Charlottesville City Council weighed its options this week for settling an ongoing parking decal tug-of-war with Virginia Beach officials.
The problem began when Virginia Beach residents began receiving tickets from Charlottesville Police for failing to display a decal proving that the car is registered and the car's owner has paid a local vehicle fee.
But Virginia Beach residents do not receive decals when they register their cars and pay their fees.
Vehicle owners in Virginia are generally required to display decals from their locality of legal residence.
In 1992 Virginia Beach made an agreement with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles and became the only Commonwealth locality where vehicle fees are collected at the same time residents are billed for state plates. Therefore, a valid license plate also proves a car is registered.
"What's happening when they are doing parking tickets is that they are just walking around without going back and checking registration," Virginia Beach Chief Deputy Commissioner Eric Schmudde said. "There is a number to every locality and they should know not to issue citations to vehicles from Virginia Beach."
Although Virginia Beach residents have encountered the same kind of ticketing in other localities, such as Blacksburg and Fairfax County, the highest number of complaints has come from residents visiting the Charlottesville area, Schmudde said. The Commissioner of Revenue's office has reportedly heard from 12 to 20 Virginia Beach residents who have been ticketed for failure to display a decal in Charlottesville.
The Charlottesville Police Department has heard their fair share of Virginia Beach frustration, too.
"When tickets are issued we hear about them very loudly and clearly from Virginia Beach residents," Police Chief Timothy Longo told Council at a meeting Tuesday night.
In an attempt to remedy the situation, the Virginia Beach Commissioner of Revenue's office has requested that Charlottesville stop issuing parking tickets to vehicles that fail to display decals. Fairfax County recently cooperated with a similar request from Virginia Beach, Schmudde said.
However, Charlottesville officials say the suggested solution may be easier said than done.
Council members considered options this week for responding to the Virginia Beach request.
Ceasing the issuance of parking tickets to non-decaled vehicles in order to avoid ticketing Virginia Beach residents would bring Charlottesville's enforcement to a halt.
Furthermore, Charlottesville does not currently have the mobile technology to check vehicle registration on the spot. Such technology is expensive and will not be available in Charlottesville for another couple of years, Longo said.
Council also is considering selling a special decal to Virginia Beach residents who are visiting the area in order to avoid ticketing. However, the creation of a new decal will cost the City money and is not likely to silence complaints from Virginia Beach.
"I'm not inclined to jump through hoops for Virginia Beach," Council Member Rob Schilling said.
Nevertheless, Council is waiting to hear more about the seriousness of the problem before deciding how to proceed.
"We want to know how big of a problem this is," Charlottesville Mayor David Brown said. "How often does it occur? How many people have been ticketed multiple times?"
In the meantime, Council members said they hope to educate Virginia Beach residents on how they can easily forgo paying for a parking decal ticket.
"They don't need to get stressed out about it," Brown said. "All they have to do is put a note in the mail to the Treasurer's Office with proof of registration."
Council also considered the role the University might play in educating visiting Virginia Beach residents, including students and their parents.
"The City and the University can work together to help get the message out," Brown said, suggesting that the University could notify students and their parents during registration or through e-mail on how decal ticket issues can be resolved.
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