The new leader of CARTA is recommending that parking tickets go up from $11 to $20 in Chattanooga.
Charles Frazier said the cost would be $16 if the ticket is paid within 48 hours.
Mr. Frazier said some people would rather deal with an $11 ticket rather than feeding the meter through the day.
The fine for parking in an illegal spot would go from $36 to $45.
For illegally parking in a handicapped zone, the bill would rise from $50 to $100. City Attorney Phil Noblett said there might be an issue with that proposal because City Court fines are limited to $50.
Mr. Frazier also told the City Council he wants to extend the paid parking boundary along Cherokee Boulevard (27 paid spaces) as well as put meters on Spears and Velma streets (24 spaces) in North Chattanooga.
Mr. Frazier said, "We want to encourage turnover of the premium parking spaces for the benefit of the restaurants and merchants"
He said it would also bring needed increased revenue for the North Shore Shuttle.
Those parking changes would take place in late spring or summer 2025.
Under the setup here, CARTA oversees parking and gets to keep full parking revenues.
All of the recommendations, plus some others, must be approved by the City Council, which is due to vote next Tuesday on first reading and the following Tuesday on second reading.
Mr. Frazier is recommending that the minimum number of CARTA board members go from 10 to seven.
He is asking that terms for future board members be three years instead of five and that board members be limited to two three-year terms. In the past, some CARTA board members have served for decades.
Mr. Frazier's proposal would not apply the term limits to current board members, but Council Vice Chair Jenny Hill suggested that it also apply to current members.
Another change would be that CARTA board members would no longer be paid $50 per meeting. The pay would drop to zero.
The CARTA CEO wants to change the minimum number of board meetings required. It is now once a month.
He is proposing six annual meetings, though committees would still meet monthly. He said, "We would still have 8-10 meetings."