According to an internal audit, the City of Wilmington loses thousands of dollars each month because of broken parking meters.
The 2015 audit estimates broken parking meters account for over $9,500 in lost revenue per month, with the City spending nearly $2,000 per month on repairs.
AAA Mid-Atlantic requested the report via the Freedom of Information Act.
Spokesperson Ken Grant said the city could away from outdated coin-operated meters, which account for the bulk of lost revenue.
"There’s new technology like mobile parking apps, which cities like Rehoboth and Philadelphia and hundreds of other cities across the country have started using. The City of Wilmington, even though the audit recommends pursuing that, we still don’t see it here," Grant said.
AAA also requested a copy of a 2014 City of Wilmington audit on the appeals process for parking tickets.
That audit shows the average appeal for a city parking ticket takes 404 days.
Grant called for a "more open and transparent parking ticket appeals process," He says AAA also has another suggestion for the city.
"We’re suggesting maybe setting a firm deadline that these things should be resolved, within say 120 days of the issuance of a ticket or else it just gets dismissed," said Grant.
Wilmington City Council recently narrowly voted to amend city code to direct the Director of Finance to waive any civil penalties owed for unpaid parking tickets older than seven years.
Grant adds AAA also recommends moving parking enforcement from the City’s Department Finance office to the Department of Public Safety.