San Marcos City Council Member Mark Gleason, Mayor Jan Hughson and Counci Member Alyssa Garzaare rake part in a recent City Council meeting.
Kin Man Hui/Staff photographer
San Antonio Express-News
Ricardo Delgado, San Antonio Express-News
San Marcos is looking to crack down on people with overdue parking fines — but the city also plans to allow cars to remain parked longer in some parts of downtown.
The San Marcos City Council this week gave initial approval to an ordinance that makes it easier for the city to put immobilizing wheel clamps — commonly known as boots — on vehicles belonging to people who have unpaid parking citations.
In recent years, the city has struggled to collect fines for parking violations. The city said it issued $425,630 in fines in 2022, but collected just $167,385. So far this year, $308,010 in fines have been issued and San Marcos has collected just $85,831.
The new ordinance shortens the timeframe for putting a boot on an offender's car. The previous ordinance allowed the city to take such a step if a vehicle's owner had three unpaid parking violations in a calendar year. The new ordinance allows the city to place a boot on a car, or impound it, as soon as an owner has three unpaid violations, regardless of how much time has passed since the first offense
The new ordinance also allows the city to place boots on vehicles without the need for a court order, although vehicle owners can still request a hearing to appeal the immobilization.
A second City Council vote is required for final approval. The new rules would then go into effect seven days after that vote.
Even as they moved to crack down on enforcement, the City Council members also approved a measure that could help some drivers avoid parking citations. In some parts of downtown, the city will now allow parking for four hours instead of two hours.
Mayor Jane Hughson said the previous two-hour parking window was too short for some visitors to the city's historic downtown square, especially for those who were in town for a hair salon appointment or another longer-lasting activity.
San Marcos grew from 44,894 in 2010 to an estimated 70,301 in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
ricardo.delgado@express-news.net