HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-03-20 Public Comment - B. Antonopulos - RPPD FeesFrom:agenda@bozeman.net
To:Agenda
Subject:Thank you for your public comment.
Date:Monday, August 3, 2020 11:22:26 AM
A new entry to a form/survey has been submitted.
Form Name:Public Comment Form
Date & Time:08/03/2020 11:22 AM
Response #:532
Submitter ID:29213
IP address:2600:6c67:517f:b28e:797b:2018:d5d7:9e39
Time to complete:38 min. , 8 sec.
Survey Details
Page 1
Public comment may be submitted via the form below, or by any of the following options.
Public comment may also be given at any public meeting.
Email:
agenda@bozeman.net
Mail to:
Attn: City Commission
PO Box 1230
Bozeman, MT 59771
First Name Beth
Last Name Antonopulos
Email Address antonopulos@gmail.com
Phone Number 4065808225
Comments
Dear Commissioners,
I understand you are considering a request tonight from the parking commission to raise the parking
district permit fees again. The parking commissioner has been claiming we haven’t been pulling our weight
because the city has been subsidizing the parking system around the high school and MSU. However, it has
recently come to light that the fines collected in our districts have not been counted as revenue towards
paying for the permits and the enforcement! The original legislation authorizing the districts clearly said
these fines are to be used to pay for the district costs. I don’t know when the fines stopped being applied to
the budget equation, but it would seem that the district permit holders may have actually been
overcharged for some long time? Please see the details as very clearly outlined in Ron Brey’s letter of
7/14/2020.
In this time of very pressing concerns, topped by Covid-19 issues, I hope you will take these comments in
context. Parking districts are a quality of life issue and help neighborhoods preserve their residential
character in the face of outside pressures, whether from downtown development, MSU or BHS proximity,
etc. They are not an emergency need right now! However, fair and accurate application of city rules and
laws is always important to help everyone stay connected to our government processes. The parking
district budget should be corrected to include the district fine revenues, and the permit fees should be
recalculated. It wouldn’t be inappropriate for the parking commissioner to apologize to residents who have
been affected by this mistake or misunderstanding to try and mend relations. At the very least, I hope the
city manager will get to the bottom of the problem and ensure that the parking commissioner correctly
applies the regulations for which he is responsible. Either the original legislation was never read, it was read
and ignored, or there is some important information that has not been shared clearly with the public. In
any case, I hope that you will ensure this situation is corrected.
Please consider delaying the parking district fee increase until this has been sorted out more clearly, and
the public informed. Thanks again to you all, and to the city staff, for your hard work and dedication to
making Bozeman a great place to live.
Sincerely,
Beth Antonopulos
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receipt of all information.
Thank you,
City Of Bozeman
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