Hobsons Bay council has rejected claims that parking officers have been told to increase the number of fines issued in order to meet a set target.
A source told Star Weekly that officers were afraid their jobs would be contracted out after being told they were about $200,000 below target.
The source has warned residents should be prepared for a blitz after officers had been told to lift revenue for the last quarter of the financial year.
“We’ve been told we’re just to book anything and everything. A lot of people that the officers would have warned or asked to move on … will now be booked,” the source said.
The council has said it has no target and provided figures that show parking fine revenue is at its highest level in four years.
In the council chief executive’s report on operations, a graph shows the number of parking fines issued up to mid-February were at the lowest point in six years.
The council said that although the number of fines issued was lower, the monetary amounts were higher.
Figures for July, 2016, to February, 2017, show the council received $1,141,681 in parking fine revenue.
For the same period last year, the council reaped $1,084,606. The year before that, revenue was $868,433 for the same time.
For the two weeks, from February 27 to March 12, 414 fines were issued each week, totalling 828. For the same period last year, 754 tickets were issued.
The source claims every parking officer has been spoken to and told to “double their tickets to make up the shortfall before the financial year [ends]”.
“There are vehicles that park on nature strips that we normally wouldn’t book but we have been instructed to book … that discretion’s been taken away now.
“So it’s just book, book, book.”
Chief executive Chris Eddy said the council did not impose parking infringement targets on its inspectors and never had.
“Fluctuations in the number of parking fines the council issues can occur for a number of reasons – anything from the weather [to] public holidays and events drawing larger crowds to our city,” he said.
“Council also receives a considerable number of requests from our residents to enforce parking restrictions in local streets, which can also affect the number of fines we may issue.
“If all drivers parked legally there would be no requirement to issue any parking fines.”
Australian Services Union organiser Martin McDonald said the union had become involved after being told staff were being called in to meetings and told to book more people.
