FAB and Downtown Parking

parking fees kicked down

I stayed for the meeting for the first part of the Finance Advisory Board's Agenda, the discussion on downtown parking.

The proposal was to have 7 parking stations at the beach, 1 at Old Bridge Park, 1 at the boat-ramp and 5 downtown in our city owned parking lots. The City would be “borrowing” three part-time workers to work no more than 20 hours a week each in the collection and enforcement of the pay stations. These part-time workers would be “borrowed” from other departments, possibly one from the golf-course, one from sanitation and the other, who knows. The details were not really worked out or explained and only in the "thinking" stage. These part-timers would be making an estimated $19,078 a year each.

All the figures that were submitted for parking fee revenue were compiled by Joe Kroll and based on nothing really substantial as well as incomplete data. Also, it was stated that the pay stations at the beach would be replaced now instead of waiting until the beach redevelopment was completed. Certainly makes a lot of sense. (That is sarcasm)

Although some on the Board were looking at revenue, the majority did consider the cost and the effect to the downtown merchants as well as the residents who use off-street parking near the downtown if parking fees were implemented.

A motion was made by Darrian Dority and seconded by John Pickett to oppose the proposal of downtown parking fees with Pickett saying that the entire idea needs to be a well thought out process. Darrian said, "This could be a one, two punch to the merchants who might be at the end of their line."

As Jennifer Marchal was not present and Bill Thrasher was not there at the time of the vote, the only member dissenting was Chair Exline. He is in favor of charging people to come to our downtown because most cities charge. If most people were jumping off a bridge, would you follow suit?

Not taking into consideration the fragile state of our economy, businesses struggling to make it, and commercial establishments in Lake Worth paying the highest electric rate in the State of Florida (pointed out by Darrian), Exline's "reasoning," (and I hate to say this) lacked a certain amount of perception and insight. I want to thank the rest of the Board for its sensitivity toward the merchants and citizens of Lake Worth by opposing parking fees downtown.