MILWAUKEE — A proposal to extend the hours that you'd have to feed the meter to park in downtown Milwaukee is on hold, for now.
After some debate Thursday morning, the item was put on file.
The proposal was to extend paid parking hours for meters in the central business district from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Alderman Bob Bauman authored the proposal and asked to rescind it. He believes key stakeholders were not given enough notice, and it could negatively impact people who live in the area.
There are more than 6,000 parking meters citywide, 4,000 just in the downtown area.
"While we have the street parking in its abundance, the city should be getting its money's worth," Charlie Megenity said of the potential of having to feed the meter on Saturdays.
Megenity lives and works in downtown Milwaukee and believes extending metered parking is important for the city.
"Free parking is a subsidy and the money that's made isn't necessarily covering the cost of maintaining the roads," Megenity added.
The Department of Public Works Commissioner Jerrel Kruschke argues it's revenue the city needs.
"Free parking costs the city dollars," Kruschke said. "It's not free for the people or the taxpayers.
Last year revenue from all city parking meters was roughly around $4.5 million.
The city is hoping this will bring more money, but business owners are worried it'll stop people from spending money.
"We need to be doing everything we can to encourage people to patronize businesses," said Hans Weissgerber III, owner of Old German Beer Hall.
Weissgerber III operates the Old German Beer Hall on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in downtown Milwaukee, where there is already extended parking in place.
"These sorts of policies isolate us, and turn people off from coming into the center of the city," he said.
He knows firsthand the impact it's had on his customers and believes spreading the policy citywide will be detrimental.
Weissgerber III says he understands the need for revenue for the city. On the other hand, he knows firsthand the impact it's had on his customers and believes spreading the policy citywide will be detrimental.
"I would like to see us (Milwaukee) have a uniform parking policy and it should be 6 p.m.," Weissgerber III added.
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