The installation and operation of parking meters on such City streets and off-street parking areas as may hereafter be designated from time to time by the City Council is hereby authorized, and authorization for parking meter installations on City streets and areas heretofore approved or existing as of the date of this article is continued.
A. 
Parking meters installed in the parking meter zones shall be placed upon the curb immediately adjacent to the individual parking places described in this chapter. Each parking meter shall be placed or set in such manner as to show or display by a signal that the parking space adjacent to such meter is or is not legally in use.
B. 
Each parking meter installed shall indicate by a proper legend the legal parking time established and, when operated, shall indicate on its dial and pointer the duration of the period of legal parking. On the expiration of such period, the meter shall indicate illegal or over parking.
When a parking space in any parking meter zone is parallel with the adjacent curb or sidewalk, any vehicle parked in such parking space shall be parked so that the foremost part of such vehicle or the rearmost part of such vehicle, as the case may be, shall be nearest to the parking meter. When a parking space in any parking meter zone is diagonal to the curb or sidewalk, any vehicle parked in such parking space shall be parked with the foremost part of such vehicle nearest to such meter.
A. 
When any vehicle shall be parked in any space adjacent to which a parking meter is located in accordance with the provisions of this article, the operator of such vehicle shall, upon entering such parking space, deposit immediately or cause to be deposited a coin of the United States in such meter. Failure to deposit such coin shall constitute a breach of this chapter and shall subject such person to the penalty described in this article.
B. 
Upon the deposit of such coin and placing such meter in operation, the parking space may be lawfully occupied by such vehicle during the period of parking time which has been prescribed for the part of the street in which such parking space is located. If such vehicle shall remain parked in any such parking space beyond the parking limit fixed for such parking space, the parking meter shall, by its dial and pointer, indicate such illegal parking; and in that event, such vehicle shall be considered as parked overtime and beyond the period of legal parking time in any such part of a street where any such meter is located and shall be a violation of this article and punished as set out in this chapter.
C. 
It shall be unlawful and a violation of the provisions of this article for any person to cause, allow, permit or suffer any vehicle registered in the name of or driven by such person to be parked overtime or beyond the period of legal parking established for any parking meter zone as described in this article.
It shall be unlawful and a violation of the provisions of this article for any person to deposit or cause to be deposited in a parking meter a coin for the purpose of increasing or extending the parking time of any vehicle beyond the legal parking time which has been established for the parking space adjacent to which such meter is placed.
It shall be unlawful and a violation of the provisions of this chapter for any person to permit a vehicle to remain or be placed in any parking space adjacent to any parking meter while such meter is displaying a signal indicating that the vehicle occupying such parking space has already been parked beyond the period of time prescribed for such parking space.
It shall be unlawful and a violation of the provisions of this chapter to deposit or cause to be deposited in any parking meter any slug, device or metallic substitute for a coin of the United States.
It shall be unlawful and a violation of the provisions of this chapter for any person to deface, injure, tamper with, open or willfully break, destroy or impair the usefulness of any parking meter installed under the provisions of this article.
[Amended 11-27-1995; 7-17-2000 by L.L. No. 3-2000; 2-10-2006 by L.L. No. 2-2006; 8-28-2017; 11-25-2019 by L.L. No. 1-2020]
A. 
It shall be the duty of the police officers of the City, acting in accordance with the instructions issued by the Chief of Police, and the parking meter attendants of the City, acting in accordance with the instructions issued by the Chief of Police or City Clerk/Treasurer, to report the following information in regard to violations of this article:
(1) 
The number of each parking meter which indicates that the vehicle occupying the parking space adjacent to such parking meter is or has been parked in violation of any of the provisions of this article.
(2) 
The state license number of such vehicle.
(3) 
Any other facts, knowledge of which is necessary to a thorough understanding of the circumstances attending such violation.
B. 
Each such police officer and each such parking meter attendant shall attach to such vehicle a notice to the owner thereof that such vehicle has been parked in violation of the provisions of this chapter or other law and that the owner should report to the office of the City Clerk/Treasurer in regard to such violation. The owner may pay to the City Clerk/Treasurer the respective amount for the violation as indicated on said summons attached to such vehicle.
C. 
The failure of such owner to make such payment to the City Clerk/Treasurer within the time prescribed as indicated on said summons shall render such owner subject to the penalties provided by this chapter for violation of the provisions of this chapter.
