Another tool to solve the issue of congested parking in Jerome was passed during the Jerome Town Council meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 12 — at least residential parking.
Council approved Ordinance No. 432, which will issue parking permits for residents to park on city streets. The passage came after months of discussion and alterations. Each resident will get one permit and will be selected on a lottery system.
Police Chief Allen Muma said the city will also define what spots in Jerome are usable spaces.
“You have to live here to understand what a usable space in Jerome is,” he said.
Streets marked as residential will be the following:
- Country Road
- School Street
- Center Street
- Hull Road
- Verde Avenue
- Holly Street
- East Avenue
First through Sixth streets between Verde Avenue and Center Street will also be marked as residential parking only. Muma said enforcement would be complaint-driven and not involve patrolling for violations, mentioning that he and his crew don’t have the resources to check every single vehicle to see if they are actually a resident.
Muma addressed the concern residents may have with another parking ordinance and reiterated that this wouldn’t be gestapo-level enforcement.
“We aren’t Nazis, but we have to have tools to deal with these problems,” Muma said. “If I don’t have these tools then we end up with fist fights on the street over parking, and has that happened? Yes, it has.”
Councilwoman Alex Barber brought up her concern that complaint- driven enforcement won’t necessarily deter violations or solve the problem of a resident looking for a spot. Muma said that while the ordinance right now is not necessarily perfect, he hopes revenue collected from violators will go toward solving future parking issues.
There was also the problem of visiting a neighbor who lived in a different zone, which Muma said could be solved by writing out a temporary parking permit. Muma also said the ordi- nance was not necessarily set in stone and if there were concerns, the ordinance could easily be amended.
“It’s a fair way to do it,” he said. “It’s not perfect but we have to start somewhere.”
Council approved the ordinance unanimously. Also approved at the meeting was placing the question of moving toward staggered terms for council members on the next regular election ballot. The motion was passed and will be addressed again at the next meeting.
Kelcie Grega can be reached at 282-7795 ext. 126, or email kgrega@larsonnewspapers.com
