Downtown parking again Council topic

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Van Wert City Council again discussed downtown parking, while also hearing some mixed financial information from City Auditor Martha Balyeat.

While most city officials appear to see downtown parking violators as a problem, with information presented by Streets and Alleys Committee Chair Pete Weir showing a loss of $800,000 annually from the more than 40 spaces where two-hour parking violations have been noted during several video surveys of the downtown area, not all agree on how to deal with the problem.

Weir said grants are available to purchase equipment that would let city police officers take photos of license plates as they drive through the downtown area and would also sound a warning on parking violators if officers again drive through the area two hours later.

However, Mayor Don Farmer was adamant that police officers would not be used as “meter maids.”

“They (officers) have bigger and more important things to do with their time,” the mayor said. “This administration will not have full-time police officers doing this.”

That statement triggered a sharp response from Balyeat, who noted that Mayor Farmer and other city officials swore an oath to uphold the law, including the city ordinance on parking violations, and should either do so or strike the ordinance from the books.

Law Director John Hatcher noted that Van Wert Municipal Court Judge Jill Leatherman is amenable to enforcing the ordinance on two-hour parking in the downtown area, if the city comes to an agreement on how that could be accomplished.

Weir noted that a $10 parking ticket appeared reasonable for violations of the ordinance, if Council agreed to again begin prosecuting violators. Hatcher also noted that contracts would have to be signed with parking enforcement volunteers, whether they are paid or not.

Possibly the only thing City Council did agree on during the discussion was that parking meters were not the solution to the problem.

Another meeting has been scheduled to discuss the issue.

Balyeat also had good and bad financial news for the city, reiterating that 2012 appears to be a positive year, as far as city finances go. While inheritance revenues and interest income are again down, income tax and other revenues are increasing, while spending continues to be lower than revenues received.

Next year, though, could be a problem, the city auditor said, noting that the state inheritance tax will end this year, while the city stands to lose an estimated $200,000 in state funding during 2013.

Mayor Farmer pointed out the increase in income tax revenues, which are currently up more than $300,000 over last year, and noted he hopes the income tax increases would offset dwindling state dollars.

Council also approved a then-and-now certificate requested by Balyeat.

Local businessman Chris Miller, owner of CJ’s Sidepockets on North Washington Street, came to Council to complain about the condition of the sidewalk north of his business.

Miller, who said he has tried to get something done about the problem for the past six years, said the condition of the sidewalk is atrocious.

“A lot of people walk that sidewalk and it’s ridiculous,” Miller told Council members.

Miller also complained about the condition of the building behind the sidewalk, noting that there are broken windows and grates in the building, which he said has been unoccupied for 3-4 years. He also said he has tried to purchase the building, but the owner refuses to sell it.

A Streets and Alleys Committee meeting was scheduled to discuss the problem.

Also Monday, Mayor Farmer’s administration is seeking the state’s permission to sell what was Mum’s Café to the Community Improvement Corporation, which would then sell it to a couple who plan to establish a piercing, tattoo and photo studio in the building.

The mayor said City Council must establish a value for the property, however, before it can be sold.

Brush pickup was also a topic of Monday’s Council meeting, with Mayor Farmer noting that brush will only be picked up the first Monday of each month, although collection could take several days. He also noted that leaves will not be picked up and urged city residents to use reason when it comes to how much brush is placed at the curb each month.