MONROE - The parking meters in downtown Monroe soon will be things of the past, but time is running out to find a replacement system.
Members of the Monroe Public Safety Committee rejected two parking management system options for the downtown Square during a meeting Monday, and asked what Monroe Main Street wants as a second choice.
"What is their second desire, if we don't come up with the money for it? We don't like either system," Chairman Charles Koch said.
The Monroe Main Street Board of Directors asked the city to consider a license plate recognition system rather than kiosks that require underground utilities.
A decision must be made this month, when Fehr-Graham puts the final design together before going out for bids on the downtown reconstruction project.
At the committee's request, Pierre Hubert, business development director of AutoVu, presented the newest technology in parking management, license plate recognition (LPR).
Committee members compared the license plate recognition system, a kiosk system and the labor of chalking tires.
Any three of the systems would cost about $75,000 to $100,000, according to Police Chief Fred Kelley.
The LPR system consists of four vehicle-mounted cameras that can read and record up to 500 license plates per hour. A comparison of times and locations for any license plate alerts officers if a vehicle is parked too long in one spot.
Hubert quoted the cost of a full LPR system at about $58,000. The Police Department also would have to designate one vehicle for the camera mounting.
"Taxpayers will scream if we spend $100, 000 on a system like this," committee member Paul Hannes said.
Koch agreed, saying the cost of any system should not be funded by the Tax Increment Financing district or general taxpayers.
"Is this a TIF item? I personally don't feel it is," Koch said. "TIF was set up to develop deteriorating or blighted areas up to a certain stage. I don't like taking TIF money for something that should be taken care of by the district itself.
"If they want this kind of system, it should come out of BID (Business Improvement District)," he said.
Koch estimated the life of the LPR system would be about 10 years "at most," given technological advancements.
Kiosk systems have been eliminated from consideration for the Square. Monroe Main Street determined the eight machines, two on the each side of the Square, would deter from the new design.
The Public Safety Committee also decided that the system would be confusing to use.
"I think it would chase people away," Hannes said.
Labor to chalk tires costs more than the Police Department takes in for parking meter revenues, Kelley said, because the city's parking rates have not kept pace with inflation.
Committee members favored free, unrestricted parking downtown, at least in limited amounts.
"If they (business owners and employees) fill it up, so be it. They'll be the ones chasing business away," Hannes said.
"It should be up to the business owners to police it themselves," Koch said. "Anywhere else in the city, businesses have to provide their own parking."
Parking space in the downtown area, with two extra lots and a ramp nearby, was not seen as a problem.
"What are we worrying about 10-hour spaces for? The justice center is going to be out of here soon anyway," member Charles Schuringa said.
Regardless of which system the city settles on using, Chief Kelley said he would like parking meters located off the Square to be removed at the same time.
Kelley also noted eliminating parking revenues will affect the 2009 budget, which included the anticipated income.
Members of the Monroe Public Safety Committee rejected two parking management system options for the downtown Square during a meeting Monday, and asked what Monroe Main Street wants as a second choice.
"What is their second desire, if we don't come up with the money for it? We don't like either system," Chairman Charles Koch said.
The Monroe Main Street Board of Directors asked the city to consider a license plate recognition system rather than kiosks that require underground utilities.
A decision must be made this month, when Fehr-Graham puts the final design together before going out for bids on the downtown reconstruction project.
At the committee's request, Pierre Hubert, business development director of AutoVu, presented the newest technology in parking management, license plate recognition (LPR).
Committee members compared the license plate recognition system, a kiosk system and the labor of chalking tires.
Any three of the systems would cost about $75,000 to $100,000, according to Police Chief Fred Kelley.
The LPR system consists of four vehicle-mounted cameras that can read and record up to 500 license plates per hour. A comparison of times and locations for any license plate alerts officers if a vehicle is parked too long in one spot.
Hubert quoted the cost of a full LPR system at about $58,000. The Police Department also would have to designate one vehicle for the camera mounting.
"Taxpayers will scream if we spend $100, 000 on a system like this," committee member Paul Hannes said.
Koch agreed, saying the cost of any system should not be funded by the Tax Increment Financing district or general taxpayers.
"Is this a TIF item? I personally don't feel it is," Koch said. "TIF was set up to develop deteriorating or blighted areas up to a certain stage. I don't like taking TIF money for something that should be taken care of by the district itself.
"If they want this kind of system, it should come out of BID (Business Improvement District)," he said.
Koch estimated the life of the LPR system would be about 10 years "at most," given technological advancements.
Kiosk systems have been eliminated from consideration for the Square. Monroe Main Street determined the eight machines, two on the each side of the Square, would deter from the new design.
The Public Safety Committee also decided that the system would be confusing to use.
"I think it would chase people away," Hannes said.
Labor to chalk tires costs more than the Police Department takes in for parking meter revenues, Kelley said, because the city's parking rates have not kept pace with inflation.
Committee members favored free, unrestricted parking downtown, at least in limited amounts.
"If they (business owners and employees) fill it up, so be it. They'll be the ones chasing business away," Hannes said.
"It should be up to the business owners to police it themselves," Koch said. "Anywhere else in the city, businesses have to provide their own parking."
Parking space in the downtown area, with two extra lots and a ramp nearby, was not seen as a problem.
"What are we worrying about 10-hour spaces for? The justice center is going to be out of here soon anyway," member Charles Schuringa said.
Regardless of which system the city settles on using, Chief Kelley said he would like parking meters located off the Square to be removed at the same time.
Kelley also noted eliminating parking revenues will affect the 2009 budget, which included the anticipated income.