Parking fines in Idaho Falls increase

Parking fines in Idaho Falls increased Saturday.

So if you’re one of those who forgets about paying for parking often, you might want to be extra careful now; but these increases have been in the works for a little while.

“When we do the annual budget for the city we also do the fees for all departments. And the Police Department was really behind the times on parking fees/fines are,” Idaho Falls City Councilmember Ed Marohn said.

The majority of offenses, like parking in a no parking zone or blocking a driveway, are now a $20 fine.
In addition, there are about five offenses that can cost you up to $50, like parking in a handicap spot or on terminal roads.

“I think it’s long overdue — only from a point of efficiency to manage those people who tend to abuse parking restrictions. We certainly aren’t the highest or anywhere near in the nation. We are very, very low and we’re just trying to get up to the 21st century. It’s a process that we’ve been working on for a long time,” Marohn said.

The increased parking fees will also help our local retailers downtown in making sure their customers have convenient parking.