MONROE - The City of Monroe will make another attempt to work with Green County to reach a downtown parking arrangement, Mayor Ron Marsh said Friday.
At a meeting earlier Friday at the Courthouse, the Green County Property, Parks and Insurance Committee voted 3-2 not to allow enforcement of parking violations on the inner two lanes of the Square, which are on county property. Dennis Dalton made the motion, which was seconded by Herb Hanson.
The City of Monroe will be setting up a parking regulation system for the outer ring of parking, in contrast to the county's parking spaces on the Square.
Chairman Lloyd Lueschow accidentally denied another motion intended to postpone the decision, because he said a motion had already been made, but not voted on.
County Clerk Mike Doyle said the vote stands, and the county will not take any other action unless the city returns with another recommendation.
"We're going to have some issues," Monroe Common Council President Dan Henke said immediately after the vote was taken.
Henke and Marsh, who left the committee room, would not make any comments as they left the building together.
During the committee's discussion, Henke asked for the city and county to work out the issue together.
"We do need the revenue," he said, to help the city budget for maintenance.
Marsh would not comment later in a telephone interview about how the county's decision to keep parking free on the inner ring of the Square would hurt the city's parking plan.
"From past history, I don't work with hypothetical situations because things that are said that can lead to incorrect judgments," he said.
The city budget for 2010 shows an estimated revenue of $24,250 for parking meter fines under the public safety parking enforcement account. Police Chief Fred Kelley explained in past city Public Safety Committee meetings that he estimated parking enforcement fines at five per day and at $15 each, for budgeting purposes.
Before the issue goes before the full County Board of Supervisors, Marsh said he would like to have a dialogue about the county's decision not to charge for parking on the inner ring.
"We'll reach out to the county and talk to the (Property, Parks and Insurance) committee," Marsh said. "Between now and then we can discuss it at our committee levels."
At the meeting, Henke proposed setting an eight-hour limit on inside, county-owned lanes and four-hour limits on outer lanes, with exemptions made for county employees.
A new electronic parking enforcement system, which the city is considering purchasing, is capable of reading license plates and can be programmed to ignore specific license numbers. Doyle estimated the county needed about 10 parking spots for department heads and another 10 to 15 spots for other employees.
As laid out in the new streetscape plans, about 94 parking spots would be on the county's property on the Square's inner ring. About 112 spots fill the city property on the outer ring.
Dalton was the most outspoken committee member opposed to time limits.
"The county and city should listen to the business people," he said. "I can't believe the city is going back to giving parking tickets."
"It's a negative effect on downtown," he said. "Now we're telling people, if you come downtown to shop you're going to get a ticket."
Dalton proposed the city not give tickets to see if a free and unlimited parking system works.
Barb Nelson, executive director of Monroe Main Street, stated that her board of directors initially intended having no charges for parking when the board requested parking meters be eliminated from the Square in the new streetscape project.
The Monroe Main Street board can only ask for eliminating parking violation enforcement, because it has no authority, Doyle said, who is a member of the board.
"What Monroe Main Street asked was to get the project done and give it time ... time to see and address if there is a problem," he said.
Henke, who is also on the Monroe Main Street board, said the city has been receiving complaints from business owners about some downtown tenants and employees parking in front of their stores for long periods of time.
He said the city would have more problems enforcing timed parking if it waits to implement the system.
Doyle said employees and tenants would still "park all day long" in front of businesses with four-hour parking.
A proposed city ordinance requires vehicles be moved to another row of parking after four hours.
"Business people around the Square have to police their own employees," said Art Carter, chairman of the County Board of Supervisors, at the committee meeting.
He recommended committee members allow the city to "study this for a while and come back" with more recommendations.
"The county can show sympathy to the businesses downtown, because they spent a lot of money to make it attractive," Carter said.
Hanson agreed and added that the county receives 0.5 cents in sales tax for purchases.
At a meeting earlier Friday at the Courthouse, the Green County Property, Parks and Insurance Committee voted 3-2 not to allow enforcement of parking violations on the inner two lanes of the Square, which are on county property. Dennis Dalton made the motion, which was seconded by Herb Hanson.
The City of Monroe will be setting up a parking regulation system for the outer ring of parking, in contrast to the county's parking spaces on the Square.
Chairman Lloyd Lueschow accidentally denied another motion intended to postpone the decision, because he said a motion had already been made, but not voted on.
County Clerk Mike Doyle said the vote stands, and the county will not take any other action unless the city returns with another recommendation.
"We're going to have some issues," Monroe Common Council President Dan Henke said immediately after the vote was taken.
Henke and Marsh, who left the committee room, would not make any comments as they left the building together.
During the committee's discussion, Henke asked for the city and county to work out the issue together.
"We do need the revenue," he said, to help the city budget for maintenance.
Marsh would not comment later in a telephone interview about how the county's decision to keep parking free on the inner ring of the Square would hurt the city's parking plan.
"From past history, I don't work with hypothetical situations because things that are said that can lead to incorrect judgments," he said.
The city budget for 2010 shows an estimated revenue of $24,250 for parking meter fines under the public safety parking enforcement account. Police Chief Fred Kelley explained in past city Public Safety Committee meetings that he estimated parking enforcement fines at five per day and at $15 each, for budgeting purposes.
Before the issue goes before the full County Board of Supervisors, Marsh said he would like to have a dialogue about the county's decision not to charge for parking on the inner ring.
"We'll reach out to the county and talk to the (Property, Parks and Insurance) committee," Marsh said. "Between now and then we can discuss it at our committee levels."
At the meeting, Henke proposed setting an eight-hour limit on inside, county-owned lanes and four-hour limits on outer lanes, with exemptions made for county employees.
A new electronic parking enforcement system, which the city is considering purchasing, is capable of reading license plates and can be programmed to ignore specific license numbers. Doyle estimated the county needed about 10 parking spots for department heads and another 10 to 15 spots for other employees.
As laid out in the new streetscape plans, about 94 parking spots would be on the county's property on the Square's inner ring. About 112 spots fill the city property on the outer ring.
Dalton was the most outspoken committee member opposed to time limits.
"The county and city should listen to the business people," he said. "I can't believe the city is going back to giving parking tickets."
"It's a negative effect on downtown," he said. "Now we're telling people, if you come downtown to shop you're going to get a ticket."
Dalton proposed the city not give tickets to see if a free and unlimited parking system works.
Barb Nelson, executive director of Monroe Main Street, stated that her board of directors initially intended having no charges for parking when the board requested parking meters be eliminated from the Square in the new streetscape project.
The Monroe Main Street board can only ask for eliminating parking violation enforcement, because it has no authority, Doyle said, who is a member of the board.
"What Monroe Main Street asked was to get the project done and give it time ... time to see and address if there is a problem," he said.
Henke, who is also on the Monroe Main Street board, said the city has been receiving complaints from business owners about some downtown tenants and employees parking in front of their stores for long periods of time.
He said the city would have more problems enforcing timed parking if it waits to implement the system.
Doyle said employees and tenants would still "park all day long" in front of businesses with four-hour parking.
A proposed city ordinance requires vehicles be moved to another row of parking after four hours.
"Business people around the Square have to police their own employees," said Art Carter, chairman of the County Board of Supervisors, at the committee meeting.
He recommended committee members allow the city to "study this for a while and come back" with more recommendations.
"The county can show sympathy to the businesses downtown, because they spent a lot of money to make it attractive," Carter said.
Hanson agreed and added that the county receives 0.5 cents in sales tax for purchases.