Councilor wants body to take stand on parking fees

LACONIA — The City Council should take a position on whether to pursue the idea of charging for downtown parking, Councilor David Bownes urged the council Monday.

“I’m trying to get a sense of where the council stands on this issue; what kind of support there is for it,” said Bownes, chair of the council committee that deals with local ordinances.

Last May, City Manager Scott Myers unveiled a proposal that would require those who want to park downtown all day to get a permit, which would cost $50 a month.

The permit idea was one element of a plan for improving downtown parking facilities as well as strengthening enforcement of parking regulations.

Bownes said that, after the idea for the fee was floated, downtown business owners were supposed to be surveyed on how parking fees would affect them or their customers, but he has received no word about what the reaction of business owners was.

“I don‘t want to keep pushing. I want the council to take a position,” said Bownes, who acknowledged that he supports “some kind” of parking fee system.

Freshman Councilor Tony Felch said he would want to hear what the opinions among members of the business community are.

Bownes asked that the matter be included as part of a Government Operations Committee report at the council’s next meeting, scheduled for Monday, Feb. 10.

Revenues from the parking fees would be used to help fund parking improvements. The municipal parking garage is in need of major refurbishment and the city’s main surface lot needs repaving.