King County adds bite to dog park parking fee
REDMOND, Wash. -- Budget woes have triggered a crackdown at King County's most popular park. Park officials are now enforcing a $1 parking fee with a $35 fine at Marymoor Park.
Marymoor visitors admit they don't always pay to park at the park, even though the fee has always been just $1.
"We don't have to pay it at other parks, so why do we have to pay it here?" said Celina Martin.
One woman said she received a warning for not paying the parking fee on Tuesday. But on Wednesday, she returned to the park, parked her car without paying the fee.
"I usually pay," said Emily Graefy. "I promise you, I always pay. I usually pay on the way out, and today, I don't know if you caught the traffic on the way down."
For the regulars who do pay, the enforcement is just about fairness.
"You would hope that they would go ahead and put a dollar in to support the parks. That's not asking a lot," said Kelly Willliams, owner of a park parking pass.
The county started charging for parking in 2003, and says compliance has steadily dropped ever since.
"Two out of every five cars won't pay the dollar to put a ticket on their dashboard," said Doug Williams of King County Parks.
This month the county posted warnings across the park, and last week workers began issuing $35 tickets for the first time since the parking fee went into effect in 2003.
It says compliance immediately increased, but it's still coming up short.
"We get about a million people coming to the park a year, and hundreds of thousands of cars. So it could be a significant revenue stream for us," Williams said.
The county expects to raise $100,000 this year from the parking fees and fines. It may never get every dollar due, but it says every extra dollar it collects will keep the park clean safe and open.
Since last week, 75 drivers have already paid the $35 fine after failing to pay for parking.
Marymoor visitors admit they don't always pay to park at the park, even though the fee has always been just $1.
"We don't have to pay it at other parks, so why do we have to pay it here?" said Celina Martin.
One woman said she received a warning for not paying the parking fee on Tuesday. But on Wednesday, she returned to the park, parked her car without paying the fee.
"I usually pay," said Emily Graefy. "I promise you, I always pay. I usually pay on the way out, and today, I don't know if you caught the traffic on the way down."
For the regulars who do pay, the enforcement is just about fairness.
"You would hope that they would go ahead and put a dollar in to support the parks. That's not asking a lot," said Kelly Willliams, owner of a park parking pass.
The county started charging for parking in 2003, and says compliance has steadily dropped ever since.
"Two out of every five cars won't pay the dollar to put a ticket on their dashboard," said Doug Williams of King County Parks.
This month the county posted warnings across the park, and last week workers began issuing $35 tickets for the first time since the parking fee went into effect in 2003.
It says compliance immediately increased, but it's still coming up short.
"We get about a million people coming to the park a year, and hundreds of thousands of cars. So it could be a significant revenue stream for us," Williams said.
The county expects to raise $100,000 this year from the parking fees and fines. It may never get every dollar due, but it says every extra dollar it collects will keep the park clean safe and open.
Since last week, 75 drivers have already paid the $35 fine after failing to pay for parking.