[Amended 11-23-2009]
Every person who violates or fails to comply with any of the provisions of §§ 290-35 through 290-43 of this article shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $250 or by imprisonment not exceeding 15 days, or by both such fine and imprisonment in the discretion of the Judge of the City Court.
The coins required to be deposited in parking meters as provided in this article are hereby levied and assessed as fees to provide for the proper regulation and control of traffic upon the public streets and also the cost of supervising and regulating the parking of vehicles in the parking meter zones created by this article and to cover the cost of the purchase, supervision, protection, inspection, installation, operation, maintenance, control and use of the parking meters described in this article.
Sections 290-35 through 290-45 are hereby declared to be an emergency measure on the grounds of urgent public need for the preservation of peace, health, safety and property.
[Amended 4-27-1998; 8-17-1998]
A. 
Vehicles owned by the United States government, the state or any political subdivision thereof are hereby authorized to use the spaces designated as parking meter spaces without any payment for the use thereof. The provisions of §§ 290-33 through 290-44 as to such vehicles shall have no application.
B. 
Vehicles owned by public utility companies, cable television and other similar service vehicles while making temporary installation, repair or maintenance calls to customers, which calls are not routinely scheduled, may display on the vehicle driver's side sun visor or rearview mirror a permit exempting such vehicles from the provisions of §§ 290-30 through 290-44 of this Code. Such permit or permits, as the case may be, shall be obtained by applying, in writing, to the office of the City Clerk/Treasurer and by paying an annual fee of $200 per vehicle. Each permit shall contain the dates valid and the license plate number of the designated vehicle. Any vehicle owned by a public utility company, cable television or other similar service vehicle not displaying the permit aforesaid shall not be exempt from §§ 290-30 through 290-44 of this chapter.
[Amended 12-21-2005; 2-10-2006 by L.L. No. 2-2006; 3-23-2009; 11-27-2012; 8-28-2017; 11-25-2019 by L.L. No. 1-2020]
C. 
Any licensed contractor requiring use of a metered space for a full day or days due to construction, renovation or similar work at one location may, on a temporary basis, receive a permit issued by the City Clerk/Treasurer for exemption from §§ 290-30 through 290-44 of this Code. Said permit shall be issued upon completion of a written application and the payment of a fee of $4 per day for the duration of the permit. Each permit shall contain the dates valid, the license plate number of the designated vehicle and a general area for which the permit is valid. Issued permits shall be prominently displayed above the registration/inspection stickers on the lower left windshield of the vehicle or rearview mirror. Any vehicle of a licensed contractor not displaying the permit required by this subsection shall not be exempt from the provisions of §§ 290-30 through 290-44 of this chapter.
[Amended 2-10-2006 by L.L. No. 2-2006; 3-23-2009; 8-28-2017; 11-25-2019 by L.L. No. 1-2020]
D. 
Vehicles owned by any person, firm or corporation, which person, firm or corporation has a place of business physically located within the two-hour free parking zones in the Central Business District as defined by § 290-33 of this chapter, which person, firm or corporation utilizes a vehicle or vehicles while making service calls, deliveries or pickups within said two-hour free parking zones in the Central Business District shall display on the vehicle driver's side sun visor or rearview mirror of such vehicle a permit exempting such vehicle from the provisions of § 290-33 of this chapter. Such permit or permits, as the case may be, shall be obtained by applying, in writing, to the office of the City Clerk/Treasurer and by paying an annual fee of $300 per vehicle. Each permit shall contain the dates valid and the license plate number of the designated vehicle. Permits so issued shall be applicable only to the vehicle for which application is made and shall not be transferable from vehicle to vehicle. Any vehicle not displaying the permit aforesaid shall not be exempt from the provisions of § 290-33 of this chapter. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to exempt any vehicle displaying the permits authorized herein from the provisions of §§ 290-35 through 290-44 of this chapter.
[Amended 2-10-2006 by L.L. No. 2-2006; 11-27-2012; 8-28-2017; 11-25-2019 by L.L. No. 1-2020]
E. 
For the sole purpose of loading and unloading, owners and operators of vehicles bearing commercial licenses are hereby authorized, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon to use the spaces designated as parking meter spaces without payment by them for the use thereof and the provisions of § 290-35 through 290-44 as to them shall have no application.