Parking meter rates, parking and code fines going up in H.B.

Huntington Beach residents and tourists can expect to pay more at parking meters in the downtown area and be hit with stiffer fines for violations such as drinking in public as the city seeks to increase its general fund.

City Council members voted 5 to 2 on Monday to raise meter rates from $1.50 per hour to $1.75 per hour, which is expected to increase parking meter revenue by about $380,000 during the summer.

Monday’s vote also approved an increase in fines for parking citations and municipal code violations. City Finance Director Lori Ann Farrell Harrison told council members that the city would collect about $282,000 more through parking citations and about $85,000 more in fines for municipal code violations.

In September, city officials had proposed that the revenue increases be used to fund five additional police officers. On Monday, discussion focused on general expenditures.

Council members Erik Peterson and Mike Posey voted against the fee increases, saying the city should not be charging for metered parking after 7 p.m. Meters in the downtown area stop charging patrons after midnight.

“Most of our neighboring cities don’t charge to park at meters after 7 p.m.,” Posey said. “I certainly want to remain competitive and not leave money on the table. If we’re charging until midnight at all of our parking meters and then raise our fees, aren’t we already at a competitive disadvantage with neighboring cities?”

Newport Beach charges $1.20 per hour during the winter and $1.75 during the summer. Laguna Beach charges $1 to $2 per hour, depending on the location, Harrison said.

The fine for parking at an expired meter will increase from $48 to $58. The penalty for parking in front of a handicapped ramp will jump from $55 to $356.

Fines for several code violations — drinking alcohol or smoking on the beach, drinking in public, possessing a glass container on the beach and skateboarding and roller skating in the downtown area — were increased from $125 to $175.

The increased fines take effect immediately. The council will have a second vote on the new parking meter rates at a future meeting.