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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; City council Thursday approved a deal for parking enforcement software and services that could result in higher ticket fees for motorists.</p><p>The one-year agreement with Kelley Ryan Parking of Hopedale, Mass., calls for the company to collect $2 for each ticket entered into its system with the five devices the city will rent at a cost of $39 each per month.</p><p>The city potentially is looking at adding a $2 surcharge to parking tickets in order to recoup Kelley Ryan&#8217;s cut, said city Administrator Ted Wampole. That decision hasn&#8217;t been made yet and will have to be approved by council.</p><p>The vendor expects it could make $40,000 per year, based on historical trends showing the city issues 20,000 tickets annually.</p><p>Wampole and council members supported the deal, which will move the payment and collection of delinquent tickets in-house from district judges&#8217; offices. The vendor will install a kiosk at City Hall to pay the tickets and will accept credit card payments.</p><p>The new system will replace the service provided by Pango that Wampole said has reliability problems. It went down in January for more than a week, he said.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re losing money every time the system goes down or one of the devices goes down,&#8221; said Wampole.</p><p>The city will continue to use Pango for payment at the meters.</p><p>Before the vote on the deal, which was approved 5-0, resident Gordon Williams asked why the city was pursuing the pact while a study on the city&#8217;s parking assets was still underway.</p><p>Desman Design Management, of Chicago, was asked to do an analysis that could lead to the lease or sale of the garages, meters and surface lots. It&#8217;s expected to complete the study within a few weeks.</p><p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know what the rush is,&#8221; Williams said.</p><p>Wampole responded that the deal with Kelley Ryan would not affect the study.</p><p><strong>Other action</strong></p><p>Council also unanimously passed resolutions to:</p><p>&#8226; Reappoint Margaret Lovecchio and Thomas Harfman, both of Hanover Street, to the city&#8217;s Board of Health.</p><p>&#8226; Approve a $447,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Health to provide primary and preventive maternal, infant and child health services.</p><p>&#8226; Award a $19,000 contract to A.R. Popple, of Wilkes-Barre, for the demolition of the former Academy Street Market at 121-123 Academy St.</p><p>&#8226; Approve an agreement with PennDOT for the installation and upgrade of pedestrian signals at the intersection of South and South Main streets and South Main and Northampton streets. The work will be done at no cost to the city.</p><p>&#8226; Award Phase One of the Solomon Creek wall reconstruction project to the lowest responsible bidder. A.R. Popple submitted a low bid of $1,548,448 that is still under review.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/web1_Ted-Wampole-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wampole </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/web1_Ted-Wampole-3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Wampole </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/web1_TTL010917MetersCMYK-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre city council on Thursday approved a deal for parking enforcement software and services that could result in higher ticket fees for motorists who park on city streets. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/web1_TTL010917MetersCMYK-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Wilkes-Barre city council on Thursday approved a deal for parking enforcement software and services that could result in higher ticket fees for motorists who park on city streets. </caption1><photoCredit1>Times Leader file </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Deal could increase parking ticket fees in Wilkes-Barre