A. Interpretation: This section shall be deemed and construed to be an exercise of police power of the city. The installation and operation of parking meters as herein provided is declared to be a measure for the control and regulation of traffic and parking in the interest of public safety and welfare. The fees required to be paid as herein provided for parking meter zones are required for the purpose of enforcing the regulations and providing funds to partially cover the expenses and costs of such enforcement.
B. Designation Of Zones:
1. Traffic control, in accordance with ordinances, shall, by appropriate installation of parking meters, designate parking zones on streets wherever traffic flow investigation and studies show the advisability thereof in order to control traffic.
2. The parking meter shall state the limit of time parking is permitted in that zone.
C. Designation Of Spaces: Traffic control shall cause to be marked off individual parking meter spaces in the designated parking meter zones, and the parking meter spaces shall be designated by lines painted or durably marked on the curb or surface of the street. At each space so marked off, no vehicle shall park in such a way that the vehicle shall not be entirely within the limits of the space so designated.
D. Installation Of Parking Meters: In parking meter zones, traffic control shall cause parking meters to be installed upon the curb or sidewalk immediately adjacent to the parking meter spaces.
E. Operation Of Parking Meters:
1. When any vehicle is parked in any parking meter space, the driver of the vehicle shall immediately deposit or cause to be deposited in the meter such coin of the United States as is required for such parking meter and as is designated by proper directions on the meter, and failure to deposit such coin shall constitute a violation hereof. Upon the deposit of such coin, the parking space may be lawfully occupied by such vehicle during the period of time prescribed by the meter; provided, that a person placing a vehicle in a parking meter space adjacent to a meter that indicates that unused time has been left in the meter by the previous occupant of the space shall not be required to deposit a coin so long as his occupancy of the space shall not exceed the indicated unused parking time.
2. If any vehicle shall remain parked in any parking meter space and if the meter shall indicate such illegal parking, then and in that event, such vehicle shall be considered as parking overtime and beyond the period of legal parking time and such overtime parking shall be deemed a violation hereof.
F. Parking Time Limits; Rates:
1. Parking or standing a vehicle in a parking space within a parking meter zone shall be lawful for the period of time designated on the parking meter upon the deposit of the required coin, upon a basis of the rates established in section 2-6A-2 of this code. No vehicle shall be parked in a parking meter zone in excess of the maximum time stated on that parking meter.
2. The parking meters shall be operated in the parking meter zones every day between the hours of eight o'clock (8:00) A.M. and six o'clock (6:00) P.M., except Saturdays and Sundays and the following designated holidays:
January 1
May 30
July 4
First Monday in September
November 11
Day designated by the president of the United States as Thanksgiving Day
December 25
G. Providing For Bus Stops, Taxicab Stands And Loading Zones: Nothing in this section shall be construed as prohibiting the city from providing for bus stops and other spaces of similar nature, including loading zones and taxicab stands, and properly designating and marking the same, within the parking meter zones.
H. Violations:
1. No person shall:
a. Cause, allow, permit or suffer any vehicle operated or driven by him to be parked overtime or beyond the period of legal parking time established for any parking meter zone, or to deposit in any parking meter any coin for the purpose of parking beyond the maximum legal parking time for the particular parking meter zone; or
b. Permit any vehicle to remain in any parking meter space while the meter is displaying a signal indicating that the vehicle occupying such parking meter space has already been parked beyond the period prescribed for such parking space; or
c. Park any vehicle across any line or marking of a parking meter space or in such position that the vehicle shall not be entirely within the area designated by such line or markings; or
d. Park anywhere within the parking meter zone, except in a parking meter space; or
e. Injure, deface, tamper with, open, wilfully break, destroy or impair any parking meter, or to interfere with, destroy or impair by any means the usefulness or normal functioning of any parking meter; or
f. Deposit or cause to be deposited in any parking meter any slugs, devices or metal substance or other substitute for lawful coins.
2. The fine for the violation of any of the provisions of this section shall be ten dollars ($10.00) if paid within five (5) days of the date the citation is issued. Any fine for a violation of this section not paid within this time period shall be increased to twenty dollars ($20.00). (Ord. 2012-06, 4-17-2012)