CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
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AN ORDINANCE relating to the Traffic Code; revising restricted parking zone program fees for restricted parking zone permits and guest permits; clarifying language related to the transition to virtual, license plate-based permitting; and amending Sections 3.12.120, 11.16.319, and 11.72.351 of the Seattle Municipal Code.
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WHEREAS, the restricted parking zone (RPZ) program was established by Ordinance 108354 in 1979 to ease parking congestion in residential neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, RPZ fees were last updated by Ordinance 123448 in 2010 and since then Seattle's density and population have grown substantially; and
WHEREAS, the current permit fee is $65 for two years, plus one two-year guest permit per household, and permit fees are intended to cover the costs for administering the program; and
WHEREAS, the annual fees of residential parking permits in other comparable cities range from $50 to $450; and
WHEREAS, as demand for RPZ permits grows, requiring additional staff to meet customer service objectives, it is consistent with Seattle Municipal Code Section 3.12.120 to use money from RPZ fees to hire additional staff; and
WHEREAS, due to growing volumes of zones and permits, Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) Traffic Permit Counter staff are frequently unable to handle applications, emails, and phone calls in a timely manner, and temporary contract labor has been used; and
WHEREAS, SDOT Curbside Management staff are often unable to handle the volume of requests for new zones and additions to existing zones, and they often do not have the capacity to effectively analyze and query RPZ data to fully understand how the program is operating; and
WHEREAS, SDOT is transitioning to virtual, license plate-based permitting, in which there are no physical permits, and enforcement is by license plate recognition (LPR) systems, and the Seattle Municipal Code needs to be accordingl...
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