Board of Aldermen 5-21-2020 Page 53
Alderman O’Brien
Thank you, Madam President. | personally would like to thank Alderman Kelly for coming up with this. |
think it is worthwhile. | have considerations, particularly to the folks and everything downtown in these
particularly trying times in trying to make theses adjustments and trying to get back to some degree of
normalcy. But, however, we don’t put parking meters on the street to really collect and give out tickets or
anything else like that. As a matter of fact, the money that we make, and | hope you listened to my fellow
Board Member, to Alderman Clemons, he hit it right on the head on exactly what happens when the money
gets made.
Basically people who do go out and give the tickets that is funded with some of the revenue that is
generated from the parking meters. It also has a very long train as Alderman Clemons said. Sometimes
that money may go to Community Development, that may filter down to let’s say the Holiday Stroll. And if
we give too much away, could we be giving away the Holiday Stroll, which | kind of think we would like that
and probably have it as a victory over this particular virus and everything. But Alderman Clemons really hit
the nail on the head. It is a revenue that is, you know, generated. It is not going to be made up in the
Budget. We have all sat at the Budget Hearings. We have heard different things. We have heard that
different cuts are going into some of the other type of Divisions. We saw Main Street vacant pretty much
since March 16" | know the date because it was the day before St. Patty’s Day. But we know we have
seen Main Street vacant since March 16". There hasn’t been much revenue generated. So what
Alderman Clemons says, we are already behind the 8 ball. And it’s a lag of 6 months’ worth of funding and
everything.
| really, again, compliment Alderman Kelly for writing this, thinking of the people, but | think it would hurt.
The other thing is what does a parking meter do? It is not to levy fines; it is to create a flush. Now when
people coming in for the restaurants now, there is going to be a time limit from what | understand by the
Governor’s and for the restaurants in order to make money. So you are going to have so much time that
you can spend at the table. So what is going to happen if you occupy the parking space, you are not
necessarily going to compliment that flush that is occurring at that particular table. So | think it is well-
intentioned but | think the loss of revenue at this particular time, we have bent over backwards to the
business community, particularly in downtown, as well as we should have. But | think this is a little bit too
much and | think the loss of revenue will be very difficult and we won’t see the pain of it for at least another
6 moths as what Alderman Clemons has explained. Thank you.
President Wilshire
Alderwoman Kelly.
Alderwoman Kelly
Yes, thank you. | appreciate everyone’s comments and this is exactly what | was hoping would happen. |
wanted to have a discussion about it because it has been brought to me time and time again. | want
everyone to know | really appreciate all the work that is done by the Downtown Improvement Committee
and the things that Director Cummings has been working towards. | think we are all just trying to do the
best we can and help downtown.
| am wondering if it is possible Lori for me to rescind my motion for a second reading and send it to
Infrastructure and potentially have a discussion with Downtown Improvement Committee.
President Wilshire
OK. So you are rescinding your motion for final passage and requesting that it be referred to the
Committee of Infrastructure. Is that your motion?
