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Steamboat Springs — In a year when a projected decline in revenues has forced huge budget cuts including the elimination of 17 positions, city officials may target 1,154 unpaid parking tickets totaling $65,730 to help stem the bleeding.

Interim City Manager Wendy DuBord said Municipal Court Clerk Judy Plumb responded immediately when all city employees were asked to identify possible untapped revenue sources. At tonight's meeting of the Steamboat Springs City Council, DuBord will seek direction from council members on whether they want to get tougher on collecting parking fines. That could mean citing offenders into court or turning their fines over to a collection agency. Current collection procedures allow for the booting of scofflaw vehicles, but in practice, that option has proved logistically difficult.

In a memo, Plumb wrote that other municipalities have reported that "the mere threat of collections brought 80 percent of the offenders in compliance." The city of Steamboat Springs collection rate was 40 percent in 2006, 38 percent in 2007 and 49 percent in 2008 as of Oct. 31, according to Plumb's memo. She added that some violators owe more than $500 and that there are 50 violators who have more than three citations and are on the scofflaw list.

"It's been a problem for years, collecting these fines," DuBord said. "That's a lot of money."

DuBord said the more rigorous collection of parking fines, which is expected to cost $2,000 to $3,000 in administrative costs, would accomplish two goals. One, it would tell the public that the city is serious about its parking regulations and will enforce them. And two, it will bring in resources that the city deserves.

"We should be getting these fines," said DuBord, who said lax enforcement is unjust to people who responsibly pay their fines. "It's unfair to them that we have so many of those that are outstanding."

A recommendation from city staff suggests that the city first engage in a significant public outreach campaign and give people 30 days to pay before turning to the municipal court or a collection agency.

Tracy Barnett, program manager for Mainstreet Steamboat Springs, said the organization supports the proposal.

"Parking is at a premium in downtown Steamboat, and there are flagrant violators of the parking time limits," Barnett said. "The point is for customers to have a place to park to get to businesses."

During an update on the potential annexation of planned developments 360 Village and Steamboat 700, council members also will be asked whether they want developers to bring water rights or resources to develop existing water rights to the table as a requirement of annexation.

"I don't think we've had the conversation from a policy perspective before," DuBord said. "My understanding is that that's a common requirement" of municipalities and water districts.

Last year, former Granby Mayor Ted Wang - who oversaw the town's annexation of about 7,000 acres - said bolstering Granby's water rights was one of three motivations the town had in bringing such a sizable amount of land into the town limits.

Also today, council members will continue their work on a ranked list of city services that may be employed early this year to help make budget cuts if city revenues come in lower than projected. A preliminary list prioritizes 122 city services with revenue collection coming in first and the city-owned Rehder Building in downtown Steamboat Springs coming in last. A more extensive discussion of the prioritization is scheduled for 5 p.m. Jan. 15.