What’s changed
The decision was recommended by city staff and is based on state law and public feedback. Under Texas Transportation Code Section 681, vehicles displaying a valid disabled license plate or placard may not be charged parking fees at parking meters, according to agenda documents.
Although the city does not have parking meters, city staff believed the statute reflected legislative intent that individuals with disabilities should not be required to pay for public parking. Disabled veteran plates are not eligible for these spaces unless accompanied by a placard, agenda documents state.
Some context
The city implemented a paid, on-street parking system in downtown in July, replacing a free, two-hour system that had previously existed. The paid parking system aims to help regulate high-demand areas like downtown districts and is being enforced by parking management company Interstate Parking, as previously reported by Community Impact.
One more thing
The parking program’s ambassadors, who are called ParkNBTX Ambassadors, will be trained to identify eligible placards, and photos of suspected fraudulent placards will support enforcement. The New Braunfels Police Department may also be notified if misuse is suspected.
Interstate Parking has been monitoring disabled parking plate and placard use prior to the change, and city staff will reevaluate the change if a significant or unusual increase in usage occurs, agenda documents state.
