Nutter’s office challenges City Council plan for parking ticket surcharge

A Philadelphia City Council Committee has approved a bill to direct a new surcharge on parking tickets to the city’s parks and recreation department, even though the Nutter administration says it’s illegal.

Revenue from a $4 charge added to parking tickets would be go to the parks and recreation department as well as adding more enforcement officers to oversee taxicab regulations.

But 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.

If approved, the parking ticket surcharge could mean $2 million a year for the parks and recreation department.