
ORANGE is now close to quadrupling other Central West councils in income from parking fines, with revenue last financial year topping $1.1 million.
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According to figures released by Revenue NSW, Orange City Council issued 7791 parking fines, worth $1,154,561 during the 2018-19 financial year.
It was a sharp increase from the 2017-18 financial year when the council issued 6128 parking fines, worth $793,050, and equivalent to $3163 a day.
By comparison, Bathurst Regional Council issued 2265 parking fines worth $310,336 during the 2018-19 financial year, still an increase on the 2159 parking fines issued the previous year worth $288,106.
I'm not saying it's revenue raising, but you can't blame people for thinking it is.
- Councillor Glenn Taylor.
Bathurst also has a parking enforcement vehicle.
Dubbo Regional Council trailed the other two councils, issuing 1693 parking fines at a total of $222,515.
It was a substantial rise from the previous year, where 1185 parking fines were issued, earning $150,256.
Orange City Council conducted a blitz earlier this year, fining residents $263 if they parked on their nature strips or in their driveways if they were deemed likely to block pedestrians.
Orange councillor Glenn Taylor, who previously used a council meeting to criticise the move, said he wanted to see a report on the number of fines issued across the different categories.
"I'm not saying it's revenue raising, but you can't blame people for thinking it is," he said.
He was also critical of fines issued for tyres on lines separating parking spaces in the CBD, saying fines were intended to ensure there was parking at peak times.
"I laugh at some of the angles people park at, but if someone's made a decent attempt to park between the lines and they're not impinging on the car next to them, if they get a tyre on the line, so bloody what?" he said.
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