Public meeting Thursday, September 20, Town Hall, 6PM
(3rd in a series of posts on parking)
So, now that you have come up to speed, what are the kinds of questions and answers we need about the proposal to increase parking costs from the public meeting, Thursday, Sept. 20, Town Hall, 6pm? Dana’s interviewees give us a good start.
Dana Grubb, “People Say.” Bethlehem Press, September 5, 2018, p. 1-2.
.http://bethlehem.thelehighvalleypress.com/2018/09/04/people-say
“We live in Philly. Parking here is so cheap.”
Yeah, so how do our rates compare to comparable other cities? Is Philly comparable?
“I don’t think people are willing to pay $1.50. I think $1.00 is already reasonable.”
Well, how do we determine how far the public wallet will stretch? Sounds so subjective.
“I don’t like it. It kind of cuts down on people who can’t afford it.”
There you go. But we can’t charge by income level. (Though THAT would be an interesting solution!)
“It depends on what they are going to use the money for.”
Ahhh, a good one. Here’s where we get in to the need for and value of new or newly repaired garages.
“No one wants an increase unless it’s valid.”
Well, ok, how do we determine what is valid? Who determines what is valid? Is this why we pay the mayor and council those big bucks (just kidding!), to make these hard decisions?
“Where’s that extra money going? What good is it being used for? How does my community and I benefit from that increase?”
So half of Dana’s “survey” focus on the use of the extra $$$. “How does my community benefit?” just may well be the most fundamental question here, the one on which we most want to focus (do you notice former English teacher Gadfly struggling not to end that sentence with a preposition?).
Do you have some pre-meeting thoughts you’d like to share of the kinds of questions we should be asking and seeking answers for out of this meeting?