Complaints about parking violators on East Fourth Avenue between East First and East Second streets have prompted the downtown parking management office to ask police to strictly enforce the existing two-hour parking limit there.

Becky Smyth, manager of the downtown parking office, said she has gotten numerous complaints from people trying to drop off children at First Baptist Church or folks working in the soup kitchen at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.

“It’s been an ongoing issue that when they come to town those spaces are taken, and the cars stay there all day,” Smyth said. “It just hasn’t been enforced.”

Smyth contacted Rome Police Chief Elaine Snow seeking stricter enforcement.

Snow said the downtown parking enforcement officers typically don’t get beyond East First Street into the Between the Rivers district. She said the city decided to give the community a few days notice before police begin enforcing the two-hour limit.

The stepped-up enforcement of the parking limit will begin Monday.

“We do monitor that area from time to time, but we will be monitoring it on a daily basis beginning Monday,” Snow said. “We will continue to monitor it as time allows.”

Smyth said a lot of downtown Rome business or government employees apparently have been parking there and just not moving.

“We’re going to try to turn the spaces over a little bit,” she said.

People with questions can contact the Parking Services office at 706-236-4458 or email parking@romega.us.