In November, Columbus’ Director of Public Service imposed a unilateral 50% parking meter rate increase throughout Columbus. The policy was approved by the mayor. Due to the way Columbus’ policies are written, neither city council nor the general populace were invited to weigh in on the final plan, muchless question its validity. Every parking meter in Columbus is now slated to be reprogrammed to be 50% more expensive before the end of the year.
Many voters have expressed great opposition to the initiative, and moreso to the manner in which it was implemented. In response to the move, the Short North Business Association has drafted an open letter to the mayor outlining a variety of requests from the community.
If you would like to read the letter and add your name to the growing petition endorsing the letter, please do so by following this link: Citizens for a Collaborative Columbus Government
Please feel free to pass this link along to other concerned citizens!
Update: 12/15/09 – Our voices have been heard! After accumulating over 1000 signatures in the first 36 hours, the Public Service Department announced that they will be rolling back meter rates for further study. Thank you!