Jasper moves to close two-hour downtown parking loophole

Drivers in downtown Jasper could soon get two hours per block per day, total, even if they leave and come back, under changes the Jasper Board of Public Works and Safety sent to the Common Council on Tuesday.

The board approved a resolution recommending new language for the city’s parking ordinance. It adds definitions for “parking block,” “parking lot” and “restricted parking hours.” It also bars parking in the same block or lot for “more than a cumulative total of two hours during the same calendar day.”

A new line in Section 9.18.070 of the municipal code closes the move-and-return option. The resolution, as read at the meeting, states that removing a vehicle “shall not restart or renew the two-hour limitation” for that block or lot during the same day.

City Attorney Renee Kabrick said the goal was to make the rule plain, “so that it was clear that you cannot park for more than a cumulative total of two hours in the same block or lot.”

The change follows a Sept. 23 board meeting where downtown resident Shane Van Meter challenged a $10 ticket. He argued that a city parking handout let drivers return to the same section after two hours. The board waived his fine, and Kabrick said then that the city would likely update the ordinance.

Not everyone on the board was sure drivers would know about the change. Board member Nancy Eckerle said downtown signs only say two-hour parking.

“So an average person that parks … and comes back again has no idea that it’s a cumulative total of two hours,” she said. “The signage doesn’t indicate that.”

Eckerle added that putting the rule on a sign gets complicated. Kabrick said staff had discussed signs at the previous meeting and felt there was enough signage.

Eckerle also confirmed that a driver who moves to the other side of the street would still be within the rules.

Mayor Ryan Craig said the city is still studying downtown parking. “So stay tuned as we continue to gather facts,” he said.

The Common Council must approve the ordinance change before it takes effect.

The current ordinance enforces two-hour limits from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.