Parking fee may be hot topic tonight

The Coeur d’Alene City Council this evening may get an earful from opponents of a recent decision to eliminate free two-hour parking at the McEuen Park lot downtown.

But their protests may be too late.

By a 4-3 vote, the council passed a resolution on Feb. 5 setting new fees that include charging $1 per hour at McEuen Park for the first two hours. There was no public comment at that meeting.

Since the decision, however, a petition drive has been launched opposing the new fee. By late Monday afternoon, the unscientific online petition had been signed by 5,126 people.

Although the issue is not on this evening’s agenda and the council cannot take any action, at least one council member has urged opponents of the new fee schedule to exercise the right to voice their concerns.

“If you want to make change you have to show up and make public comments and hope that one of the (council members) who voted for it will change their minds,” said Councilman Dan Gookin, who opposed the new fee schedule.

A change of heart doesn’t seem likely.

Councilman Dan English, who sided with the majority in supporting the increases, said his decision was not made lightly and he has no plans to change his vote.

“A group of people spent a lot of time looking into this,” said English, who serves as the council liaison to the city’s Parking Commission. “I think it’s very fair.”

Mayor Steve Widmyer, who cast the deciding vote in favor of the new fee schedule, said parking fees provide reserve funding for future parking needs and improvements to the city’s park system.

“A majority of the folks who use the lot are from out of the area,” Widmyer said. “They are helping pay for maintenance to our parks and future parking rather than shifting it to the local taxpayer. It’s just sound fiscal policy.”

The mayor noted that for people who use the McEuen Parking lot for three hours, there is no increase. Currently, motorists park free for the first two hours and pay $3 for the third hour. Under the new system, three hours of parking is still $3.

Widmyer also noted that there is still free street parking downtown for the first two hours and free parking for the first two hours in the city’s new 350-space parking structure downtown, as well as two-hour free parking at City Hall adjacent to McEuen Park.

“The fee increase (at McEuen) will go towards establishing a reserve for replacement fund for both parking facilities and parks,” Widmyer said. “It’s a very modest increase and will pay costs otherwise passed on to Coeur d’Alene taxpayers.”

Gookin said he encouraged opponents of the new fees to show up this evening and protest, though he conceded, “it’s pretty much a done deal.” But he predicted officials hadn’t heard the last of the parking fee controversy.

“I think it will unfold as a campaign issue this fall,” said Gookin, one of three council members on the ballot in November.

The council will meet at 6 p.m. at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library.