By Mikayla van Loon
Questions and concerns about parking monitoring in Lilydale have triggered calls from councillors for a review into its processes and revenue acquired from fining people in the municipality.
Yarra Ranges Council revealed exponential growth in its revenue garnered shire-wide from number plate recognition technology introduced for infringing timed parking.
Prompted by a question at the council meeting on Tuesday 28 January by Lilydale Township Action Group secretary Sharyn Manning, the council executive outlined the approximate $470,000 increase in infringements year-on-year.
“Council systems don’t currently identify a location based record of revenue at this stage…(but) council received approximately $27,600 in parking revenue across the whole municipality in the 2022-23 financial year, and approximately $501,200 in the 2023-24 financial year,” Yarra Ranges Council communities director Leanne Hurst said.
In the case of Lilydale, the number of infringements recorded in 2023 totalled 143. This increased in 2024 to 1608 parking infringements.
Ms Manning said in a later submission at the meeting that timed parking felt like an “opportunistic use…generating council revenue” which was “targeting and entrapment”.
“People expected to see parking inspectors marking tyres and a chance to move their cars, as was a normal procedure. There was no information about the licence plate recognition system communicated to the community or traders,” she said.
“People were caught under the new system and had no way of knowing. They did not get a ticket on their windscreen. They received their infringement notice three to four weeks later.
“The enforcement of restrictions is intended to act as a deterrent and force people to change their behavior. The system implemented gave people no warning and no chance to do this.”
Ms Hurst confirmed physical tickets had been reinstated after hearing “loud and clear” from the community on this matter.
“(We heard) it can be far more effective and provide more notice for people if they actually receive them on their wind screens and so that is our target, that the majority of those infringements, when identified, are actually issued on the spot and on the windscreen,” she said.
Councillors Tim Heenan and Fiona McAllister both voiced their bewilderment at the considerable change in infringement-created revenue.
“I’m absolutely shocked to see the substantial increase from one year to another. I mean, the facts don’t lie. They’re there in black and white, and I know that it’ll be seen that Yarra Ranges Council is just trying to raise revenue,” Cr Heenan said.
“I’m pretty taken aback by the revenue figures that have been reported,” Cr McAllister said.
Because of this, Cr McAllister made a formal request to the executive for councillors to be briefed about issues raised in relation to parking.
“Certainly (with a) focus on Lilydale but I’d also probably like it more broadly, because I have had conversations with other townships, probably not faring quite the same, but certainly with similar concerns,” she said.
The items requested to be reviewed and detailed include: revenue figures and how those funds will be used; the communication approach that was taken with the community, including consultation; alignment with council policy; the issuing of multiple fines and potential changes to this system; and fines that were reviewed, the outcomes and percentage of fines taken to court.
Cr McAllister said it would be preferable if councillors could receive a briefing before the end of February, understanding the “fairly substantial amount of information” asked for but highlighted that “this is a critical one for us to better understand”.
Mayor Jim Child confirmed the review had been accepted and minuted, with the executive team to prepare a report.
“The process is now that we’ve dealt with the matter now. The item has been taken on board through councillor McAllister’s request, that’s being minuted and that timeline has been accepted by the executive,” he said.
“So it will come to us to forum, to see what comes out of that investigation, and for us to discuss further.”
