Downtown Midland Businesses Against Carrying the Cost of Parking

Why should business pay?? Bad idea

I can’t believe that you are even contemplating to have the merchants pay the cost of downtown parking. Taxes for business owners are already very high and bottom line for is part of the reason for being in business. Somebody has to bear the costs of doing business and what better way to send people to the malls because costs for shopping downtown are expensive. Talk to business owners, they are barely covering costs now. Parking meters are not the problem, it is the current ones that are very difficult to see plus those stupid bollards that are too low to see when parking, and car doors are being damaged.

Businesses should not have to bear the cost of parking Their expenses are high enough

Making the parking "free" to help businesses that have lost sales due to the horrible parking system, only to then exclusively make those same downtown businesses pay all of the "lost" revenue from discontinuing a completely flawed paid parking system that literally no one asked for borders on insanity. Unless you want all of the downtown core to become a ghost town, this needs to change.

I think the business owners have suffered enough. They have lost business through Covid and again with the resurfacing of the main street. Why should they have to suffer again and take on more expense. With the elimiination of the parking meters I think you will find more locals shopping downtown again instead of always at the malls.

I thought the whole point of free parking was to support our local businesses? How does taxing them support them? Do better!

Midland also needs to do away with the bollards on the main street.

When we purchased the property to build our brewery the taxes jumped 22% on the very next tax bill as compared to the billing to the previous owner. Shortly after opening the MPAC decided we had improved the property and needed to re-assess it again which will result in another double digit increase. And now because of a municipal error in purchasing we are being targeted for a further $6,495 tax. We are listed on the rolls as the most expensive building and therefore we should pay the most for these mistakes. These sort of decisions will have detrimental effects on the downtown. I would suggest that the net effect of these will weaken Midland if there costs are strapped to the downtown businesses.

Small businesses punished again.

Downtown Midland property taxes are already very high, and asking local businesses to pay even more is not sustainable. The Town already does local businesses and our tourist attractions a major disservice through their ambitious enforcement of parking fines, which leave a very sour taste in the mouths of people trying to support local. The whole parking strategy is a mess. If the main issue is the risk of people 'loitering' in parking spots for long periods of time, then figure out how to address that specific issue. The problem really isn't with short term parkers, yet they are the ones we are addressing measures at, and who are paying the price on a daily basis. Get creative. We don't need to follow what every other community is doing. For instance: Do away with meters and traditional enforcement altogether. It is generally a revenue-neutral program anyway, where fees from parking and tickets are going to pay the costs of the paid enforcers and their apparatus. Instead, deputize some local business owners in the BIA to look out for issues and enable them to receive reports from others in the community. Set the rules so that cars cannot be parked for more than 24 hours, otherwise they risk getting towed. If someone parks a car for an extended period of time, try to reach them with a note, then tow them if they don't move within a set period of time. Make a list of those who are serial violators and bypass the notice period and just tow instantly. That should solve most of the major problems. Then make sure there's an education campaign with local merchants to ensure there's a culture of respect so that we don't have abuse from businesses and employees, again with a way to escalate disputes. The goal should be to make downtown as friendly as possible to both shoppers and merchants. The current system and the proposal that merchants fund its enforcement tactics do the exact opposite. Time for some new ideas. They

They should not be the only ones who pay

The businesses should not have to cover the town for their stupidity.

Midland has a great desire to find ways to raise money, at any cost. Lets give the merchants a chance to recover from Covid, The bid dig and high interest rates. While the merchants are recovering the Town should also cut back, with good planning they can do it, If our merchants suffer, than we all suffer, re-think and lets try again.

Strongly disagree just some of the downtown businesses should cover the costs, a general levy is more fair - since the businesses all provide something of value to everyone in the town. The proposed approach is also not equitable - assessed value is not a reasonable or fair way to pay for the value of the service - which is what the town is trying to levy. At the least, the cost of enforcement for 'Exempt' properties (MCC, Post Office, town owned lands, Churches) should be covered by all taxpayers as a general levy, but this will not be possible to calculate since there are no assessed values. The costs for free parking should also include new signage so that people can follow the rules. For those coming from out of town, the parking rules are a complete mystery. For example, I believe when people say 'free 3 hour parking' that is for King St, not the back lots. We need parking control so that limited space keeps residents and employees from parking on King St. There is a lot of downtown parking, the only real contention is the King St and the Town Dock area.

Their mistake and total lack of care means the town should pay not the hard working people and owners of the downtown area. I’ve been reiterating this since the new meters went in years ago and the council and the council BIA rep Johnathon Maine ignored the requests by the BIA to help correct the towns mistake. Again, this is the towns mistake. A huge mistake !!!

It’s hard enough as it is. Leave the meters if it makes the town that much money. A tax levy will end some businesses including ours. Stop people that are working downtown from parking on the Main Street in December. If we have free parking this will happen all year long!!.

Everyone benefits from free parking downtown. Buisness owners should not be penalized for towns mistake. Put back the old coin meters.

This is a cost for the whole town not the district that creates jobs and brings in tourists

The whole town is benefiting from this. Don’t penalize the downtown core that is already struggling with the homelessness and drug problems plaguing our community.

just put back the traditional parking meters there was never a need for such high tech meters they were a cost burden, and inconvenient for the users, the council shouldn't have considered their use at least not on wide scale maybe the use of more simple meters such as pay and display for the group parking lots vs the street spots but these intrusive and hard to use and pay systems were just an out right nuisance I stopped going downtown for this reason unless im walking