AUBURN - City councilors want to give a new parking policy a test drive before putting it on the road for good.

City council approved at its business meeting on Thursday a resolution amending Auburn's parking code. The new policy extends the city's alternate parking rules to apply for the entire year.

However, councilors also amended the ordinance to make it good only for one year. That way, councilors can revisit the new code and address issues like enforcement, which officials have said could be a problem.

“I can see a lot of good in this, but I am not completely comfortable with this yet,” Councilor William Graney said during the meeting.

The new policy states that vehicles must park on the even-numbered sides of streets during even-numbered days of the month and on odd sides on odd days, for the entire year. Under the former ordinance, this system was in effect between Nov. 15 and March 30 to give snow plows enough room to clear the roads.

The policy regulates every municipal road unless otherwise posted, and goes into effect June 1.

The new policy will be enforced 24 hours a day from Nov. 15 to March 20, and from 6 p.m. Sunday through 6 p.m. Friday during the spring and summer.

Year-round alternate side parking will improve efficiency among the city's departments and make the streets safer for city employees and others, City Manager Mark Palesh said. When cars are parked on both sides of the street, it can block the road for fire engines and make it difficult to spot oncoming traffic, he said.

But Auburn Police Chief Gary Giannotta reiterated Thursday his concerns over enforcement. The city police department simply does not have the personnel to effectively enforce the policy during the summer, Giannotta said.

“I'm not saying it cannot be enforced, but I am saying that there are problems,” he said. “We can try our best, but there is only so much we can get done.”

Councilors asked Palesh to investigate other ways to enforce the policy.

After the meeting, Palesh said uniformed police officers do not have to be the ones writing tickets. The city can also utilize staff from the public works or code enforcement departments, he said.

He added that the city will likely give offenders some warning about the new policy before handing out citations.

“But I think when people see the beautiful results, they will say 'let's keep it going,'” Palesh said.

Not all of the councilors supported the resolution. Thomas McNabb was the one opposing vote.

“I think if we enact this, it is totally unenforceable,” McNabb said before the vote.

In other news:

- Councilors passed two resolutions tightening the reigns on city residents who do not pay their water bills. The city will now send a written notice to homeowners who are 20 days late on their water bills. Those who still do not pay their bills after 40 days will receive a second notice through first-class mail, and their water will be terminated after the 50th day of delinquency.

Previously, the notification schedule was 30 days for a first notice and 60 days for the second notice. Delinquent customers will also have to pay a 10-percent penalty for late payment, according to the ordinance.

Comptroller Lisa Green said during the meeting that she can work one-on-one with water customers to satisfy the outstanding debt.

- City Council held its final work session on the proposed 2008-2009 budget. Councilors discussed the bulk of the budget during last week's meeting, and they covered sanitation, water and sewer Thursday.

Auburn residents can voice their opinions about the proposed budget during a public hearing at the council's June 5 meeting. The meeting begins 6 p.m. at Memorial City Hall on South Street.

- Repairs to a faulty turbine and generator at the North Division Street Hydro Dam will cost the city up to $50,000. The city appropriated the funds to the project, though Water Filtration Plant chief operator Anthony DeCaro told councilors the city will likely be reimbursed through an insurance claim.

- City council approved a resolution calling on the state government to officially designate a stretch of the Arterial as the “299th Engineer Combat Battalion Memorial Highway.” The World War II battalion was made up of Auburn and Cayuga County residents, and it assisted Allied forces during the invasion of Normandy.

Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net.