Findlay's parking fines could double, triple

FINDLAY — Legislation introduced to Findlay City Council on Tuesday would double and triple parking fines, with much higher fines for repeat offenders. Council's Streets, Sidewalks and Parking Committee voted on July 31 to recommend the legislation in an effort to cover the city's growing expenses for parking enforcement. Committee members include councilmen Josh Palmer, R-7, chairman, Jim Niemeyer, R-6, and Grant Russel, R-at-large. Much of the discussion in July focused on covering expenses and setting the fines high enough to serve as a deterrent. There are three pieces of legislation moving through council that will increase the fines. Each piece of legislation addresses a different section of the city's ordinances. The legislation was given its first reading on Tuesday. Council's rules require legislation to be read three times before a vote, unless waived by a supermajority decision. There is no emergency language, meaning there will be a 30-day waiting period before the new rules will become effective. The waiting period begins once the legislation is approved by council and signed by the mayor, and is meant to allow for public review and possible citizens' referendum. Ordinance 2025-108 would increase a timed parking violation from $5 to $15. Subsequent timed parking violations would increase from $10 to $30, and the late fee for delinquent payment would increase from $25 to $50. Ordinance 2025-109 would increase fines for prohibited parking violations from $10 to $25, with the fines for subsequent violations increasing from $10 to $50. Ordinance 2025-110 would increase the fine for all other general parking offenses from $10 for the notice and $25 for a penalty, to $25 for the notice and $50 for the penalty. According to Service-Safety Director Rob Martin said the cost of maintaining the Findlay Police Department's Parking Enforcement Division, including equipment, staffing and administration, has steadily increased, while the fines have remained unchanged. The city also recently lost lease revenue from two parking lots traded to the commissioners earlier this year. Findlay began subsidizing the division to correct a $10,000 operating deficit after city workers received their pay raise for this year. It is expected to cost about $110,000 to enforce the city's parking regulations this year. In 2024, parking fines raised $49,000. Wage increases for the city workers, both union and non-union, will increase the city's payroll by about $4 million next year. The added expense comes at a time when the city may be facing a cash crunch. Findlay's approved budget shows city spending outpacing revenue by $5.8 million in 2025 and $7.6 million in 2026, with the city's year-end cash balance dropping to about $17 million by the end of 2025. The city's minimum reserve balance for 2025 is $10.4 million. Findlay routinely adopts deficit budgets, and then city departments work throughout the year to keep spending under budget. On Tuesday, Auditor Jim Staschiack said the city's income tax collections continue to fall behind projections and could be short $3 million to $5 million by the end of the year.