Staff at Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health might have to trim its coffee budget a little in the coming weeks after staff put up $100 to keep two vehicles from being towed from a business's private parking spots.

Vonnie Ereth, wellness supervisor for BBPH, said the vehicles were parked in Wagner Financial Services private spaces during a flu shot clinic and were going to be towed.

"We used some of our coffee money," she said.

The H1N1 vaccination clinic on Thursday was scheduled to run from 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the BBPH building at 121 S. Fifth St. The building also houses several other entities, including Wagner Financial Services.

The financial company pays for several private parking spots in the lot near the door. The spots are marked, with warnings that violators will be towed. Wagner Financial posted additional signs on the doors asking people not to park in their spots and warning that they would tow if necessary, and have placed fliers on windshields asking people not to park in the private spots, Jill Wagner, the company's office manager, said.

In addition to the signs, owner Donavon Wagner has made announcements in waiting rooms, asking people to move their vehicles, she said.

"It's just a sticky situation. We hate to do it," Jill Wagner said. "But at the same time, we're running a business as well and we pay for our parking."

She said the company has towed about four vehicles in the past two weeks. On Thursday, a client was coming in, and they needed a parking place open, so they called a tow truck.

"We don't tow unless we absolutely have to," Jill Wagner said.

"When it needs to be done, we have to do it."

Police have assured them they are well within their rights to tow when people ignore the posted signs, she said.

Ereth said the staff put the money up to keep the vehicles from being towed on Thursday. However, she said people arriving for flu clinics need to be respectful of the other businesses in the building and obey signs, just as they would for a handicapped parking spot.

People are asked to park in areas designated for BBPH or in unmarked spaces in the east part of the parking lot when going to BBPH for flu clinics or other reasons. Gloria David, public information officer for the city of Bismarck, said people also can park across the street at the Civic Center Exhibit Hall in Parking Lot A.

"There's ample parking available," David said. "That whole east end of the parking lot is open."

Ereth said people began lining up for the H1N1 flu shots before noon Thursday. Around 3 p.m., she said it was likely the vaccinations would run out before the 6:30 p.m. end time.

"We may have a little more flu mist than injectables," she said.

She doesn't know when the next flu clinic will be held, though she suspects more vaccine will come in late next week. The state Health Department will determine which age groups will be vaccinated, as some vaccines are only made for certain groups.

"Some is only approved for over 4 year olds," Ereth said.

Reach reporter Jenny Michael at 250-8225 or jenny.michael@bismarcktribune.com