MONROE - Part of what new mayor Louis Armstrong referred to as an "agonizing process" came to a close Tuesday after the Monroe Common Council voted to tear down the municipal downtown parking ramp.
As his first official business as mayor, Armstrong placed questions regarding the future of the ramp on the meeting agenda. The first question asked if the city should knock down the current municipal parking ramp to be replaced with a surface lot. Alderman Reid Stangel moved for tearing down the ramp and was followed by fellow council members Brooke Bauman, Chris Beer, Michael Boyce, Tom Miller, Jeff Newcomer, Richard Thoman and newly-appointed Ward 7 representative Ron Marsh. Alderman Charles Koch voted against the motion.
Miller said he did not like the wording of the first question because the council had voted down a similar question on March 15 in which the ramp would have been taken down and replaced by a flat lot. Stangel said it was important not to dwell on smaller details, echoing Armstrong, who had advised the council to keep choices simple.
"We can't get anywhere until we tear down the ramp," Stangel said.
Stangel added that a surface lot can remain in place of the demolished ramp and decisions to build another can be made at a later date.
"This isn't an endpoint," Armstrong said. "It's part of answering a bigger question. I think we can all agree the ramp is past its lifetime, it's a liability and it needs to come down."
He added the council can decide later if it wants to pave the lot.
Armstrong's second question was whether the city should construct a parking ramp in 2017. Miller moved to do so, but other council members expressed hesitation to act quickly with a heavy fiscal decision.
Newcomer said the "smart thing to do" would be to bide time and see how having a flat lot downtown would affect parking for a year or two.
"We don't know what's going to happen," Newcomer said. "We don't need to tear down and build a new ramp right away."
Beer and Miller disagreed: Both said in order for business downtown to develop, more parking space is needed to accommodate expansion.
"We want to build our downtown," Beer said. "We want to draw people and we need a place for them to park. We need to start planning now."
Funds for the project could come from the Tax Increment District 7, where the ramp is located. City Administrator Phil Rath said the estimated $650,000 to tear down the ramp could be paid by income from the downtown district. TID 7 has $4 million available for parking downtown. If the city decides to borrow to build a new ramp, Rath said, using TID 7 funds may be monetarily feasible, but would also depend on proper development of the downtown to bring in more funding. The TID closes in 2033.
Ultimately, the motion to build another parking ramp downtown failed on a roll call vote with Beer, Koch and Miller in favor while Bauman, Boyce, Newcomer, Marsh and Thoman voted against constructing a new ramp next year.
Armstrong said he would pursue another vote in the fall of 2017 after timed parking limits had been instituted around the Square.
A motion to allow Rath and Al Gerber, director of Public Works, pursue proposals from companies to demolish the ramp also passed. Gerber said the city could feasibly knock down the municipal ramp before Cheese Days in September.
As his first official business as mayor, Armstrong placed questions regarding the future of the ramp on the meeting agenda. The first question asked if the city should knock down the current municipal parking ramp to be replaced with a surface lot. Alderman Reid Stangel moved for tearing down the ramp and was followed by fellow council members Brooke Bauman, Chris Beer, Michael Boyce, Tom Miller, Jeff Newcomer, Richard Thoman and newly-appointed Ward 7 representative Ron Marsh. Alderman Charles Koch voted against the motion.
Miller said he did not like the wording of the first question because the council had voted down a similar question on March 15 in which the ramp would have been taken down and replaced by a flat lot. Stangel said it was important not to dwell on smaller details, echoing Armstrong, who had advised the council to keep choices simple.
"We can't get anywhere until we tear down the ramp," Stangel said.
Stangel added that a surface lot can remain in place of the demolished ramp and decisions to build another can be made at a later date.
"This isn't an endpoint," Armstrong said. "It's part of answering a bigger question. I think we can all agree the ramp is past its lifetime, it's a liability and it needs to come down."
He added the council can decide later if it wants to pave the lot.
Armstrong's second question was whether the city should construct a parking ramp in 2017. Miller moved to do so, but other council members expressed hesitation to act quickly with a heavy fiscal decision.
Newcomer said the "smart thing to do" would be to bide time and see how having a flat lot downtown would affect parking for a year or two.
"We don't know what's going to happen," Newcomer said. "We don't need to tear down and build a new ramp right away."
Beer and Miller disagreed: Both said in order for business downtown to develop, more parking space is needed to accommodate expansion.
"We want to build our downtown," Beer said. "We want to draw people and we need a place for them to park. We need to start planning now."
Funds for the project could come from the Tax Increment District 7, where the ramp is located. City Administrator Phil Rath said the estimated $650,000 to tear down the ramp could be paid by income from the downtown district. TID 7 has $4 million available for parking downtown. If the city decides to borrow to build a new ramp, Rath said, using TID 7 funds may be monetarily feasible, but would also depend on proper development of the downtown to bring in more funding. The TID closes in 2033.
Ultimately, the motion to build another parking ramp downtown failed on a roll call vote with Beer, Koch and Miller in favor while Bauman, Boyce, Newcomer, Marsh and Thoman voted against constructing a new ramp next year.
Armstrong said he would pursue another vote in the fall of 2017 after timed parking limits had been instituted around the Square.
A motion to allow Rath and Al Gerber, director of Public Works, pursue proposals from companies to demolish the ramp also passed. Gerber said the city could feasibly knock down the municipal ramp before Cheese Days in September.