Board of Aldermen 03-09-2021 Page 35
ON THE QUESTION
Alderman Jette
And I'd like to be heard on it.
President Wilshire
Alderman Jette?
Alderman Jette
So this goes along with the previous Ordinance and it provides for 15 minute free parking. As it reads now, 15
minute free parking from noon to 9:00 p.m. daily. So as a result of people talking to me since our Infrastructure
Committee meetings, it was pointed out to me that there are areas where parking is, because of the barriers,
the parking is pretty much eliminated except for these 15 minutes areas that are shown, again on the aerial
view that | talked about before. So, it was brought out that some of these areas block off parking from our
retail establishments during a time when the restaurants are really not using the outdoor dining area, the
outdoor seating area that they use at night. And by limiting to just the time periods that are put into this
Ordinance, it kind of makes it fairly rigid and | think it would be a good idea to again allow for adjustments. So |
would like to make a motion to amend the Ordinance. So where it says, “be it further resolved that upon
recommendation of the parking manager, the Mayor may approve additional parking spaces as 15 minute
parking from noon to 9:00 p.m. daily as necessary”. | would like to move to amend that to read, “That the
Mayor may adjust the location and timeframe of the 15 minute free parking”.
And the purpose of this would be to allow the Mayor and it says the Mayor so | am not trying to eliminate
Director Cummings, but the Parking Manager works with and for Director Cummings, so we are not really
eliminating him from this formula. This would allow the Parking Manager and the Mayor to adjust these
parking areas and time limits as deemed appropriate.
MOTION BY ALDERMAN JETTE TO AMEND O-21-051 TO CHANGE THE LANGUAGE TO READ “THAT
THE MAYOR MAY ADJUST THE LOCATION AND TIMEFRAME OF THE 15 MINUTE FREE PARKING” BY
ROLL CALL
ON THE QUESTION
President Wilshire
So the motion is to amend. Alderman O’Brien?
Alderman O’Brien
Thank you, Madam President. Through you, if | can ask Alderman Jette, from what my understanding is,
again, we are paying an independent contractor to put down these barriers, as you Alderman Jette may know,
they are made out of concrete, they are quite heavy, designed to be impacted by a vehicle and protect our
residents who are enjoying the outdoor dining. So basically once they have become fixated, they are there. So
by this particular Ordinance, are you implying that they are movable now and if they are movable since the City
does not own equipment to move it, and we are paying an independent contractor, can you explain where the
funding is going to come from to do this that would adjust this according to your amendment, please?
Alderman Jette
Thank you Alderman O’Brien for the question. Nothing in this Ordinance is going to make the barriers any less
heavy or any less immovable than they are, they are what they are. Whether or not they can be moved or not,
whether we have equipment that could move them, | don’t know, probably not.
