MENA hosted a forum recently for the City?’s parking officials to explain their idea about imposing a fee for residential parking permits.
Parking officials say residential parking permits have been in effect for 25 years and a fee has never been charged. They want to change that by requiring $5 annually for residents to have a permit, $10 for a two-year renewal and $20 each year for a visitor pass.
Many MENA members living in East Sac need restricted parking to ensure they can find a space near their homes. Streets around Mercy General Hospital, Sutter Middle School, Sutter Memorial Hospital, and McKinley Park are just a few of the neighborhood enclaves that have established parking restrictions.
Currently areas with parking limits require neighbors to have stickers on their cars, which are provided free of charge when registering with parking enforcement officials. Residents also receive temporary permits that they can give to their visitors to display to avoid tickets.
Neighbors attending the forum were universally opposed to the fee idea. The presentation by the parking officials was part of an outreach effort to gauge community reaction.
If you have a view about imposing a fee, you can let your voice be heard by calling Mayor Heather Fargo at 808-5300 and Councilmember Cohn at 808-7003. Residents also can share their thoughts with the parking officials in the Public Works Department at 808-5354.