Council passes new legislation

The Bloomington City Council has approved a $200,000 proposal made by the city's Parking Enforcement Division for an automated parking enforcement system at the new Regester Parking Garage, located downtown at the corner of 7th St. and College Ave. \nThe Council passed the measure during its meeting Wednesday night. \nJack Davis, manager of the Parking Enforcement Division said there are a few reasons they decided on the automated system.\n"The number one reason for this system instead of other options is the convenience, and also it allows us to control the traffic," Davis said.\nDistrict V representative David Sabbagh commended the department for their work on the proposal.\n"The automated parking system is expensive, but I think in the long run it will pay off," Sabbagh said.\nThe system itself costs roughly $175,000 to $180,000, which doesn't include the cost to connect the system to City Hall, which is estimated at around $20,000.\nSusan Clark, Budget and Researcher Manager for the Controller's Office, said there are many benefits to the system, one of which is 24-hour accessibility without an attendant. Clark said the new parking enforcement will also be beneficial to Bloomington because it would allow the city to track usage over the day and also distribute traffic spaces. \n"The system would also allow for a versatile ticketing system that can accept various forms of payments and allow different access for different types of parkers, including visitors," Clark said.\nThe Council also approved a $17,000 allocation to the Bloomington Police Department to cover fuel costs for the remainder of the year.\n-- Contact staff writer Lindsay Jancek at lmjancek@indiana.edu.