Hamilton city councillors back $10 parking hike

TheSpec.com
Feb. 23, 2016
Cathie Coward

Councillors voted to hike the cost of a monthly city parking lot pass by $10 this year, but put off any debate on meter rates until next year.
 
Temporary exemptions are also in the works for municipal lots in Dundas and on Concession Street, with the possibility of adding Ottawa Street and Kenilworth Avenue at a budget meeting Friday.
  
In theory, the rate bump should provide the city with an extra $238,000 in revenue — although senior director of bylaw and parking Marty Hazell noted the city will pay about $61,000 of that total for its own employees to park.

Downtown Coun. Jason Farr applauded the lot rate hike as a good first step, but added he's still interested in a "robust discussion" on the city's $1 meter rates.
 
"It's the cheapest deal in Ontario," he said. "I think we need to address that if we're truly trying to encourage more people to get out of their cars and onto the bus."
 
Two different downtown business improvement area groups wrote council asking to leave meter rates alone.
 
"The downtown commercial economy is still hinged on people in the suburbs using their vehicle to come downtown to work, to shop, to do business or to enjoy our cultural amenities," wrote downtown BIA chair Lillian Cathcart, pointing to a late 2015 survey of businesses that suggested the price or lack of parking was a key deterrent for customers.
    
International Village BIA executive director Susie Braithwaite said the majority of her board supported rate hikes for parking lots, but not for street meters. "If the city implements an increase to parking fees, we would like to see those funds go towards a reserve to implement credit card machines within the BIAs so to stay competitive with other shopping destinations," she wrote.
    
Farr agreed the lack of credit card options was a "sore point" for residents and businesses alike — an opinion echoed on Twitter during the debate Tuesday.
  
Hazell said the city's parking reserve is depleted to the point where it is almost exclusively used to upkeep "existing assets." An update on possible technological upgrades is expected to come at an April planning meeting on other parking developments, including possible new public-private garages and the sale of underutilized lots.
  
Outside the core, opinions varied widely on whether to hike rates.
  
Coun. Tom Jackson asked for an exemption on Concession Street, arguing long-term construction has already hurt businesses.
  
Dundas Coun. Arlene VanderBeek said many of her business constituents are opposed to any hikes, while Ward 4 Coun. Sam Merulla said he'd like to consult first with area businesses near Ottawa and Kenilworth.
  
Ancaster Coun. Lloyd Ferguson, by contrast, said he had BIA support for a meter hike. "This is one small way … to mitigate a shortfall in revenue," he said.