Last night, the Green Bay Common Council increased parking rates. The parking division has to cover its own costs, and it’s better to keep those costs with the people actually using the space.

That’s fine. But it’s not what we’re here to talk about.

The council also raised parking citation rates. And that is what we’re here to talk about. I support that increase. And I think they should have gone higher.

I live near the downtown area, and I observe the behavior of violators. And many of them will break the rules without breaking their stride.

They won’t even glance at the parking meter.

Not only will they overnight park, but in some cases, you’ll see the same car overnight park on multiple occasions.

They’ll park in front of a hydrant or bus stop. Throw on their hazards and disappear into building for long periods of time.

The point I’m trying to make is that the previous citation costs wasn’t hitting the pain point of the violator. The consequences are not enough to get them to stop and think about what their doing.

The new cost of a meter citation is $24. I would have gone up to $25. Those are pre pandemic costs in other markets.

Overnight violations are $34. I would have gone up to $40. You go to some events and the basic price on some lots are $25 to park legally.

And the hydrant and bus stop violations are now $44. I would have gone up to $60. These are conscious, anti-safety decisions. They’re looking at these clear indicators and saying “nope” and compromising the safety of other residents.

There are going to be plenty of times when a government body raises costs. If we can avoid paying them, then a debate must take place.

But if some clowns are just being lazy, then they should be front and center when the bill for maintenance comes due.