Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, June 19, 1990                   TAG: 9006190192
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER MUNICIPAL WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

AFTER-HOURS PARKING FINE INCREASED TO $25

If the ticket is not paid within 10 days, the fine would automatically increase to $35. Until now, the fine for such violations has been $5.

Council hopes the larger fines will discourage motorists from parking in business lots at night, particularly in the Williamson Road area where cruising and late-night disturbances have been a problem in recent years.

Melvin Huff, who lives in the Williamson Road neighborhood, said he thinks the $25 fine is a start toward addressing late-night noise and traffic problems in the area.

"This won't eliminate the problems, but this is one small step toward doing something about them," Huff told council.

He played council a tape recording of sounds that can be heard from his bedroom window on some nights: car engines roaring, horns blowing and tires screeching.

"This is what I hear at my bedroom window at 2 . . . in the morning," Huff said. "We've got to start doing something about it."

Councilwoman Elizabeth Bowles, who lives in the Williamson Road neighborhood, said she thinks the fine should be even higher than $25. "I think this is still too low, and we may have to adjust it later."

City Attorney Wilburn Dibling said Williamson Road merchants have complained about people parking in their lots after regular business hours despite signs saying parking is prohibited.

Dibling said the $5 fine has not deterred illegal parkers.

Police have tried to enforce the after-hours prohibition by charging the motorists with trespassing, he said. The penalties for trespassing carry a jail sentence of up to 12 months and a $1,000 fine.

But the courts have been reluctant to convict first-time offenders of trespassing in such cases unless they are guilty of other offenses, such as being drunk in public or refusing to vacate the premises, Dibling said.

Dibling said the vehicular-trespass ordinance imposing the $25 fine will apply to both private and public lots that have signs prohibiting parking during certain periods.

Also Monday, council voted to appropriate $23,420 to pay the city's share of the costs for consultants and attorneys to try to negotiate a larger reduction in electric rates for local governments.

Appalachian Power Co. has proposed a 4.7 percent reduction in rates for localities in the next three years, but a steering committee for the Virginia Municipal League and Virginia Association of Counties says that a larger reduction in rates should be made.

The committee says that the cost for consultants, attorneys and other expenses for negotiations with Apco will be $115,000 for the localities that are served by the power company.

Each locality has been asked to contribute an amount that is based on its electricity usage.

Council also approved $285,000 for more than two dozen community and human-service agencies in the next fiscal year. The agencies requested $701,327. Among the agencies that will received the larger amount are: ARC Roanoke Inc., $30,250; Bradley Free Clinic of the Roanoke Valley, $18,100; League of Older Americans, $25,000; Roanoke Area Ministries, $26,300; Salvation Army, $23,000; and Tinker Mountain Industries, $22,600.