Adam Duvernay

The News Journal

A new effort is underway to address issues with Wilmington's parking meter system.

Parking tickets in Wilmington can be protested within 21 days of issuance.

Twenty-three percent of the 2,246 parking tickets that went through the appeals process this year were dismissed.

Joe del Tufo still had time on the meter after walking through the rain from his car, parking ticket in hand, to government offices on French Street in Wilmington.

That's where he was told to file paperwork to appeal the ticket, which he said he could prove was wrongly issued with a time-stamped photo of his still-ticking meter. Months passed before he heard from the city on the issue, though instead of an update on his appeal he received notification his vehicle was at risk of being towed for non-payment, he said.

He contacted the city again to complain. Late payment fees are supposed to be suspended during the appeals process.

It took the freelance photographer five months to finally resolve the problem. Now he refuses to park in Wilmington's metered spots.

"I just don't want to play the game," del Tufo said. "Clearly the process isn't working."

Concerns over Wilmington's parking tickets have come a long way since 2012, when a series of changes — from discounts for early payment to improved training for parking enforcement officers — took effect largely due to citizen efforts. Now another call is going out to address issues with the appeals process, but the activist leading the charge says it's about more than just tickets.

"Everything about a city tells a story, from the murals to cleanliness to businesses being open at different hours. It all tells a story," said Ken Grant, Wilmington's unofficial citizen parking problem guru. "Parking meters ain't rocket science. If we can't get this right, then what hope do we have when it comes to economic development, public safety, the major issues people legitimately worry about. This should be a simple, simple fix."

Grant is a darling of Delaware's social media scene, a former journalist and a one-time communication director for the local Republican Party. His efforts to draw attention to problems with parking tickets were instrumental in getting the 2012 changes, and he doesn't even live in Wilmington.

Satisfaction with the parking solutions lasted until about March of this year, Grant said, when he filed an appeal for a ticket himself. Four months, some probing questions and not a little headache later, on the last day of June, he got an answer — his ticket was dismissed because of a broken meter.

Now he's collected horror stories about fighting tickets from a host of other grumpy parkers, and he's awaiting the results of a Freedom of Information Act request he hopes will help shine a brighter light on a system he says is smearing the city's reputation at a time its leaders are trying to turn around negative perceptions.

The FOIA request, due to be delivered by the city July 13, seeks a slew of public records including the number of parking tickets issued since 2014, the number of appeals requested and granted in that time and the average length of those appeals. He also is seeking clarification on a number of the city's parking policies, including why parking fines are so high by comparison to nearby cities.

Twenty-three percent of the 2,246 parking tickets that went through the appeals process this year were dismissed, according to data provided by the city to The News Journal. Error on the part of the ticketing officer was the No. 1 reason for dismissal, followed by the complainant proving they had a valid residential parking permit. Broken meters were the reason 71 tickets –– which eventually would be dismissed –– were written in the first place.

Hogan, Markell blast 'crushing' Artificial Island ruling

State gets no new dollars for addiction treatment

Parking tickets in Wilmington can be protested within 21 days of issuance. Those with tickets they contend were wrongfully issued can mail a written statement to the Civil Appeals Office at 800 North French St., specifying why they disagree with the violation, or do so in person.

Wilmington's Constituent Services Director Jill Morrison, whose office oversees the appeals process, was not available for comment.

Parking citations also have been a reoccurring theme among candidates running for Wilmington mayor. Incumbent Mayor Dennis P. Williams, who is seeking a second term, has said customer service is a focus of city staff. The city on Friday also launched a new system of digital residential parking permits, eliminating stickers and using license plate recognition technology.

But Grant said if the appeals process for parking tickets — and the city's parking ticket machinery in general — are a small part of the negativity defining Wilmington's reputation, then overarching issues of city governance must be put in context.

"I do believe that the Wilmington city government is this archaic machine, that the model is something you would have seen in the 1970s for a business or government, heavily siloed with little communication between departments," Grant said. "Whomever the mayor is is secondary to the fact there's this machine there that needs to be modernized and streamlined."

