SPRINGFIELD — Residents can have their say in how the city enforces downtown parking rules.

The city is seeking applicants for a new downtown parking advisory committee. The deadline is Friday.

It’s forming the committee as officials gear up for more aggressive enforcement of downtown parking rules.

Last week, the City Council approved the possible hiring of a contractor to enforce parking rules. Only city police officers can now issue a parking ticket, and they rarely do that.

Downtown parking is abundant now, but the city wants to avoid problems in the future as demand for parking spaces is stoked by increasing public and private investment and redevelopment in downtown, officials have said.

City employee Courtney Griesel said the new committee will act as a “sounding board” for concerns and complaints about the program from residents and businesses. It will make recommendations to the City Council on ways to start and improve the program.

The city wants the committee in place before its begins its public outreach about the new program, Griesel said.

On- and off-street parking is generally free downtown; there is no metered parking. But more than half of the on-street parking has posted time limits, ranging from 10 minutes to two hours, that residents, employees and visitors regularly flout, according to a 2010 parking study.

The city soon will seek proposals from certified private, public or nonprofit parking enforcement entities on how they would operate the program and how much they’d charge the city for it. Enforcement would begin by the end of the year.

Applicants must be a city resident, owner of property in Springfield or an officer, partner or employee of a downtown business.

The new committee is expected to meet once a month this year and once quarterly in future years. Terms will be one and two years.

Application forms are available in the Springfield City Manager’s Office at City Hall, 225 Fifth St. The City Council will interview eligible applicants March 24.

Follow Christian on Twitter @RGchill. Email christian.hill@registerguard.com.