Cedar Rapids parking rule changes too little, too late

Really? Is that all there is?

The Cedar Rapids City Council recently amended parts of the city's parking laws. For more than three years, the city has known about problems with the laws, but it has been dancing around the issues.

The city attorney was told about the problems in April 2013 ... nothing happened.

The city council was told about the problems in May 2014 ... nothing happened.

The director of Park Cedar Rapids was told about the problems in July 2014, and he at least drafted amendments for the city to consider but ... nothing happened.

After The Gazette wrote about the problems five months ago, something finally happened.

But what happened didn't fix all the problems, and the choreography isn't very good.

First, the new ordinance says it 'provide[s] clarification to certain definitions.” That could be categorized best as political bovine by-product. The new law didn't clarify anything, it added things that should have been added years ago.

Second, the amendments are not well-written. The grammar is poor, words are missing, sentences run on, it's written in antiquated legalese, and there are internal inconsistencies.

For example, the ordinance says you 'may” pay your fine, but if you don't pay it you 'shall then pay” a penalty. Dictionaries say 'may” refers to permission, possibility, or a wish or hope. 'Shall” means mandatory. Does this mean you must be fined for something you aren't required to do? Pick a word, any word.

Under the new law, the council evidently thinks it's ok for a private company to decide if you've done something that might land you in jail.

Park Cedar Rapids can make up its own rules about municipal parking facilities, and 'all violations thereof shall be subject to” a 'misdemeanor penalty of a fine not exceeding $625.00 or imprisonment not exceeding 30 days.” Who elected Park Cedar Rapids to decide who could go to jail?

There are other sections of the parking laws that the council didn't even try to fix. One missed section says the city treasurer is supposed to count the coins from parking meters and deposit the money in a city bank account. Cedar Rapids hasn't had a city treasurer for years, and Park Cedar Rapids collects the money and puts it into its own account.

What is that, 'close enough?” Would 'close enough” work with a police officer after you roll through a stop sign? It seems only proper that the city council make clear, complete, and correct laws and then comply with those laws instead of dancing around them.

Maybe most important, Park Cedar Rapids has been collecting more meter money and fines than the old ordinance allowed. The city was told about that problem, so the Council raised the limits to cover what Park Cedar Rapids was doing. If Park Cedar Rapids was collecting higher amounts than the city code allowed, will overcharges be refunded?

And there's more.

The city's response to its parking law problems is late and comes up short. If that's all there is, then it looks like we'll keep dancing.

' Bob Teig is a retired federal prosecutor.