When Grant started rallying voices behind parking ticket reform in 2011, then-Mayor James Baker said the process grew into a positive experience that affected change benefiting citizens and business alike. An active citizenry, Baker said, forced the city into self-reflection on an issue they'd left unaddressed.

"It helps to look at yourself and find solutions to particular problems people think are being ignored," Baker said. "You need this review process constantly going on."

Though the appeals process remained long after his administration added people to the roster meant to hurry them through, Baker said parking tickets are generally a positive thing for a city.

They provide a valuable source of revenue for the city, to the tune of nearly $4 million built into the 2016 budget –– though the city only expects to collect $2.3 million. Yet reliance on parking tickets as a revenue stream — and aggressive enforcement, whether real or perceived — has chaffed residents in the past, and the city's finance director said the city isn't unduly staking funding on them.

"That's not significant," Finance Director Sheila Winfrey-Brown said of the expected actual revenue. "We could never hang our hats on revenue on which we have no direct control."

Some Delaware communities collect even more money from parking meters. Rehoboth Beach, for example, is projected to generate $5 million from parking and recently installed new meters that accept credit cards. In Newark, an ongoing controversy involves plans for a new garage to serve Main Street businesses.

Winfrey-Brown said the notion that parking enforcement is strict because Wilmington relies on ticket dollars to keep the lights on should be dispelled by the fact that expected revenues for 2016 only are about 1.5 percent of the total budget, and those revenues are down significantly from years past.

Strict parking enforcement keeps spots available for people coming in and out of downtown, Baker said, though he's against the rules that keep people from feeding their meters to extend time beyond two hours. That fact is important for business owners who don't want customers to get the idea in their heads there's no place to park.

Venu Gaddamidi says Wilmington's parking problem is costing him customers.

The owner of Veritas Wine and Craft Beer on the riverfront said his No. 1 issue is the limited availability of parking in general, but he said between broken meters and kiosks, inadequate signage and a frustrating system for paying and fighting tickets, the situation is hurting businesses.

"The priorities are not in the right place," Gaddamidi said. "You're only as good as your weakest link, and right now the weakest link is the parking issue."

It's one of the little things that makes a big difference, he said, considering how many of the riverfront's customers are from out of town and how limited he feels public transportation options are in Wilmington. When customers are inconvenienced just getting near his shop, Gaddamidi said, business obviously suffers.

The Wilmington Parking Authority does not manage the city's on-street parking, but Executive Director Stanley Soja said downtown generally is ripe with parking — if people are willing to pay or walk a few blocks. The Authority maintains parking garages, with another 500-spot site coming online within two years.

"Everyone wants parking right outside their front door or business, but in an urban downtown it's just not possible," Soja said. "There's a cost associated with parking."

Grant wants to know why standard parking tickets in Wilmington start at $40 when other nearby cities like Washington, D.C., or Baltimore charge less. But Winfrey-Brown said the starting price, based on research conduct through the city, already is in line with the region, and tickets are even less costly when the discount for fast payment is factored in.

The increase of parking ticket fees was a positive for Wilmington's downtown, Soja said, because it keeps short-term parking available. But when it comes to satisfaction from customers, Soja said prices and enforcement can affect a city's competitiveness.

That competitiveness is what makes the conversation worth having, Grant said, beyond just the simple fact locals want government to work well.

"Wilmington seems to be one of the last cities in the region that doesn't have some kind of methodology to pay via credit card or mobile app everywhere," Grant said. "Under this administration there's been no advancement in that area. That's something I see as a clear indication to me. As the city is trying to bring in entrepreneurs and businesses, if I drive into a city and the first thing I say is, 'Wait a minute, I still need quarters to pay for parking.' It's a signal we're not up to speed."

Contact Adam Duvernay at (302) 324-2785 or aduvernay@delawareonline.com.

Newark extends 'smart' parking meter test program

Parking frustrations in Rehoboth

Wilmington parking ticket appeals in 2016

Appeals made: 2,246

Tickets dismissed because of appeal: 511

Parking meter violation in Wilmington: $40