- Video shows an explanation of what parking assessments cover.
- Wednesday, at a special City Council meeting, a decision was made to rescind the plan for a pay-to-park system downtown.
- WATCH: With local businesses still having to pay assessments, what's next?
"There's no such thing as free parking. If you're not paying for parking, someone else is paying for it," says City of Jackson Public Information Officer Aaron Dimick. Costs that many may not consider, even though they literally lie on the surface.
Dimick explains, "When it comes to parking, there's a lot of costs associated." Right now, parking downtown is covered by assessments, paid for by the local businesses. Assessments cover repaving, patching potholes, painting, salt, plowing, and parking enforcement. According to Dimick, it costs $400,000 to cover all free street parking and lots annually; $147,000 of that comes from business assessments.
Those costs won't be put on drivers coming downtown. Wednesday, the City Council rescinded its decision to put metered parking in place.
WATCH: A recap of City Council's special meeting on March 26.
"That's part of the cost of doing business," says Al Mellinger, Owner of Marketplace Manna in Downtown Jackson. He says that he doesn't mind paying the assessment. He continues, "From my perspective, I'd rather pay than not have customers come in because they don't want to pay for parking." Mellinger was one of many business owners who breathed a sigh of relief when the Council made their decision on Wednesday.
"It's more than income for parking lots, it's the expression of what downtown is (and) why people should come," explains Mellinger. He says he'd like to see a creative solution in place of assessments. "If the main situation is that we need to have funds to care for the lots, and we're not selling all the spots in the lots, let's figure out how we can sell more of those slots. Whether it's by lowering the cost and selling more of them, because that generally generates more money overall. Or, if it's a situation where we actually start enforcing in an aggressive way, or modify the parking codes, so the people who have been abusing it will find themselves getting the tickets."
Moving forward, the Council has decided to create a task force to find that solution. Dimick explains, "What that's going to look like is the City Manager bringing people together, people in the city government, to present some different solutions about how we can cover the cost of parking downtown." For now, neighbors who stop downtown to shop or eat will find a meter-free spot waiting for them.
Want to see more local news? Visit the FOX47News Website.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.
Select from these options: Neighborhood News, Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines, and Daily Forecasts.
