On Wednesday night, Jackson City Council members voted to rescind a resolution they approved two weeks earlier for a pay-to-park system to be installed downtown.
The move came during a special council meeting to gather public comment on the plan to install parking meters. That plan had already been put on hold March 18 following complaints from some local business owners.
Nearly two dozen people at the meeting spoke out against metered parking, including Laura Davenport, who owns the Blue Julep bakery.
"I do believe that this will greatly hurt my business," Davenport told council members. “I’ve had so many customers tell me that they will not pay a parking meter to run into my shop to purchase baked goods.”
Jackson resident John Lennox told council members metered parking would be unfair.
“You attracted all of these businesses with the promise of an environment that you are now changing on them, which is an unacceptable … turn of events to businesses that came in understanding that this is the way the community works, and now they’re going to have to suffer,” Lennox said.
Council member Will Forgrave, who represents the Sixth Ward, said it's clear Jackson residents don’t want to see parking meters downtown.
“I did underestimate the backlash we’d get,” Forgrave said. “I will admit I think I made a mistake in my point of view early on. It is our job as city council to represent our constituents.”
Metered parking, which was originally set to take effect on July 1, would have shifted the source of funding for parking maintenance from assessments on downtown property owners to money generated from parking spaces. City officials had said that metered parking would have raised more funds to improve maintenance efforts.
“One thing I’m not afraid of saying is, hey -- we made a wrong move,” said Mayor Daniel Mahoney. “We don’t get it right every single time, but I can guarantee you, no decision is made with malicious intent.”
Mahoney said he will now form a task force to determine the future of parking in downtown Jackson.
Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.
