Parking meter thieves may cost city $82,304

Just weeks after the city installed new parking meters and started charging new rates, thieves are getting to the extra cash before city bylaw officers can.

Just weeks after the city installed new parking meters and started charging new rates, thieves are getting to the extra cash before city bylaw officers can.

At Monday evening’s city council meeting, members were asked to approve a $82,304 sole-source contract to acquire new, stronger vaults (the bottom part of the meter) to prevent the thefts.

“These are virtually bomb-proof,” Rob Fendrick, the city’s director of administrative services, told council as he displayed the new vault next to a current vault.

Since the new meters on top of the vaults were installed and new rates brought into effect in October, 21 vaults have either been broken into or stolen. The RCMP were contacted each time about the thefts.

“The deliberate and co-ordinated and ongoing theft of the meters was not anticipated,” Fendrick said.

There is a need to deter the thieves without having a guard on each meter at all times, he added.

In an effort to deter the thieves, until more secure vaults can be bought, bylaw officers have started emptying them six days a week rather than the previous two days weekly.

The report to council shows that on Oct. 17, six were broken into on Third Avenue along with three on Lambert Street and three on Steele Street.

That was followed by the theft of three meters on Wood Street on Oct. 20 and another six being broken into on Steele Street on Nov. 26.

“Right now, they’re essentially using a miner’s pick to basically open a meter,” Fendrick said. “It’s not easy to do, but can be undertaken.

“This new vault will be totally impervious to that. So we better buy these meters quick because I just told everyone how to do it.”

The comment was greeted by laughter from those gathered in council chambers.

The mirth continued as Coun. Dave Austin wondered aloud just how far downhill mining in the territory has gone.

Getting back to business, Fendrick recommended the contract that would see 500 vaults replaced in the city, go to Trafco (Canada) Ltd. with the cash coming out of the city’s parking reserve fund.

Awarding the contract to Trafco, Fendrick said, would provide consistency and availability to do the work. Trafco was responsible for installing the meters in a $132,710 contract earlier this year.

“If we don’t do this, we’re going to have ongoing theft,” Fendrick said, also pointing to the need for expanded work hours to collect the coins if nothing is done.

Already, the city has pulled bylaw officers off of time they’d normally spend writing tickets to collect change from the vaults.

At a previous cost in wages of about $461.46 to collect the change twice per week, the city is now spending $1,490 to gather the change six days a week, the report to council notes.

While Fendrick acknowledged there’s potential for the entire unit to be stolen once the new vaults are installed, he noted the RCMP have informed the city they’ll be doing additional patrols of the area following the reports of the thefts.

Council will vote on whether to award the contract next week.