Effective Feb. 1, nearly a month after it was ratified by the city council, residents who violate parking regulations mandated under the city's ordinance will be subject to a $5 fee increase. This translates into an annual fine revenue of roughly $2,500, said Code Enforcement Officer Steve Prosser.

Prosser said that the combined number of tickets written by authorities from the code enforcement division and the Westside Sheriff's Substation came to 485 in 2003. A majority of these cars were cited by sheriff's deputies. The substation's sergeant, Bill Tait, said that most of the violations consisted of blocking driveways, exceeding time limits and parking at commercial loading and unloading zones along Big Basin Way. These violations, which resulted in a $40 fine, now will cost violators $45.

Although the increased fine may seem insignificant, the end result is substantial. It is enough to cover the cost of maintaining contract services for two handheld electronic ticketing devices, purchased by the city eight months ago using a portion of federal grant money. The annual cost to contract both devices is $720. Meanwhile, it would cost the city an additional $600 to provide online services.

"The advantage of the ticket writers is they minimize officer error and allow the city to provide online payment options," Prosser said.

These devices are not a novelty to officers in other jurisdictions, according to Tait. In fact, going high tech in ticketing has been a trend for the past several years; Saratoga is simply playing catch-up.

Tait said that the tool has been instrumental in saving time and space.

"The device makes it more efficient to write and process tickets quicker and with less bulk storage," he said.