New Denver parking protest system raises hackles; "Denver we have a problem," resident says
After the city of Denver cut the jobs of five parking magistrates to save money, eliminating the ability to protest parking tickets online, Denver City Council has now entered the fray and is asking Mayor Mike Johnston to restore the five positions at a cost of $575,000.
In an Oct. 10 letter to the mayor, the city council asked the jobs be restored writing, "These public facing roles are essential for managing increased parking enforcement and ensuring the timely resolution of citations."
Council members have heard from Denverites like Syl Morgan Smith, who found the new parking protest system more inconvenient, frustrating and difficult to navigate.
"I know the city is in the throes of budget cuts," Smith said. "Compassion is not in that budget. That's in God's budget."
The city had an online system in place for years to protest parking tickets, but it shut down the online portal in September when all five parking magistrates and additional support staff were laid off due to city budget cuts. With no online option, drivers wanting to contest their parking tickets now have to travel to Denver's City and County Building in person to make an appointment to protest their ticket. They then need to return to downtown Denver a second time for the actual hearing.
"I'm able to do that," Smith said. "But what about the 21-year-old person who has an hourly job and can't get off work, or the person who physically can't get out of their vehicle to go there? Denver we have a problem."
Smith, who is battling cancer and walks with a cane, was ticketed July 31 for parking in a handicapped parking spot at her oncology doctor's office where she was undergoing chemotherapy. When she returned to her car, she found a $350 ticket on her windshield for not having her handicapped placard visible.
"I think, 'Oh, my God, I got to get this fixed right away.' $350 is not chump change," Smith said. She said she did not want to find herself "doing the perp walk." She tried to navigate the system and mailed in a protest, but, when she did not have her citation resolved within a month, it doubled to $700.
Smith is now trying to arrange for an in-person hearing so she can appeal the pricey ticket. A fee schedule on her citation showed the price of the ticket was scheduled to increase to $910 after Sept. 29.
Some social media posters have suggested the more burdensome in-person process is a subtle way to discourage people from challenging their parking tickets.
"The problem is bigger than me," Smith said. She said she wanted the city to show "a little mercy, a little compassion, find a solution to be helpful."
The amendment asking the mayor's office to restore the parking magistrate positions is supported by a supermajority of city council members, meaning at least nine of the 13 council members favor the budget amendment.
"I know I'm not alone," Smith said.
Carolyn Tyler, public information officer for the Denver County Court system said in a statement, "The court recognizes the importance of providing citizens with an accessible first-level review process for parking disputes. The court is not, however, the appropriate entity to oversee this. The court supports the establishment of a properly structured administrative review process for parking citations. We recommend a first line of review within the agency responsible for enforcement, with clear policies and accountability to the department that oversees transportation policy (DOTI)."