Colby raises parking tickets from $15 to $25

City of Colby residents will have to dig a little deeper in their pockets the next time they get a parking ticket, after the city council voted last week to raise the citation amount by $10.

The fine had been at $15 for the past 25 years, according to city clerk Connie Gurtner, who said police chief Jason Bauer had suggested the increase when he discovered the Colby-Abbotsford Police Department was running out of ticket books.

Since the CAPD had to order new ticket books anyway, Bauer said now would be the time to consider an increase to $25 per citation.

The council quickly approved the increase unanimously.

Other business

_ The council awarded a bid to Earth, Inc. for expanding the parking lot at Colby Community Library. The Arpinbased company submitted the lowest of four bids, at a price of $127,132. MSA Professional Services is charging $16,500 to engineer the project, with the entire cost of $152,757 being covered by donors from the Pearl Vorland family.

The expansion will add 28 spots to the parking lot, nearly doubling the size of the current 30-stall lot.

_ The council approved a resolution stating the city’s intent to close TIF district 2 as of April 15, 2021. The district was first opened in 1993, and has amassed in $20 million worth of property value since then. Last December, the council voted to close the district in a way that will allow the city to collect an additional $58,000 in property taxes while also lowering the mil rate for property owners.

_ DPW Harland Higley said a new nitrate analyzer has been ordered for testing water from two wells that had to be rerouted in order to bring down nitrate levels. An analyzer previously installed by a company called Pember never worked correctly, so the city sent it back and is expecting a $15,000 return.

_ The council took action on a motion that would have authorized the city crew to put up banners on street poles featuring photos of graduating seniors. Gurtner said the school district has decided to put the banners up on the fence east of the football field instead.

Ald. Steve Kolden, superintendent of Colby schools, said the congratulatory banners will face Highway 13 and feature individual senior photos from each of the 65 members of the class of 2020.