Councilman seeks parking exception for Montesano Council members

Dan Wood is upset he was ticketed for parking outside City Hall recently.

Councilman Dan Woods was upset that he recently received a parking ticket during a brief stop for city business at City Hall while a city vehicle parked nearby was not ticketed.

“(The ticketing) appears to me as opportunistic for grabbing revenue,” Wood said. “That may not be the motivation, but the lesson for me is either don’t volunteer to do the extra things or don’t get near city hall.”

Wood admitted that he parked for about 30 minutes in a spot limited to 15 minutes in front of the building on Main Street. Parking on the southbound side of Main is limited to 30 minutes. Parking on Broadway Avenue, south of City hall, is limited to two hours. The city also provides unlimited off-street parking in its lot behind the building.

On Main Street, drivers are required to go half a block north or half a block south to find two-hour parking.

“I’m still quite put out by this. It’s not the $20,” Wood said at Tuesday’s meeting. “I spent more on spoons and napkins for the National Night Out event than I did on the ticket.

“But to be here on city business and to be ticketed, this is not a way to encourage volunteerism.”

City attorney: Does our code have an exemption for city vehicles? It probably doesn’t.