Downtown McKinney will soon see some changes as two additional officers will begin patrolling the streets looking for offenders—parking offenders, that is.

A motion to add two new officers was approved by City Council on Feb. 2. In order to fund the officers, an amendment to the fiscal year 2015-16 budget will be made in the amount of $38,977 from the general fund.

On March 22, drivers will begin receiving parking violation warnings if they fail to move their vehicle from their downtown parking space within the three-hour time limit. Beginning April 4, officers will start handing out tickets and those found guilty will pay a $42 fine.

The parking enforcement will take place from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday. At this time, Saturdays will not be included.

“One of the consistent complaints I hear from the downtown businesses is the lack of enforcement,” said Council Member Don Day. “I know that some of them would like to see this also enforced on Saturday.”

Two part-time officers will work 20 hours each week for a total of a combined 40 hours of patrol. Should the council decide the officers are needed more than 40 hours, an amendment will be brought before the council for another vote.

Monitoring downtown parking is not new. From 2005-12, the city enforced parking violations within the Historic Downtown. According to city officials, the enforcement was implemented to ensure that residents and visitors to the area had parking and easy access to businesses near the square, as well as the enforcement of other parking violations occurring in the area.