A City Council Committee approved a $4 surcharge to all parking tickets in Philly, though Mayor Michael Nutter’s Administration says it's illegal.
The $4 surcharge would be split evenly between the Philadelphia Parking Authority -- in order to boost enforcement of taxi and limousine registrations -- and the Department of Parks and Recreation.
The surcharge is projected to bring in an estimated $2 million dollars a year for parks and another $2 million for the PPA. It must still be passed by the entire Council.
Newsworks breaks down the differing opinions on where parking fine revenue can go:
...such a law would be illegal, contends Susan Biemiller, Mayor Michael Nutter's first deputy chief of staff.
"State law governs how parking fines and meter funds are allocated," Biemiller said Monday. "So if the bill were enforceable, the additional funds would go to the school district, not the city."
Philadelphia Parking Authority General Counsel Denis Weldon sees things differently.
"It's my opinion that the allocation of the funds in the way indicated in the bill would be legal," he said.
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