By Jen Horton
posted Jun 26, 2008 - 7:47:47am
After 19 years, Parking Enforcement Supervisor Jan Taylor is retiring from the City of DeLand. Her last day will be July 11.
With Taylor gone, effective July 14, DeLand will turn parking enforcement over to the Police Department.
Taylor's job has been controversial, as DeLand struggled to cope with a $50,000-a-year deficit in its parking-enforcement budget. Some members of the community claimed a supervisor wasn't necessary for the single parking-enforcement officer, and called for Taylor's position to be eliminated.
With Taylor's retirement, the Police Department will take over her duties. It's coming full circle, in a way.
"I started in 1989 as a receptionist for the DeLand Police Department," Taylor said.
After two months, she was transferred to the City Clerk's office, where she worked as an administrative assistant for one year.
A supervisor position became available in parking enforcement, and Taylor decided to take it.
"It's been challenging," she said. "It's been interesting. I've learned a lot — a lot about municipal government, and I've learned a lot about people. I've had a lot of contact with people."
Taylor is moving to Kentucky after retirement. She said she wouldn't be opposed to working in government again, but not in parking enforcement.
"Parking is very, very interesting," she said. She hesitated before continuing, "It's not my desire to be in a position [like this] in government."
City Commissioner Charles Paiva said parking-enforcement officer Mike Ackerman will keep his job monitoring parking on the streets of Downtown DeLand, but the administrative parts of the job done by Taylor will be transferred to the Police Department.
In a memorandum to city commissioners about Taylor's retirement, City Manager Mike Abels wrote, "Because of the financial condition of the Parking Fund we cannot rehire for her position and the City Clerk's Office does not have the staff resources to complete all of the administrative requirements that Ms. Taylor fulfilled."
Lt. Jack Waples of DeLand PD said it is still too early to talk about the effect on the department. He said he had only basic information regarding the possible transfer, but he seemed to take the transfer in stride.
"When I first started, parking enforcement was in the police department, anyway," Waples said. "We had two police officers, they were retired ... that was back when we had three-wheelers, and they worked out of the traffic-enforcement office."
In his memo, Abels noted the parking fund runs in a deficit, and requires transfers of funds from the general fund. He said the parking fund currently owes the city's general fund $120,000.
He also acknowledged this transfer could be a hardship on the Police Department.
"This transfer will require the Police Department to set aside some other duties and responsibilities in order to accept this new responsibility," Abels said.
Splitting the $100,000 cost with Volusia County, the City of DeLand hired a consultant to devise a way to enforce parking rules in Downtown DeLand without a deficit. The consultant has recommended a combination of paid parking, permit parking and free parking, and is expected to present that plan to city commissioners this summer.
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