Even-odd parking is coming to Elgin

No one likes change, but it's coming to four Elgin neighborhoods in September, and it could come to the entire city next year.

City leaders Tuesday held the first of four community meetings to explain an even-odd parking schedule that officials hope will lead to more efficient leaf collection and snow removal.

"There is no way to tell if something is going to be successful if you don't try it out," said Ruthanne Hall, city management analyst.

"That's the whole aim of this, to make public works services more predictable."

Four neighborhoods - Randall Ridge, the southern part of Cobblers Crossing, the Gifford and Summit park area and Southwest Area Neighbors Association region up to Gertrude Street - will have the even-odd schedule from midnight to 5 p.m. beginning Sept. 1.

It will last through March 2009.

Then city leaders will decide whether to expand it.

For the first month, police will be issuing brochures instead of $50 tickets in an effort to inform residents of the schedule.

"Our goal is education. If we have zero tickets to write - perfect," said Elgin police Sgt. Glenn Theriault.

"We're not trying to create an income source."

Only two residents - Jeff Swanson of Randall Ridge and Clarence Hayward of Century Oaks West - attended the meeting. Hayward said he was concerned because the ban could come to his street next year; Swanson said his neighborhood doesn't have a problem with off-street parking, but he understood the city's goal.

Tish Powell, public works administrative superintendent, said city leaders chose a diverse cross section of neighborhoods to gauge the ban's effectiveness.

Hall promised the city would be communicating with its residents and within different departments.

"We don't have all the answers figured out for the parking ban.

"That's why it's six months. There's going to be trials and tribulations," she said. "We want to keep open communication."