SIDNEY, Neb. — Sidney City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to pass a resolution that modifies enforcement hours on downtown two-hour parking spaces.

The new ordinance changes current 24-hour two-hour parking stalls to apply only between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. The 4-0 vote followed weeks of discussion among city officials, business owners and residents regarding how to address long-term parking downtown. 

The City Council directed staff to draft the resolution after hearing from citizens during a public meeting in June. Some downtown residents requested the two-hour limits be removed to allow them to park near their homes, while local business owners expressed concern about losing parking turnover for customers.

Councilman Burke Radcliffe has been watching parking downtown lately and told council he didn't see it being a major issue. 

Sidney Police Chief Sam Lovato said his department is prepared to enforce the new policy, though it will be a challenge with limited resources.

"Business owners have went out themselves and have purchased cameras that face towards the front of their store," Lovato said. "That’s an easy way for us to verify how long someone has been parked. It does take resources to do that,but we don’t get to pick the laws we enforce, we just enforce them.”

Lovato explained enforcement will follow a consistent process that aligns with the city's established fee schedule. progressive approach. This will be a standard parking infraction process, much like other violations police currently enforce within city code. 

"That precedent in city code has already been set with cars that are parked on city streets as it is," Lovato said. "Whether they're abandoned or parked illegal, it will fall in the precedent that we've already been following consistently anyway."

The resolution affects parking zones along multiple blocks downtown, including stretches of Illinois Street from 9th to 12th, and adjoining blocks along Jackson, Hickory and King Streets. The city estimates the cost of new signage will be under $300.

"As they said in the meeting, I don't know if this is 100% the solution, but I'm happy to start getting this fixed," Lovato said. "There's a lot of passionate people in Sidney and a lot of passionate business owners. Everybody wants to see the best for Sidney."

Cheyenne County Chamber Director Joe McCarn said a recent survey revealed roughly half of respondents supported the two-hour parking restrictions, but added that business owners do not view the ordinance as a permanent fix.

Newly appointed Councilman Jeremy Lee, who abstained from the vote, said common courtesy between residents and business owners should also play a role.