The Des Moines City Council voted unanimously June 27 to increase minimum parking penalties from $20 to $50.

Lorri Ericson, Des Moines assistant city manager, said that the current penalty does not cover the costs of issuing and processing the infraction through court.

Des Moines’ parking penalty is currently also much lower than other cities in the area such as Auburn, Burien, SeaTac and Kent.

The amendment also redefines oversized vehicles, the weight capacity option was removed from the definition and clearly states that oversized vehicles are vehicles that are larger than 7.5 feet in width or 20 feet in length.

This creates an identifiable standard that is easy for the public and enforcement officials to determine, said Ericson.

The six-hour parking limit was raised to 24 to create a realistic and fair amount of time that an oversized vehicle can be parked on a city street to allow the operator to achieve the job that they are there to accomplish.

Additional parking changes will be discussed at the July 11 City Council meeting.