Thursday, March 28, 2024

Residential Parking Policy dominates council meeting

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Recognizing that the implementation of paid parking in the downtown business core will ultimately put increasing pressure on residential neighborhoods, the Parking Advisory Committee has recommended implementation of residential parking zones. The Parking Advisory Committee has recommended establishment of 8 zones that would come under the policy, but it is up to the residents of those zones to petition the city for establishment of the zone. Implementation will require 60% of the residents in the zone to agree to the establishment of the zone.

The purpose of the zones is to establish areas and develop permitting and enforcement procedures within each zone. It is up to residents of neighborhoods to petition the city for establishment of a residential parking zone. Once approved, the city will provide signage and one annual permit to each local resident allowing for on street parking. Additional permits may be available for purchase depending on the city’s assessment of the number of qualified on street parking spaces available in that zone.

Application for a permit will require the following information:

  • Applicant’s name, address, driver’s license number and date of issue
  • Vehicle owner name, address, vehicle registration certificate, and date of issue
  • The make, model, color, state of registration and license number of the vehicle(s) to be registered
  • Water, garbage, internet, cable or other documentation listing the address of the applicant and showing such address is within the Residential Parking Zone.
  • Any other information required by the City Administrator or designee to determine if an annual permit for parking in the Residential Parking Zone is permitted.

During the comment period many local residents had questions about the policy including if a business is located in their zone does the business need to sign the petition and what about parking in areas not covered by the already identified 8 zones.

As a result of questions from the public council voted to move the second reading to the April 13 meeting. The regulation will become part of the Leavenworth Municipal Code once approved upon second reading.

Oktoberfest contract termination

In a vote of 5-2 Council voted to terminate the contract with Projekt Bayern for the Oktoberfest. The contract was originally signed in 2012 and was on an automatic renewal. This does not mean that the city is planning on shutting down the Oktoberfest permanently or that Projekt Bayern will not ultimately be excluded from the management of the festival.

Projekt Bayern had earlier announced that it was cancelling the event for 2021. This means negotiations about the event going forward have until October of 2022 to be negotiated. On a practical level, of course, the event requires significant planning which cannot be completed without clarity about the city’s contract being in place. Several council members expressed concerns about the festivals monopoly of 3 of the city’s major parking lots.

The two council members who voted to oppose the cancellation, Council woman Sharon Waters and Council woman Carolyn Wilson, admitted that the event provided an opportunity for local people to work for the event and earn some money as a result. One problem with their vote is they admitted they personally benefitted from the opportunity to work and make money from the event. Although it would not have changed the outcome of the vote, as a practical matter they should have recused themselves on the basis of a conflict of interest.

Osborn Property Acquisition

Council voted unanimously to authorize the Mayor to sign the documents to acquire the Osborn School property.

In a separate discussion Ana Cortez, City Administrator, revealed that she estimated the annual cost of operating the school building would be about $40,000. It is unclear at this writing how the city plans to cover that cost going forward.

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