This story was reported for San Diego News Network on March 30, 2009.
San Diegans may have to consider carrying more pocket change, or at least hold on to it for the next 45 days.
During the San Diego City Council meeting on Monday, the issue of extending meter times and increasing its fees were discussed. The motion was voted on unanimously to bring the issue back to the council within 45 days after it has been further viewed by the mayor and discussed within the budget committee.
Before the motion was passed, however, the meeting was filled with about 15 public comments and many remarks by councilmembers.
Many of the comments included members of communities and town councils, including Ann Garwood of the Hillcrest Town Council.
Garwood, who was against increasing parking meter fees and extending the time frame, said the number of parking meters needed to be expand to other communities than Hillcrest.
“It seems to me that if the city needs money, they need to go to a place without parking meters,” Garwood said. “Our little business are struggling now.”
Leo Wilson, an Uptown resident, also commented saying that the local town councils have not yet been consulted.
Councilmember Kevin Faulconer, who represents a district that is home to a number of parking meters, responded to Wilson’s comments saying the council needed more time to discuss the issue with its constituents.
Councilmember Marti Emerald also commented saying parking meter initiatives should be “fair and make sense.”
She also commented on whether those who parked at non-working meters would be ticketed – Emerald called it the “dead meter penalty” and that it had no place in San Diego.
The proposal would extend the parking meter hours from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. and would charge up to $3 per hour. The proposal also asks for five full-time employees to be hired. There are about 5100 meters throughout San Diego with 71 percent in downtown, alone. In Fiscal Year 2008, the City received $7.6 million in revenue with $4.2 million going to the general fund.
The council also voted unanimously to disregard salary increases as proposed by the city’s Salary Setting Commission. Councilmember Carl DeMaio commented on the proposal, saying the council is lucky to have jobs. The proposal, had it passed, would have increased the councilmembers’ salaries from $75,386 to $125,000 and the mayor’s salary from $100,464 to $150,000. The mayor also vetoed the proposal.
Hoa Quach is the political editor for the San Diego News Network.