Adrian, Michigan, had a problem. Their downtown association wanted free parking. So they removed the meters. Read about it here.
The city then noticed that there were 100K short in their budget (it came from the meters) so they proposed to charge the merchants a tax to cover parking expenses. The merchants aren’t happy. DUH…
Ever try to take money away from a government body. They fill find another way to get it back.
Adrian needs to review the bidding. Charge the people that drive to park. Don’t charge everyone who comes downtown for the parking (that’s what will happen if the tax goes into effect. The merchants will pass it along to everyone.)
Use the money to fix up the downtown area and don’t simply lose it in the general fund. Everyone is happy.
They are studying the problem
JVH
