Council to hear public input about resident-only parking on Oct. 14

LACONIA — Citizens will have a chance to weigh in on a proposal for a resident-only parking system on Oct. 14. City councilors voted unanimously to hold a public hearing on the topic during their meeting on Monday.

City Manager Kirk Beattie told the council at the Sept. 23 meeting the proposal was in response to a pilot program currently on Simpson Avenue in Weirs Beach. Councilors approved resident-only parking on Simpson on Aug. 25, and property owners have obtained permits for the year.

“It’s a very narrow street,” Beattie said. “It’s very congested. It appears they were using it maybe to avoid parking using the meters in the Weirs.”

Beattie said residents requested the city set up a resident-only parking system there, which is serving as a trial run. The proposed amendment to the current parking ordinance is an effort to be proactive, with Beattie saying people will inevitably be asking if their street could qualify. The proposal also includes guest passes on a case-by-case basis.

Public Works Director Wes Anderson created a plan, discussed in the Government Operations and Ordinances Subcommittee, Beattie said, which will create a system for determining if a street is the right fit.

Beattie noted if it is a “very wide, very long street” with traffic coming out of both ends, it won’t be a good fit. If it is a narrow, congested, dead-end street, it could be a good opportunity.

According to information provided by the city council, the Government Operations and Ordinance Subcommittee met on Aug. 20, when they endorsed the staff recommendations and concept of the program.

Under the proposal, residents would submit requests for resident-only parking on a public street to their city councilor, who would bring the request to the council for consideration. If the council agrees to consider it, public works staff will analyze the street and make a recommendation.

A residential parking permit would be good for one year, renewed annually. The program would be entirely funded through the permits. Those eligible would be limited to public streets with only residential homes abutting it.

The permit system would not be in effect during Motorcycle Week, Independence Day fireworks displays, or other special events where a temporary traffic order is in place.

The city manager would establish the annual fees for the permits, which would be enforced by city police.

The subcommittee recommended window stickers for residents, and hang tags for guests. Criteria for streets to qualify includes housing density, width of the road, and a thoroughfare that is a dead end or has no outlet.

Beattie said there will be a permit fee with stickers or placards to identify residents’ vehicles. Anderson added it would be something like a dump sticker for a permanent resident, and also a hanger for the rear-view mirror for guests.

Mayor Charlie St. Clair said one year during Laconia Motorcycle Week, a parking pass was copied and spread around. He asked if they would be made to prevent copying, and Anderson said they would be a hard plastic, unique to each vehicle's registration.

Councilor Steven Bogert (Ward 5) asked about the details on the visitor slips, and Anderson said this will also be case-by-case. They probably won’t approve a request for six guests in one weekend, but if someone were to ask for six visitor passes for one vehicle, six weekends in a row, that would probably not be a problem.

“There are certainly a lot of moving parts to this,” Beattie said.

Beattie said if they are testing the permits on Simpson already, he expects questions about other areas.

Councilor Eric Hoffman (Ward 3) commended the Government Operations and Ordinances Subcommittee for putting the proposal together.

“There are a lot of good ideas in here,” he said. “Parking is an issue in a lot of places in the city, despite what some studies say to the contrary.”

Hoffman liked the proactive plan to implement this in places that really need it, but also said he didn’t think it should be too restrictive to the public.

According to a report created by Anderson, the cost of the program includes staff time for issuing and enforcing the permits, as well as for materials for permits, signs and poles. The estimated cost to install signage is $150 to $300, depending on the number of connections to city streets, and the estimated cost for 500 owner and visitor permits is $832.

The city council voted 6-0 to schedule a public hearing about the parking permits, which will take place during the regular city council meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 14. The meeting date is adjusted for the Columbus Day federal holiday.