A two-hour session by the Racine City Council Tuesday unveiled two facts. First, in a two-year period, the city’s parking meters provided profits of nearly $95,000. Second, the City Council remains split on the issue of removing the meters completely.
The discussion among the aldermen was sparked by a proposal from Ald. Steve Smetana (5th District) to do away with the city’s 1,656 meters, 964 of them in the downtown district. Smetana’s original proposal, which surfaced in late 2017, suggesting the city would be a more welcoming place without parking meters.
The last time the issue was on a council agenda was Summer 2018, according to the Racine Journal Times.
Before the discussion among alderman began, seven people spoke during the public hearing on the issue.
According to the newspaper, feedback was divided between people who want meters to keep residents and employees from monopolizing spaces intended for customers. Those in favor of removing of the meters suggest that removing meters will draw more people downtown.
At the conclusion of the two-hour discussion, the City Council chose to wait for the completion of a parking studying before taking any action.