Downtown businesses say a recent decision to raise parking rates across the city places an unfair burden on residents who shop downtown.
On Monday, councillors voted to officially approve changes to the city’s operating budget, which include a 25 cents per hour increase in parking meter rates.
The move is an unpopular one with downtown business owners, who are concerned the city is neglecting its downtown core.
“This parking meter funding is supposed to be a user fee for downtown, but downtown doesn’t see it,” Prince Albert Downtown Business Improvement District (PADBID) board chair Stacey Coburn said. “We feel it’s an unfortunate and unfair taxing of the businesses.”
Coburn and other PADBID members attended Monday’s council meeting to try and sway the city’s elected members from implementing the parking rate increase. The presentation generated more than an hour of debate in the council chambers, but was ultimately unsuccessful in reversing the budget decision.
For the rest of this story, please see the April 26 online or print edition of the Daily Herald.
