Any person accused of a violation of an ordinance prohibiting parking a vehicle in a designated area, or restricting the length of time a vehicle may be there parked, or parking in a metered area without putting a coin in the meter to cover the required time, may settle and compromise the claim against him or her for such illegal parking by paying to the city the sum of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for the first violation and fifty dollars ($50.00) for subsequent violations (within twenty-four (24) hours of the time such alleged offense was committed), except those cases where, by ordinance, separate and different penalties are listed, in which instance, the listed penalty shall prevail. Such payment shall be made at the city clerk’ s office and a receipt shall be issued for all money so received, and such money shall be promptly turned over to the treasurer to be credited to the general revenue fund.

    Provided, that this section shall not apply to persons parking a vehicle so as to obstruct the entrance or exit of any place where police or fire department apparatus or other emergency equipment is kept or housed, or so as to block an emergency entrance in a hospital. Nor shall this section apply to any person charged with parking a vehicle so as to entirely obstruct traffic in any street or alley, or parking in such a way as to reduce traffic on an arterial street to one-way traffic only; nor to any person who refuses to move a vehicle illegally parked at the request of any member of the police department. (Amended during 1997 codification; prior code § 24-9-4)