MONROE - Monroe aldermen decided Monday to indefinitely table a previous motion that requested the city gain proposals for new parking ramp options.
The April 6 council meeting ended abruptly after discussion about the parking ramp escalated into disorder. Due to a lack of clear direction regarding what the city wants to do with the deteriorating parking structure, the council tabled three motions related to seeking proposals to build a new parking ramp.
Monday's motion was made by alderman Louis Armstrong, who will be sworn in as mayor tonight, after receiving advice on Robert's Rules from city attorney Rex Ewald on how to proceed with the lingering measures. Ewald said the council could either vote on each item separately or table the motions, which would "die with the session" as it ends at midnight tonight.
The downtown municipal parking ramp has been a point of contention among city officials for years. Most recently, outgoing Mayor Bill Ross said he wanted to go through each option presented by a parking study conducted last summer by Rich & Associates. On March 15, the council voted against one of those options: Demolishing the current ramp and replacing it with a 72-stall flat lot.
Armstrong plans to begin his first night as new mayor by addressing the issue. He has placed questions on tonight's council agenda asking whether the city would like to raze the parking ramp, and if members of the council would approve of replacing it with a new municipal ramp either in the same location or at one of three other locations: Spring Square parking lot, the Armory lot or a parking lot owned by the city of Monroe a block away from city hall.
Aldermen have also expressed interest in observing how timed parking downtown will effect the area. Time limits could be from two to three hours and will be instituted Jan. 1. Armstrong said he would delay a vote on a replacement structure if council members favored waiting to see how time limits affect the need of downtown parking.
The April 6 council meeting ended abruptly after discussion about the parking ramp escalated into disorder. Due to a lack of clear direction regarding what the city wants to do with the deteriorating parking structure, the council tabled three motions related to seeking proposals to build a new parking ramp.
Monday's motion was made by alderman Louis Armstrong, who will be sworn in as mayor tonight, after receiving advice on Robert's Rules from city attorney Rex Ewald on how to proceed with the lingering measures. Ewald said the council could either vote on each item separately or table the motions, which would "die with the session" as it ends at midnight tonight.
The downtown municipal parking ramp has been a point of contention among city officials for years. Most recently, outgoing Mayor Bill Ross said he wanted to go through each option presented by a parking study conducted last summer by Rich & Associates. On March 15, the council voted against one of those options: Demolishing the current ramp and replacing it with a 72-stall flat lot.
Armstrong plans to begin his first night as new mayor by addressing the issue. He has placed questions on tonight's council agenda asking whether the city would like to raze the parking ramp, and if members of the council would approve of replacing it with a new municipal ramp either in the same location or at one of three other locations: Spring Square parking lot, the Armory lot or a parking lot owned by the city of Monroe a block away from city hall.
Aldermen have also expressed interest in observing how timed parking downtown will effect the area. Time limits could be from two to three hours and will be instituted Jan. 1. Armstrong said he would delay a vote on a replacement structure if council members favored waiting to see how time limits affect the need of downtown parking.