Pomeroy Council Votes for Free Parking through most of Village

POMEROY – After months of discussion, meetings and survey, Pomeroy will have free parking through most of the village.

Effective immediately, parking will be free in Pomeroy on Main Street and in the parking lot at least for the next six months.

During the regularly scheduled, meeting April 4, council received feedback from a survey and meeting with Pomeroy merchants. Council member Don Anderson had been appointed to meet with the merchants, which he had on two occasions regarding the parking meters in town. Anderson had met with merchants prior to the council meeting that night to hear the findings of a survey conducted by the merchants concerning keeping the parking meters or removing them. Customer feedback was also a part of the survey.

Anderson reported that overwhelmingly the merchants wanted the meters removed. He said that “100 percent of the customers wanted them removed,” according to the survey. He said they had discussed a trial period of suspending the meters.

Anderson said one concern he has, which was brought up at the previous meetings, is the actual revenue involved with the meters. Exact numbers on what is brought in and the expenses involved including the personnel to collect the money from the meters and monitor the parking areas is unclear. Solid numbers have not been available. The way the money has been collected and deposited by the police department does not allow for distinction between the fees such as parking permits verses meter collection.

Anderson questioned if it was really of value for the village to maintain retaining the parking meters. Some new parking meters were purchased for $14,000 and installed on Second Street, Court Street and Lynn Street. During the following discussion village clerk Susan Baker asked why they would be purchased without using them to which council member Maureen Hennessy responded they could be “sold on e-bay.”

Anderson stated he felt they “jumped the gun” on purchasing the new meters. Hennessy agreed. Anderson said the numbers they had been presented previously by Pomeroy Police Chief Mark Proffitt appeared to be higher than what the numbers that have since come to light through the discussions with the merchants. Baker said the money must be kept separate to obtain an accurate account for actual numbers. Baker said if she felt the meters would not be used, she would not have stated the village could afford to purchase them.

“We will sell them. We will not have them sit in storage and become outdated,” Hennessy responded.

Baker pointed out that there were merchants that wanted the meters. Previously, Chief Proffitt had presented information that the merchants wanted the meters, however, he had not met with them nor had members of council which became obvious following the findings of the survey. Of the 37 merchants polled, three were for the meters. Thirty-four merchants wanted the parking meters removed entirely.

Ohlinger questioned what the survey asked. Baker asked if council wanted to wait until she was able to provide more detailed numbers. She said she receives a cashier’s check from the police department, which includes the parking permits, meters, and tickets. She could not tell where the meters were located this way. She said in the beginning when this discussion came up, she asked for the chief to direct the officer collecting the money from the meters to keep them separate, but that has not been done to date.

Anderson added that also needed from the chief were the numbers on how many of the old meters actually work. Anderson said that information was not currently known and was an important to the discussion.

The Meigs Independent Press questioned where the new meters were to be located as directed by council. Members of the council responded that the new meters were to be placed on Second Street, Court Street and Lynn Street. The Meigs Independent Press pointed out that there is a new meter placed on Main Street and provided a picture of the meter. Council was unaware it had been placed on Main Street.

Hennessy said she was for making the parking lot completely free parking. Discussion then ensued concerning a trial period for free parking. Council member Ruth Spaun pointed out the comments on the survey overwhelmingly said people wanted to have free parking. She noted other area villages were mentioned such as Point Pleasant and Gallipolis for having free parking.

The parking lot and Main Street were discussed becoming free parking along with the decision to purchase the new meters. Spaun had made a motion in a previous meeting before the meters were purchased to meet with the merchants. It failed to obtain a second. Hennessy and Anderson agreed they had moved too soon on the purchase. Hennessy said whatever happens, the meters were not going to sit in storage, but would be sold.

Ohlinger said he was not willing to say it was a mistake in the $14,000 purchase of new meters. He said they voted to purchase the meters legally and with input.

“We’ve had input. We’ve had opportunities for people to get input. They have brought input,” said Ohlinger.

Baker asked that before removing the meters, the council have time to gather and look over the numbers on the new meters.

The Meigs Independent Press pointed out that there had been three businesses out of the 37 that wanted the meters. There had been some input from those businesses, but there had not been meetings with the Pomeroy Merchants Association or the mainstay of the businesses in Pomeroy. The Meigs Independent Press asked that had the council the information from the 37 businesses, would the decision to purchase the meters remain the same, what would that look like today?

Ohlinger responded that they did have “full input” from businesses. The Meigs Independent Press said that response from a couple of businesses is not “full input” and followed with the statements previously made by Chief Proffitt that he had not met with the merchants. Ohlinger said, “The night we made the decision to buy the new meters, there was no motion on the table to remove the meters.”

He said they decided to put posts in the paving project prior to last summer to use double headed meters. He said no motion was made to remove meters.

The Meigs Independent Press pointed out there had been a motion to wait until the merchants could be fully contacted. Ohlinger argued that was for meters only on Main Street and the parking lot which was followed with the Meigs Independent Press referring to the minutes in which Spaun had made the motion to have input from the merchants before the purchase.

Ohlinger said that went down for lack of a second and they voted to buy the meters. Spaun then referenced Anderson’s comment about “jumping the gun” on the purchase.

At that point, Mayor Bryan Shank said the discussion needed to end and a direction needed to be decided upon.

Ohlinger said he felt having meters charging two different amounts was unfair. He said they needed more information on the subject. Anderson again said the consensus was strongly for removal of the meters.

The time period for the trial of six months which would take it into November when the village has free parking for the holidays anyway was discussed. This would give the council time to collect the numbers on the new meters and allow for further input. Allowance would be left open if the merchants came back to council and said if it was not working or had complaints about it, the trial could be ended earlier.

The decision was then made to make parking free on Main Street and the parking lot for the six month trial period. It was voted on unanimously. For now at least, the new parking meters on Second Street, Lynn Street and Court Street will still remain effective and parking in those spaces will require paying the meters.

Those with parking permits can receive a prorated refund if they bring the permit into the office.

It was also discussed the new meters are not marked, though Chief Proffitt was directed to have them labeled. The cost of parking where the new meters are is 25 cents. The new meters only take quarters.

Present at the meeting were Mayor Shank along with council members Spaun, Anderson, Hennessy, Ohlinger, Michael along with Baker. Council member Victor Young was absent. Chief Proffitt and Village Administrator Paul Hellman were also not present for the meeting.