Motorists escape Docklands parking fine predictions

The City of Melbourne had hoped to issue nearly twice as many parking tickets in Docklands last financial year.

It fell $733,771 short of its projected earnings from parking fines but says it will revise down its targets for this year.

The council had expected to collect $1.547 million in 2008-09 but raised only $813,000.

The chair of the council’s Finance and Governance Committee, Cr Brian Shanahan, said it was difficult to accurately predict how many fines would be issued, as Docklands was a new and growing precinct.

“We have revised the budget forecast as part of the Five Year Finance and Infrastructure Plan which projects $840,000 in parking fine revenue for financial year 2009-10,” Cr Shanahan told the Docklands News.

The council also collected $438,542 less than expected in rates in 2008-09 due to lower supplementary valuations.

Overall, the council says it made a surplus of $1.399 million from its Docklands activities (against an estimated budget of $14.518 million), due to better than expected performance in capital contributions, building fees, hoarding rentals and recoveries.