By Jeff Labine

Parking meter rates going up

Apr 12, 2017 | 2:00 PM

Parking meters are going up by 25 cents, a move that has Prince Albert’s downtown business association up in arms.

City council approved the plan last night to raise parking rates from a dollar per hour to $1.25. The move is expected to bring in $112,500 annually. The city still has cheaper parking rates when compared to other cities like Moose Jaw and Saskatoon, which charges $1.50 and $2, respectively.

Rick Orr, the executive director for the Prince Albert Downtown Business Improvement District, doesn’t like the idea and likened it to another tax to help offset the millions the city is losing in provincial grants.

“A 25 per cent increase is simply going to discourage people from shopping downtown,” he said prior to council’s decision. “It means instead of finding a loonie to put in, they will have to figure out if they have change to put a loonie in and a quarter. Most people aren’t even carrying cash nowadays.”

Orr, a former city councillor, said the meters were installed years ago with the sole goal of improving the downtown. He said there is a $40,000 reserve fund for downtown improvements but, according to him, not a single penny has been spent.

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He hoped the city would allow downtown businesses to suggest ways to use that fund.

“Parking meters are simply a tax to improve the downtown,” he said. “Unfortunately, our city has always decided historically to take the money and putting it into the general fund and not use it for its purpose.”

Orr wasn’t the only one against raising parking meter rates.

Ward 2 Terra Lennox-Zepp voiced her opposition to the increase and went even further to put forward a motion asking administration to look at removing downtown parking meters in favour of a two hour parking limit.

“An increase to our parking meter fees is just putting the provincial budget shortfall on the backs of our citizens,” she said. “Any increase to our parking meter fees is penalizing and putting an increase on the backs of our local businesses. Local businesses tell me they already have people informing them they don’t come downtown because they don’t want to pay for parking when they can go elsewhere and not pay for parking.”

She added she has heard from seniors living in the downtown who want a parking permit that would allow them to park for a longer period of time. She explained there’s not enough parking available at each senior’s building.

Jeff.labine@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @labinereporter