change really is no change. No change from the two hours of free parking. It’s what life will be like after that if someone decides not to follow that.”

He said the parking system will probably start in the spring, go through a trial and then start to go into enforcement in the summer. The city will be able to re-evaluate it as they go.

With the modern system, the two code enforcement officers won’t need pencil and pens and paper.

“I think it’ll be better for everybody when we think about downtown and code enforcement,” Grose said.

Councilman Josh Finch reiterated the first two hours of parking downtown will be free. If a person needs to stay longer, they will need to initiate a parking session. The third hour will be $3, and every hour after that will be $1. The penalty for not starting a parking session and going over the first two free hours will be a $25 fine.

The parking rules apply from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Klondaris asked Taylor when he anticipated it taking effect.

“We have some work to do still. If this is approved, then we have our signs, the city will get the installation of those started. And then we’ll work with (Warsaw Police Department) on how to roll out the warning period. They’ve got some technology to learn. They have all the units. We have the signs that we’re going to install, so it’s just a matter of starting to set those up,” Taylor said.

Councilwoman Diane Quance made the motion to approve the ordinance on second reading, Finch seconded it and it passed 6-0.

In other business, at the start of the meeting, Grose gave the oath of office to Max Maile for the Board of Zoning Appeals. Maile already serves on the Warsaw Plan Commission, but he now will join the BZA, replacing Dave Baumgartner.

Clerk-Treasurer Lynne Christiansen reminded everyone the next council meeting will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, due to Presidents’ Day on Monday, Feb. 16. City meetings are being held in the WPD training facility in February due to HVAC work being done in the council chambers at City Hall.