City Council members will get a first look at the Public Works Department’s proposed changes to alternate parking next month.

The question was brought up during Monday’s Public Safety Committee meeting after city residents asked about possible changes late last year. Councilman Joe Paterniti, R-Ward 4, said he was approached by a constituent wondering why the switch began at 10 a.m.

“I had an individual inquire about how our alternate parking is changing at 10 o’clock, and I understand it goes back quite a ways,” Paterniti said. “According to this individual, who I have faith that would know, we’re the only municipality in the state that has a 10 a.m. change your car.”

Paterniti thought the other municipalities changed it at around 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. Jeff Russell, R-At Large and chair of the Public Safety Committee, said he could see plowing being an issue that might cause it to be that time. Other possibilities discussed as to why it was 10 a.m. included the unions and third shift workers, with the assumption that it is because of snow removal. No one at the public safety committee knew for sure why it was that time, only that it has been that way for over 40 years.

Russell added that he is still in favor of moving the beginning alternate parking day in the city from Oct. 1 to Nov. 1, which is something that has been being discussed. That was where discussions actually began late last year.

“We don’t get too many snowstorms in October anymore,” Russell said. “This is the real first hard winter we’ve had, and even then we didn’t have much in October.”

Discussion on the matter also came up at the work session, where Council President Tony Dolce said the 10 a.m. time to move vehicles is something that has been that way for a long time, but also something that has been discussed multiple times. Dolce said older conversations usually went back to 10 a.m. being a calm time of the day with most people being at work or school already. Other times there is more likely to be more traffic as well. Dolce added that it is something that has been looked at before, and could always be looked at again, but said again there is no magic time that would be perfect for everyone.

Director of Public Works Mark Roetzer noted that that time is about half way through the DPW’s day shift, though clean up from where the cars were parked happens at night. He said there did not seem to be any reason to change the 10 a.m. time, though he did not know either why that time was chosen.

“I think at one time they talked about the shift changes, also the fact that particular time of day, I mean it’s never perfect for everybody,” Dolce said. “But, if you go too far into the afternoon you get more traffic, you have people coming and going from work. If you go later in the evening it’s dark and people don’t want to go out and switch their cars, you have the end of the school day. Obviously it’s not perfect for everybody depending on what time you have to work.”