Mayor Walter Stack says this parking fee was actually approved by council two years ago, and is to help pay for the building of the Ken Scissons Parking Lot. However, at the time, they decided to delay the charge to give downtown businesses a break after two painful years of construction during the revitalization project.
Stack says asking businesses to pay towards parking that supports their business is a common practice across Ontario. However, he says the four business owners who presented to council Tuesday night have been asked to pass their presentations along to the clerk and council will review them and reply. Palubiskie and some of the other downtown business owners are asking for the cost to be shared among the entire tax base, and not just the downtown. The issue comes back to council at the September 23rd meeting.
