Traverse City to Review Parking Fine Increases, Mobile Payment Options Tonight

Drivers who park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant in Traverse City could soon face a $40 citation under proposed traffic code amendments the City Commission reviewed Monday night, more than doubling a $15 base fine that has remained in place while the city's parking technology evolved around it.

Parking and Mobility Director Nicole VanNess laid out the changes in a memorandum to City Manager Benjamin Marentette. The proposed overhaul would formally recognize mobile application payment sessions alongside single-space meters and multi-space pay stations as accepted methods under the city's traffic code. The distinction matters for enforcement: the current ordinances predate app-based parking systems, leaving enforcement procedures for drivers who pay through virtual accounts without a clear legal footing.

The amendments also raise the meter overtime fine to $15 and would give the city more flexibility in setting parking meter hours and operations. VanNess described the revisions as necessary to reflect the evolution of parking technology, specifically citing pay-by-plate mobile applications as a system the code must now explicitly accommodate.

If the commission advances the ordinance, formal enactment is scheduled for April 20.

The fire hydrant increase is the sharpest single change in the package. Under the city's existing escalation policy, unpaid citations can climb to three times the base amount, meaning an unresolved $40 fire hydrant violation could ultimately reach $120.

The code revisions come as Traverse City's parking office continues to adjust following the city's resumption of direct management from the Downtown Development Authority. Marentette, who was confirmed as city manager in December following more than a decade as city clerk, will oversee the final approval process if the commission moves the ordinance toward its April 20 adoption date.