Mar 10, 2014 4 min read

WAYNESBURG – Paying a parking fine in Waynesburg Borough is soon going to a much more expensive proposition.

Council voted Monday to prepare an ordinance doubling the fines for most parking violations. One violation in particular, however, the violation of the two-hour free parking limit for the areas downtown that are without meters, will increase four fold.

Council has been discussing increasing the fines for parking violations for several months. Parking fines in the borough have not increased since 1986.

Councilman Mark Fischer made a motion Monday to increase the fines for violations. Fischer, who owns a business on Church Street, said his main concern is with those who violate the two-hour parking limit because of the impact it has on local businesses.

Some people who park all day on the street seem to know when the two-hour limit is being enforced and when it is not, he said. They apparently are not dissuaded by the existing fine. “I think we need to send a message,” Fischer said.

The fine for violating the two-hour limit in areas downtown that do not have meters is $5. Under the proposed ordinance, the fine will increase to $20.

In addition, motorists who violated the two-hour limit and are ticketed once will be ticketed again every two hours if the vehicle is not moved.

The ordinance also calls for increasing the current $5 fines for such infractions as parking meter violations, parking too far from the curb and parking in more than one spot, to $10.

The borough will also eliminate the discount for meter violations that are paid on the same day. Parking in a handicap space will remain at $50 and parking in a loading zone will go to $20.

Council authorized solicitor Linda Chambers to draft the ordinance, which could be adopted at next month’s council meeting.

At the suggestion of Mayor Duncan Berryman, the borough also will increase the fine for littering to $25. In addition, cigarette butts will be added to the list of items defined as litter.

In other business, council agreed to hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. March 24 to open bids for the purchase of flow meters and a rain gauge for the borough’s sewage project.

The borough will use the meters to determine where it has a problem with surface water infiltration into the borough’s sanitary sewers.

The borough is getting near the time it must move ahead with a project to separate its storm sewers from its sanitary sewers and reduce surface water infiltration into the sanitary sewer systems.

It decided last month to halt further engineering work on the project until the engineer has a better idea of where the problems are in the system.

The borough is required by the state Department of Environmental Protection to have the work completed by December 2015.

An engineer for Fayette Engineering, which is working on the project, said last month it will be difficult for the borough to move ahead with the project to meet the DEP schedule until it collects additional information and identifies problem areas. He said the company will discuss the delays with DEP.

Council also has discussed working with the Franklin Township Sewer Authority on ways the two can possibly share services to reduce costs. It considered a cost proposal Monday from Gannett Fleming, the engineer now working on the Franklin authority’s expansion project, to review the project being developed by the borough.

No action was taken on the agreement. Chambers said she would like to review the proposal before council acts.

Council also voted to repair the borough street sweeper at an amount not to exceed $3,000. Councilman Dar Fitch said the sweeper will be needed especially with all the winter road materials still now on roads.