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Cda Says Violators Should Pay At Council’S Request, Downtown Association Agrees To Stop Waiving Parking Tickets For Now

By Thomas Clouse tomc@spokesman.com(509) 459-5495

The Coeur d’Alene City Council asked Tuesday for the association that manages downtown parking to stop making shoppers’ parking tickets “go away” at city expense.

Malcolm Johnstone, executive director of the Coeur d’Alene Downtown Association, gave a presentation to the City Council about parking policies.

“I’m here to help assure you we can move ahead with parking changes with an appropriate process,” Johnstone told the council.

The city pays $50,000 a year to the downtown association to manage parking and handle parking complaints in the downtown business district.

The city also contracts with Diamond Parking, based in Seattle, to enforce parking in city parking lots and on city streets.

For the past year, Johnstone said, he has been waiving shoppers’ parking tickets without reimbursing Diamond Parking with revenue that eventually makes it to city coffers. Downtown shoppers who received parking tickets and appealed to Johnstone got them waived.

Councilwoman Nancy Sue Wallace asked Johnstone to confirm his practice of waiving tickets.

“Do you have the authority to waive (tickets)?” she asked.

Johnstone said he recently received a letter from Nancy Stricklin, deputy city attorney, that questions whether he has that authority.

“We were under the understanding that we had that authority and were acting accordingly,” he said.

Both Councilman Chris Copstead and Mayor Steve Judy asked Johnstone to suspend the practice.

“It seems to me that until we get a ruling from counsel, it would be best to stop that,” Judy said.

Johnstone said he will comply and that the matter will be discussed at a parking committee meeting Friday.

“Our main focus is to keep people as happy as possible,” he said.

This sidebar appeared with the story: WHAT’S NEXT

Malcolm Johnstone, executive director of the Coeur d’Alene Downtown Association, said the practice of waiving parking tickets will be discussed at a parking committee meeting Friday.