Resident parking sticker system to be reviewed by City Council

By Neil Zolot

A Committee for 2026 Resident Stickers is being formed to revamp the resident parking sticker system. “We have to attack residential parking,” Police Sergeant and Traffic Commission member Joseph Gaff said at a Special Meeting of the City Council on parking on Tuesday, February 11. “It will be quite a task. We did what we did with commercial parking and the next step will be the residential program,” a reference to reducing the number of stickers for commercial vehicles from 501 in 2023 to 233 in 2024.”

In 2024, 179 disability spots were also eliminated by identifying who was using those parking spaces. “It worked well,” Gaff reported. “It may not sound like much, but 179 is pretty good. Every spot helps.”

Overall, however, 26,551 stickers were issued in 2023 and 27,023 in 2024. They are free in January and February, but after March 1 cost $10 per year. To get one, people must show a valid registration indicating the vehicle is garaged in Everett, meaning parking excise taxes are paid in Everett. Commercial stickers cost $300.

The Committee will consist of four members of the Traffic Commission, two City Councillors and one person each from the Engineering Dept., Code Enforcement, the Fire Dept., the Legal Dept. and Transportation Department. The first meeting will be March 6 and a new program has to be determined by the end of October to meet deadlines to print new stickers for 2026. “We have to set our sights on what we want to do and what we can do legally,” Gaff said. “We’ll get information from other communities, but Everett is a special place. We don’t have the space other cities do.”

The first step will be determining how many legal parking spaces there are “so we know if we’re giving out too many stickers,” Gaff explained. That will include determining the number of street space permits that will be issued to each building, be it a single-family home or a multifamily one. The Committee will factor in the number of bedrooms, the existence of a driveway and tenant access to it to figure it out.

“Limiting the number of resident stickers per structure is something we need to look at,” Ward 5 Councillor Robert Van Campen feels. “We have to motivate people to use driveways. Limiting the number of stickers per structure will.”

“We’ve got to get people to use their driveways, especially during snowstorms,” Gaff agreed.

He added that, contrary to public opinion, painting parking lines on streets will actually increase the number of spaces because cars will be parked in a more orderly fashion. “It can add spots if everyone parks correctly,” he said.

Efforts have been made to monitor and, in some cases, limit the number of stickers per building, especially in cases of people running car related businesses from homes. Parking Director and Traffic Commission member Chad Luongo reported “with the help of the police we found addresses that had rental car businesses in homes. We addressed that and stickers were revoked. From time to time, it comes up and probably will in the future, but we’ll shut it down.”

Most resident parking restrictions are midnight to 6 a.m. weekdays, but from Friday at 5 or 6 p.m. to Monday 12 a.m. it’s not enforced. Areas near the casino and some other streets, Garland among them, have resident restrictions every hour of every day, 24/7. Letters are sent to violators with more than five violations and they are given 10 days to pay up. If a vehicle is towed due to noncompliance, a tow fee is added.

The same practice, with notification prior to towing, is applied to abandoned vehicles, which Gaff said “people think we can get rid of just like that.”

“Sometimes if we see a car that’s been there a long time, we put a flyer on it and they get the message,” Luongo added.

Permits and car registration can be delayed if fines are not paid, but Gaff pointed out that if someone has a recently renewed license or registration, it can be years before they would have to pay.

Councillor-at-Large Stephanie Smith asked how rules that cars must be moved every 72 hours are enforced. “Good luck,” Gaff answered. “It’s similar to abandoned vehicles. The only way we go after that is if someone calls and we investigate.”

Councillor-at-Large Katy Rogers asked Gaff and Luongo their opinion on 24/7 restrictions all across the city.  “I’m not in favor of that,” Gaff answered. “I like to visit people and have people visit me and it will hurt businesses.”

Van Campen suggested that guest parking passes be more readily available and sent out to residents that request them.

Gaff also expressed concern that too many restrictions as to who can park where and when could pit neighbor against neighbor. “We have to be careful about that,” he feels.

Luongo pointed out that plenty of tickets are written on the weekends for other violations. “There’s always something going on,” he said.

Those violations include parking near hydrants, on crosswalks and too close to corners, something Smith said happens on her street. Gaff suggested that painting crosswalks or sidewalk curbs close to corners might decrease violations.

There are tighter restrictions on commercial vehicles – defined as those with more than four wheels and over 10,000 pounds – but Gaff said authorities basically can only react to complaints. Efforts are being made to restrict using commercial vehicles for delivery to businesses to early morning hours, probably 6-9 a.m. “We’re looking at loading zones, so it wouldn’t affect parking for people wanting to do regular business,” Gaff said. “It would apply to delivery trucks. We’ve asked businesses not to use 18-wheelers. It just doesn’t work.”

In 2023, 42,323 tickets were issued, 17,161 of which were for resident violations; 65,871 were issued in 2024, with 25,488 for resident violations. That amounts to a 56% increase in all tickets issued and a 49% increase for those issued for resident violations.

In 2024, 158 vehicles were towed, generating $127,450.62 in collected fees, but Gaff said he doesn’t like to think of parking enforcement as a revenue source. “From our perspective, it’s about public safety,” he said. “It does make money and cover the cost of enforcement, but it’s about public safety.”