Chief issues reminder on winter parking ban

Libby Police Chief Scott Kessel urged residents to familiarize themselves with the city’s winter weather parking restrictions after a spate of ordinance violations last month.

Delivering his regular update to city councilors Jan. 3, Kessel said that department personnel had issued 25 city ordinance violations in December and towed 18 vehicles. City Hall’s parking ban during snowstorms went into effect Nov. 1 as it does each year.

“People have forgotten what it’s all about,” Kessel said, telling city councilors that his officers went door-to-door in several cases to warn homeowners.

Between Nov. 1 and March 30, curbside parking is forbidden on streets running north-south between 4 and 8 a.m. Between 8 a.m. and noon, parking is banned on streets running east-west. The restrictions apply during "snow events."

For the following sections of streets, parking is forbidden between 2:30 a.m. and 6 a.m.: Mineral Avenue, between First Street and 10th Street; Louisiana Avenue, between Second and 10th streets; Montana Avenue, from First Street to 10th Street; California Avenue, between Ninth and 10th streets; Main Avenue, from Second Street to 10th Street; Idaho Avenue from Second Street to 10th Street; Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth streets, between Louisiana Avenue and Idaho Avenue; Lincoln Boulevard, between Louisiana and Idaho avenues; Eighth Street, from Montana Avenue to Idaho Avenue; and 10th Street, between Louisiana and Idaho avenues.

Failure to remove a vehicle could result in a $50 fine. A tow, which officials stress that they try to avoid, could result in a much stiffer financial penalty.

Ordinance violations aside, Kessel said his staff responded to 239 calls for service, up from 185 in 2020. They made 18 arrests, up from six the year prior, and issued 30 citations as compared to nine in 2020.

“We’re getting more into a normal workflow for us,” Kessel told city councilors.