Resolution aimed at parking enforcement advances in Georgia

Have you parked recently in Atlanta and gotten a ticket? You’ve got a friend in the Georgia Senate.

The chamber voted overwhelmingly Friday to give voters statewide a chance to vote on banning cities from contracting with third-party vendors for parking enforcement.

But while Senate Resolution 809 itself would be a decision for all Georgia voters, the legislation's sponsor, state Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta, has made no secret it's aimed at Park Atlanta — the private company that manages enforcement of the city's street parking rules.

The vendor’s contract is up for renewal later this year, and frustrated parkers have been vocal about what they say are unfair tactics that include writing tickets before time has expired.

Passed on a bipartisan 42-4 vote, the resolution — which proposes to write the ban into the state constitution — must now win a two-thirds majority in the state House before it could be placed on the ballot in November.

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