Kent County Levy Court commissioners heard a proposal to hang no parking signs along the driveway of Brecknock Park and to allow police to ticket offenders after a 60-day grace period at its Nov. 3 committee meeting.
Keith Mumford, interim director of the county’s department of community services, said park visitors occasionally leave their vehicles along the park’s main roadway, including along the circle and in front of the park’s entrance, during events that draw a large number of people to the facility.
“It creates a safety issue, especially if an ambulance should ever need to get through there,” Mumford said.
The county’s department of community service had requested Levy Court approve installing eight no parking signs along the Brecknock driveway, and for Camden police to give warning tickets for 60 days. After the 60-day grace period, police would ticket vehicles left along the driveway to Brecknock.
Commissioner Eric Buckson said the county should try to hang the no parking signs first and later try to issue tickets if the facility’s patrons ignore the restrictions.
“If [the signs] were already up and being ignored, then game on,” Buckson said. “But ticketing is a pretty big first step.”
Mumford said the department plans to educate the public about the new restrictions by placing notices in the county newsletter and posting information on its website.
“The first step of education could work and then there wouldn’t be a need to ticket people,” Buckson said. “And it’s not a pressing problem right now.”
The other commissioners agreed to order the no parking signs from DelDOT and evaluate the need to issue tickets to enforce the signs at a later meeting.
In other business:
Commissioners considered a draft of a fitness for duty policy that would allow the head of the county administration department to place employees on leave if they are physically or mentally unable to perform their duties. The policy would require the employee to show their problem had been resolved before coming back to work.
Levy Court also decided to vote on an altered para-transit senior transportation subsidy at its Nov. 10 business meeting. The county currently allocates state funding to subsidize the Delaware Authority Regional Transit and allow Kent County residents to pay $1 per a ride.
County administrator Mike Petit de Mange said this year’s allocation would not be enough to run the program all year, and riders will be charged $1 until the subsidy runs out. After that time, riders will pay $2 for the service.
