Posted by John Byrne at 5 a.m.; updated at 9:20 a.m.
Update: The sponsoring aldermen put off consideration of the proposed ordinance today.
People caught selling their residential permits for on-street parking near Wrigley Field and U.S. Cellular Field on game days could face jail time under a proposed ordinance slated for a hearing today.
The two Chicago aldermen who represent the neighborhood around both ballparks are co-sponsoring the plan to try to crack down on people who are turning a hefty profit by charging drivers from elsewhere in the city or suburbs for the one-day permits that allow them to legally park curbside on game days.
If approved, a judge could sentence anyone caught reselling a pass to a night in jail for a first offense, or 8 hours of community service, in addition to a fine, said Ald. Tom Tunney, 44th, whose ward includes Wrigley. Under the plan, scheduled to be heard today by the City Council Traffic Committee, the amount of jail time or community service would increase with subsequent arrests, as would the fine, he said.
"We want to stop these sales," Tunney said, adding he does not favor jail time for those busted reselling the passes.
"I told (11th Ward Ald. James Balcer) I didn’t think (jail) was the right way to deal with it in my community," Tunney said, but agreed to sign on to the plan when the community service sentence was added as an alternative.
Balcer, whose ward includes the home of the White Sox, could not be reached for comment.
The black market in parking permits around the baseball stadiums has frustrated city officials for years.
In 2005, Tunney applauded an ordinance setting fines of between $200 and $500 for illegally selling or purchasing a parking permit.
"We want people to come to the park, but also respect our communities," Balcer said at the time.
Last fall, City Clerk Miguel del Valle singled out suburban Cubs fans using parking permits in Wrigleyville.
"I get very frustrated when I see people coming up, going to a Cubs game, for example, and parking with a residential parking zone by Cubs park, in effect saving $30 in parking and I see they don’t have a city sticker on their vehicle," del Valle told aldermen during City Council budget hearings.
Like one-day passes in other parking zones around the city, those near the ballparks are to be given to friends or family members who want to visit residents in the zones near the parks, but are not to be resold, according to city ordinance.