Lethbridge residents won’t see increased parking fines, at least not yet. City council had second and third reading of a bylaw to increase parking fines on the agenda at its Feb. 7 meeting, but pushed the discussion to the Feb. 15 economic standing policy committee meeting.
Councillor Jeff Carlson suggested there be a chance for the public to speak on the proposed bylaw before it is considered for approval, given there were a lot of people expressing concern over it.
“This isn’t your typical bylaw where people get to speak to the bylaw, but I think there are a lot of people that wanted to have a say in regards to this — not only through their emails and through written letters,” said Councillor Ryan Parker. “The only way that really could occur is we could refer this to an SPC.”
The bylaw proposes fines increase from $25 to $50, while keeping the reduction of $15 if payment is made within seven days.
The bylaw will be discussed at the committee meeting with a chance for members of the public to speak, before being decided on at the next council meeting.