SALISBURY, MD — The City of Salisbury is looking at an ordinance that would expand parking enforcement duties to additional city agencies, following a surge in parking violations. At a recent City Council workshop, the proposal, introduced by the Salisbury Police Department, received backing from emergency response agencies.
At the meeting, Salisbury Police Chief David Meienschein said between July and September, Salisbury Police received 478 calls related to parking violations.
Currently, only the police and public works parking enforcement have the power to issue citations, but this new ordinance would allow other agencies, including the fire department, to do the same.
Fire Chief Rob Frampton highlighted the growing issue of illegal parking in fire lanes, which has delayed emergency response times and led to accidents involving department vehicles.
“We’ve had some issues with cars parked in fire lanes, it’s delayed ambulance response to patient access, it’s also delayed fire response. We’ve had some incidents in parking lots where we’ve had to park outside of the fire lane and we had a vehicle back into ours that caused damage to our vehicle,” Frampton explained.
Under the proposed ordinance, three fire marshals would be trained to issue civil citations for parking violations. However, Frampton stressed that their primary goal would be to educate the public, issuing citations only when necessary.
“We’re not out here to generate revenue for this, we’re out to fix bad behaviors, and get compliance,” he said. “As the city continues to grow, there’s definitely a need for those types of positions to ensure that we’re keeping communities safe, and we’re not blocking fire and EMS from getting to a scene or delaying a response to someone who needs emergency services.”
Residents downtown acknowledged the parking challenges, particularly during busy periods.
“It's needed, it gets really busy out here—especially on a Monday, but on the weekends at night,” said Brian Chaney, who lives downtown.
However, not everyone sees the need for extra enforcement. Business owner Leann Marriner pointed out that parking options, including free parking for the first hour in the garage and on weekends, are already well-known to visitors.
“People know what to expect when they come to downtown Salisbury. So when people come down—they know what they’re getting into,” Mariner said.
While no vote was made during the workshop, the ordinance is expected to be considered at a future City Council meeting. If passed, still, only the police and the Public Works Parking Authority would retain enforcement power over metered parking spots.
