Nashville May Increase Parking Ticket Fee, Salvaging One Idea From Meter Controversy

The cost of a parking ticket in Nashville could soon go up by more than double.

The fee is now $11, but a proposal at the Metro Council (BL-2019-1) would bump it to $25.

Councilmember Colby Sledge says the fee has been so low that drivers often try to take their chances and not pay the meters. So increased fees could increase the rate of payment, “instead of this sort of game of where you park and it’s a game of roulette,” he says.

It’s also part of a push to find more funds for city services.

“It’s not a budget saver. It gets you about $1 million more,” Sledge said. “But we need to start doing all of this.”

The proposal follows a major controversy. Earlier this year, Mayor David Briley’s office considered selling all management of street parking to a private company, which would have added more parking meters in more neighborhoods and adjusted the hourly rates.

Mayor John Cooper and multiple council members say they will no longer pursue the parking overhaul. But Sledge says some ideas from that conversation, like higher parking tickets, are worth pursuing.