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Once again, the city manager has implemented policy that was not voted upon by the Commission--changing downtown parking hours from 4 to 2. You can't even go downtown, have dinner, stroll the avenue and attend Evening on the Avenues within 2 hours. Why do we continue to want to fix something that IS NOT BROKEN? No public input. No vote. The most important question is, how does the city manager take it upon herself to make these changes? Tell me I missed something here.
CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION:
"Regulating and enforcing downtown parking is never an effortless task. In the reparation of the FY 2012 Budget, there was City Commission consensus not to charge for on-street parking but rather adopt a shorter two hour parking limit which would generate additional short term parking and discourage people from parking their vehicles on the street for an extended length of time. All downtown merchants suffer when people doing business on Lake Avenue and Lucerne Ave, or employees working in the downtown, park their vehicles in front of a business all day because of the City is not enforcing parking restrictions.
Four hour parking limits in a downtown area promotes day long on-street parking which discourages traffic turnover and contributes to the decline of new businesses in the downtown area. However, it must also be conceded that the City has not conducted a formal independent parking study of the total parking needs of the downtown area for many years. Such a study would document existing parking conditions, identify parking deficiencies, seek input from downtown merchants and shoppers and evaluate different alternatives for improving parking. The City did not budget any funds for this study nor will every resident be excited about using tax payer money for yet 'another worthless study'."
Once again, Stanton has made a decision based on what she believes, not what the rest of us want. This is on tomorrow night's agenda under New Business D. The City Manager did not get her way with paid parking stations, thus we get this. Some of the signs have already been changed out to 2 hours and someone is marking tires, getting in practice I was told.
Let's for the sake of argument say that we may have a problem with parking downtown. Personally, I usually have to go around a block a few times to find a spot of "on street" parking which is close to the establishment I' heading to.
ReplyDeleteThen again, I happen to travel through the area often enough to see that there are a great many vehicles that appear to be fixtures on the street, usually in front of the same store every day all day or all evening.
Parking meters would have taken care of that problem so that owners of businesses or their employees would have to pay to park in front of their business all day long.
As a customer of these businesses, I appreciate the City Manager's idea to limit parking to two hours. Four was way too much and never enforced.
Let's remember we are still looking for revenue to pay for commission raises and City Manager's bloated Finance and Office of Budget and Management $100K plus positions.
If you can't go downtown and have dinner and do a little stroll in under two hours, you need to speed it up a little! Parking turnover is what it's all about. Keep 'em movin, boyz!!
Well, is this Susan herself? Taking another moral conviction and making it into reality huh?
ReplyDeleteThere is no way in hell that I can go downtown to eat, and then go to The Playhouse. No way under this sun.
But whoever it is, you missed the point entirely. This is about making a policy decision that was NOT voted on nor agreed to.
Come tomorrow night and speak out for the CM. We'll be waiitng to hear ya.
what in the hell is going on in our city? This city belongs to us, not the cm
ReplyDeleteThe Queen has spoken
ReplyDeleteIn may day all employees parked in the back of stores or on the side streets. But with all the crime in the city, I dont blame them for parking infront of the stores they work.Bring back Suzzie the meter maid. Maybe they park infront of their stores to attract business. Cars out front could mean people are shopping in stores.
ReplyDeleteLynn is right on this one folks! The Dictator....errr CM has again made policy decision with out a commission vote.
ReplyDeleteThis commission is no longer in control of what does and does not happen in this city and the CM just as soon not have a commission to deal with.
It is no longer a public input or participation government in Lake Worth and the CM simply does not care what you or I think.
There is only one way to change this which is to change the commission and get people on the Dias that will back the CM up a little and DEMAND that she quit this rein of policy terrorism that she is forcing on us.
Please remind me, Who called her the BEST CITY MANAGER EVER" again?
ReplyDeleteStanton COULD be the best BCE. However, she has a commission that is not keeping her in check. Checks and Balances have disappeared within our City. That is why we have the style maangement that we do. Right now, it is more like Lois Frankel. Stanton is doing what she thinks is needed. I disagree with some of these initiatives. It is up to the commission to rein it all in.
ReplyDelete