CASPER, Wyo. — The Casper Police Department has new sticky parking citation envelopes meant to help ensure that downtown parking rules are enforced.
Municipal Court Judge Cally Lund says that the envelopes are bright orange and sticky on both sides.
“I don’t see how anybody could miss it,” Lund said during the city council’s Tuesday, Jan. 28 work session.
Both Lund and Casper Police Chief Keith McPheeters provided updates to the council regarding downtown parking enforcement.
Lund said that the new envelopes would help eliminate people’s excuses that their citations flew off in the wind.
“By and large, I’m very comfortable with them receiving notice by this method,” she said.
Lund explained that the tickets contain instructions which allow people to pay fines online or at the court building.
Moving forward, if people don’t pay their parking tickets on time, the court will begin to issue warrants for their arrest, according to Lund. Previously, the court would issue a summons to notify people that they had an outstanding parking ticket.
“I believe that once this is fully implemented, the parking issue is going to remedy itself,” she said.
McPheeters said that the police department also plans to implement new scanning devices which will allow Community Service Officers to more easily keep track of whether a vehicle has overstayed the downtown parking limits.
“We have these in, they are very efficient,” he said.
The Casper PD had a full staff of Community Service Officers, who deal with things like handing out parking citations, about a month ago. However, McPheeters said that an officer left and the department is working to fill that position.
City Councilman Charlie Powell asked McPheeters whether the department takes complaints from downtown business owners regarding vehicles which are overstaying the time limits.
McPheeters said that communication between officers and the public on this issue is important, but that in some cases downtown business owners tend to point fingers back and forth regarding employees accused of abusing the parking limits.
Community Development Director Liz Becher told the council that the Downtown Development Authority Board of Directors thought that enhanced enforcement would help solve the downtown parking issue.
DDA Executive Director Kevin Hawley made the following points in a letter to council:
Councilman Ken Bates suggested offering a reduced parking garage rate program for employees of downtown businesses.
Vice Mayor Khrystyn Lutz said that such a program would be difficult to monitor.
“How are we verifying their employment?” she asked.
Lutz suggested it may be more appropriate to leave this up to businesses. She said that employers could offer to pay the parking garage fees for their employees as an incentive.
Becher said that city staff propose adding security cameras to the parking garage, adding that she’d bring the council more specific proposals during a later work session.
She said that staff also recommend installing a “better card reader system.” Such a system would allow people with monthly parking plans to scan into the garage while hourly users would push a button to gain access.
She added that the DDA hopes to put together a quarterly newsletter that would be called “The Parking Space.” That newsletter would be intended to keep people informed of the downtown parking rules and about access to the parking garage.
Monthly rates at the parking garage are as follows:
- $43 for covered parking
- $35 for each additional covered parking space
- $20 for uncovered parking
There is also a cost to use the parking garage on an hourly basis:
- $2.00 Minimum (2 Hours)
- $1.00 Per Hour (After 2 Hours)
If you would like to contact members of the Casper City Council regarding this or any other issue, here is their contact information:
Mayor Steve Freel (Ward III, Term expires 1/3/23):
- sfreel@casperwy.gov
- (307) 259-1276
Vice Mayor Khrystyn Lutz (Ward I, Term expires 1/3/23):
- klutz@casperwy.gov
- (307) 359-3673
Councilman Charlie Powell (Ward II, Term Expires 1/5/21):
- cpowell@casperwy.gov
- (307) 577-6042
Councilman Shawn Johnson (Ward II, Term expires 1/3/23):
- shjohnson@casperwy.gov
- (307) 337-5057
- (307) 277-7377
Councilman Ken Bates (Ward II, Term expires 1/5/21):
- kbates@casperwy.gov
- (307) 473-1247
Councilman Steve Cathey (Ward III, Term Expires 1/5/21):
- scathey@casperwy.gov
- (307) 262-8237
Councilman Bob Hopkins (Ward I, Term expires 1/5/21):
- bhopkins@casperwy.gov
- (307) 472-1837
Councilman Mike Huber (Ward I, Term expires 1/5/21):
- mhuber@casperwy.gov
- (307) 266-4188
Councilman Ray Pacheco (Ward III, Term expires 1/3/23):
- rpacheco@casperwy.gov
- (307) 258-1226
Council members can also be reached by mail at: 200 N. David Street, 82601
If you would like to contact members in your specific ward, but don’t know which ward you are in, a map is available at the City of Casper’s website.
